isement overtakes the king and brings about his destruction. Do not,
O sire, while in enjoyment of Power, take wealth from those that are
Weak. Take care that that the eyes of the Weak do not burn thee like a
blazing fire. The tears shed by weeping men afflicted with falsehood slay
the children and animals of those that have uttered those falsehoods.
Like a cow a sinful act perpetrated does not produce immediate
fruits.[271] If the fruit is not seen in the perpetrator himself, it is
seen in his son or in his son's son, or daughter's son. When a weak
person fails to find a rescuer, the great rod of divine chastisement
falls (upon the king). When all subjects of a king (are obliged by
distress to) live like Brahmanas, by mendicancy, such mendicancy brings
destruction upon the king. When all the officers of the king posted in
the provinces unite together and act with injustice, the king is then
said to bring about a state of unmixed evil upon his kingdom. When the
officers of the king extort wealth, by unjust means or acting from lust
or avarice, from persons piteously soliciting mercy, a great destruction
then is sure to overtake the king. A mighty tree, first starting into
life, grows into large proportions. Numerous creatures then come and seek
its shelter. When, however, it is cut down or consumed in a
conflagration, those that had recourse to it for shelter all become
homeless.[272] When the residents of a kingdom perform acts of
righteousness and all religious rites, and applaud the good qualities of
the king, the latter reaps an accession of affluence. When, on the other
hand, the residents, moved by ignorance, abandon righteousness and act
unrighteously, the king becomes overtaken by misery. When sinful men
whose acts are known are allowed to move among the righteous (without
being punished for their misdeeds), Kali then overtakes the rulers of
those realms.[273] When the king causes chastisement to overtake all
wicked people, his kingdom thrives in prosperity. The kingdom of that
king certainly thrives who pays proper honours to his ministers and
employs them in measures of policy and in battles. Such a ruler enjoys
the wide earth for ever. That king who duly honours all good acts and
good speeches succeeds in earning great merit. The enjoyment of good
things after sharing them with others, paying proper honours to the
ministers, and subjugation or persons intoxicated with strength, are said
to constitute the great