of life. That
king who protects all creatures mobile and immobile, and honours them as
they deserve, attains to the object of the Garhasthya mode of life.
Bestowing favours and inflicting punishments upon the wives and brothers,
elder and younger, and upon their sons and grandsons, are the domestic
duties of a king and these constitute his best penances. By honouring
those that are righteous and deserving of worship and protecting those
that have (by their penances) acquired knowledge of self, a king, O
tiger among men, attains to the object of the Garhasthya mode of life.
Inviting to this home, O Bharata, persons that have betaken themselves to
that Vanaprastha and other modes of life, and treating them with food,
constitute the domestic duties of a king. That king who duly adheres to
the duties laid down by the Creator, obtains the blessed merits of all
the modes of life. That king, O son of Kunti, in whom no virtue is
wanting, that foremost of men, O Yudhishthira, is said by the learned to
be a person in the observance of the Vanaprastha and all the other modes
of life. That king who duly honours the office or rank which deserves
honour, the race or family which deserves honour, and those old men that
deserve honour is said, O Yudhishthira, to live in all the modes of
life.[208] A king, O son of Kunti, by observing the duties of his country
and those of his family, acquires, O tiger among men, the merits of all
the modes of life. That king who at proper seasons bestows upon righteous
persons affluence or gifts of value, earns the merits, O king, of all the
modes of life. That king, O son of Kunti, who while overcome with danger
and fear still keeps his eye on the duties of all men,[209] earns the
merits of all the modes of life. The king obtains a share of the merits
earned under his protection by righteous people in his dominions. On the
other hand, if kings, O tiger among men, do not protect the righteous
people within their dominions, they then take the sins of the latter (of
omission and commission). Those men also, O Yudhishthira, who assist
kings (in protecting their subjects), become equally entitled, O sinless
one, to a share of the merits earned by others (in consequence of that
protection). The learned say that the Garhasthya, which we have adopted,
is superior to all the other modes of life. The conclusions in respect of
it are very clear. It is certainly sacred, O tiger among men. That man
who regards all c