8. This verse gives the etymology of the word Rajan and Vrishala. He in
whom righteousness shines (rajate) is a Rajan; and he in whom
righteousness, called Vrisha, disappear, is a Vrishala. Vide next verse.

269. The address Bharatarshabha is misplaced, seeing that it is Utathya
who is speaking and Mandhatri who is listening. The sense of the verse is
that it is the king who causes the age, for if he acts righteously, the
age that sets in is Krita; if, on the other hand, he acts sinfully, he
causes the Kali age to set in; etc. etc.

270. He who protects Weakness wins heaven, while he who persecutes it
goes to hell. Weakness, thus, is a great thing. Its power, so to say, is
such that it can lead to heaven and hell everyone with whom it may come
into contact.

271. The keeper of a cow has to wait, till it calves, for milk.

272. The sense is, I suppose, that if the king be overtaken by
destruction, his officers also do not escape.

273. Rajnah, Nilakantha thinks, is an accusative plural.

274. Some texts read Saranikan, meaning traders that make journeys and
voyages.

275. The king is God (incarnate) unto all righteous men, because they may
expect everything from him. As regards the second line, the meaning
depends upon bharati, which as the commentator explains means, "obtains
affluence or prosperity." For Patukah some texts read Pavakah. The
meaning then would be "becomes as a fire," i.e., destroys his own roots,
or, probably, becomes destructive to others.

276. K.P. Singh, I think, translates this verse erroneously. The Burdwan
version is correct. The speaker, in this verse, desires to illustrate the
force of righteous conduct. Transcriber's note: There was no
corresponding footnote reference in the text, so I have assigned this
footnote to an arbitrary location on the page--JBH.

277. Teshu i.e., unto the ministers already spoken of.

278. The sense of the passage is that the king should not ride vicious
elephants and horses, should guard himself against poisonous reptiles and
the arts of women, and should take particular care while ascending
mountains or entering inaccessible regions such as forests and woody
valleys.

279. The sense is that although it is laid down that kings should fight
with those only that are of the kingly order, yet when the Kshatriyas do
not arm themselves for resisting an invader, or other orders may fight
for putting down those that so arm themselves against the kings.

280. T