en, persons skilled in architecture, astronomers and
astrologers, and physicians, as also all men possessed of wisdom and
intelligence and self-restraint and cleverness and courage and learning
and high birth and energy of mind, and capable of close application to
all kinds of work. The king should honour the righteous and chastise the
unrighteous. He should, acting with resolution, set the several orders to
their respective duties. Ascertaining properly, by means of spies, the
outward behaviour and the state of mind of the inhabitants of his city
and provinces, he should adopt those measures that may be required. The
king should himself supervise his spies and counsels, his treasury, and
the agencies for inflicting chastisements. Upon these everything may be
said to depend. With spies constituting his sight, the king should
ascertain all the acts and intentions of his foes, friends, and neutrals.
He should then, with heedfulness, devise his own measures, honouring
those that are loyal to him and punishing those that are hostile. The
king should always adore the gods in sacrifices and make gifts without
giving pain to anybody. He should protect his subjects, never doing
anything that may obstruct or thwart righteousness. He should always
maintain and protect the helpless, the masterless, and the old, and women
that are widows. The king should always honour the ascetics and make unto
them gifts, at proper seasons of cloths and vessels and food. The king
should, with attentive care, inform the ascetics (within his dominions)
of the state of his own self, of all his measures, and of the kingdom,
and should always behave with humility in their presence. When he sees
ascetics of high birth and great learning that have abandoned all earthly
objects, he should honour them with gifts of beds and seats and food.
Whatever the nature of the distress into which he may fall, he should
confide in an ascetic. The very robbers repose confidence upon persons of
that character. The king should place his wealth in charge of an ascetic
and should take wisdom from him. He should not, however, always wait upon
them or worship them on all occasions.[250] From among those residing in
his own kingdom, he should select one for friendship. Similarly, he
should select another from among those that reside in the kingdom of his
foe. He should select a third from among those residing in the forests,
and a fourth from among those dwelling in the kingdoms