The Fundamentals of Rajaneeti: Vedic approach to Politics by U. Mahesh Prabhu

At a time when the “best” of political approach seems to be inadequate, it could certainly help to know about the Vedic approach to politics – Rajaneeti, where greater good was achieved by inspiring leaders to, first, better themselves. In today’s world where we’ve only narrow ideas of a “good politician”; Vedic principles offer insights with significant depth. This article by U. Mahesh Prabhu offers fundamentals of Vedic approach to Politics.

At a time when the “best” political method appears to be insufficient, learning about the Vedic approach to politics – Rajaneeti – where greater good was reached by persuading leaders to first better themselves – might undoubtedly be beneficial. In today’s world, when we only have limited concepts of what constitutes a “good politician,” Vedic ideals provide great depth. This article was written by U. Mahesh Prabhu explains the principles of the Vedic approach to politics.

To grasp the principles of the Vedic approach to politics – Rajaneeti – it is necessary to first understand five Vedic Sanskrit words related to the Artha Sutras found in Kautilya’s Arthashastra: Sukham, Dharma, Artha, Rajyam, and Indriya-Vijayi. This is because these words are frequently (or brutally) mistranslated, making comprehension of the broader knowledge nearly impossible.

Happiness is translated as Sukham. Religion is a mistranslation of Dharma. Economy is the literal translation of Artha. Rashtra is taught to be ‘Nation’ or ‘Nation-state’ and Rajyam is translated as ‘State’. As you can see, these translations are only half true. When you properly comprehend these five words, you will have a firm grasp on Rajaneeti’s key fundamentals, which also embody beliefs and ideals of good politics.

Kautilya recollets a number of Sutras in his Arthashastra. Rajaneeti is built on the first five sutras, which are listed below:

1.    Sukham is the goal of life.

2.    Sukham’s foundation is Dharma.

3.    Dharma is founded on Artha.

4.    Rajyam is the foundation of Dharma.

5.    Rajyam is well handled by people who are Indriya Vijayi (broadly, those who have obtained control of their sense organs).

1. Sukham is the goal of life.

Sukham translates to Happiness in English. To be happy implies to feel pleasure, to be pleased, to feel satisfaction, joy, delight, and felicity. Everyone has their own beliefs and perceptions of happiness. For some, it is significant riches, such as a huge house, a small car, or a piece of excellent jewelry. That which one believes will make him/her happy is pursued. There is nothing wrong with hoping for and working toward things that you believe will make you happy.

The political establishment and its leaders’ goal is to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to pursue their happiness. People who pursue their target of happiness by deceptive ways, by causing harm to others, are on a clear path to crime. Stopping such acts or bringing perpetrators to justice is the ultimate goal of leaders and people in government.

According to Niti Shastras, pure and joyful happiness is attained when one is free of the Arishadvargas, which are six natural barriers to happiness that are embedded in mankind. Kama (Lust), Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed), Moha (Infatuation), Mada (Ego), and Matsarya (Jealousy) are the six obstacles. If whatever one desires lacks these six characteristics, that desire qualifies as an object of true happiness. If not, that object is the personification of greed, capable of wreaking havoc if pursued.

Even now, if you look closely, all of humanity’s issues, both micro and macro, can be traced back to these Arishadvargas. In Arthashastra, Kautilyaplainly indicates that one who has vanquished these Arishadvargas is better equipped to lead. He further declares that leaders with Arishadvargas are doomed to cause not only their own demise, but the demise of the organization they serve over time. Such leaders should be avoided.

Leaders who have mastered themselves are well prepared to deal with rivals and enemies. It is impossible to dominate others unless one has conquered oneself. This is the unchangeable truth.

After overcoming the six natural obstructions, it is the leader’s responsibility to lead his people in the direction of wisdom, health, riches, and success. Knowledge and information are important tools, but the strength of leaders comes from their wisdom. It is through this insight that a better person, family, society, city, state, nation, and world can be realized.

Leaders define their future for themselves and their people by realizing that the goal of life is to pursue happiness rather than greed.

2. Sukham’s foundation is Dharma.

Dharma is a Sanskrit word that, according to linguists, has no equivalent in any other language. To interpret Dharma as’religion’ would be a huge blunder. Bhishma describes Dharma in the Mahabharata chapter Shanti Parvaas follows:

Dharma is extremely difficult to define. Dharma is defined as everything that aids in the upliftment of all living creatures. As a result, Dharma is unquestionably that which ensures the well-being of all living beings. Dharma, according to the knowledgeable rishis(sages), is that which endures.

Dharma is defined in the Mahabharata’s chapter Karna Parva as

… that sustains society, preserves social order, and promotes humanity’s well-being and advancement. Dharma, without a doubt, provides means to achieve these goals.

Purva Mimamsa and Uttaramimamsa author Jaimini explains:

Dharma is that which the Vedas indicate is beneficial to the greater good.

Madhvacharya, a prominent official in the court of the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire – Hakka and Bukka – notes in his commentary on Parashara Smriti:

Dharma is that which sustains and assures the progress and wellbeing of all in this world… Dharma is proclaimed in the form of positive and negative instructions – Vidhi and Nishha.

Dharma, then, can be regarded as an individual’s moral obligation, acts of kindness to the deserving, and organizations and institutions dedicated to the eternal good of all beings without distinction. Dharma is also synonymous with universal compassion. As a result, Dharma is unquestionably the foundation of Sukham.

3. Dharma is rooted in Artha.

Artha appears in the early Vedic literature, including the Rig Veda, and denotes the purpose, objective, or aim of human life. During the Upanishadic era (about 1700 BCE to 500 BCE), Artha grew into a larger notion. It was originally included as part of Trivarga – the three goals of human existence (Dharma, Artha, and Kama), which evolved into Chaturvarga (Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha). Chaturvarga is also known as Purushartha, which translates as “Human Pursuit Objective.” Without comprehending one’s own Purushartha, no one can possibly live a meaningful or fruitful life. When it is followed, individuals, institutions, and nations achieve balance. When it is ignored, everyone becomes infested with confusion, disorder, and possibly anarchy.

Artha denotes social, legal, economic, and global affairs on a social level. As a result, all Vedic treatises on these areas are referred to as Arthashastra.

Artha is defined by Vedic elder Jaimini as a “quintessential element for sustainable growth…” The word Artha also translates to meaning, goal, purpose, and essence. However, Artha has a broader meaning in Vedic thinking. As a notion, it implies ways of living, activities, and resources that allow us to be in the position we desire. While wealth is a significant aspect of Artha, riches that is rarely used to benefit oneself, one’s family, or others is called Anartha (misfortune). Economists, too, agree, albeit subconsciously, with Kautilya that wealth can only be spent for the legitimate purpose, contributed to deserving individuals or institutions, misappropriated by spending on deceitful and malicious goods, or simply robbed. The first two deserve to be part of the Artha system since they respect Dharma. The last two, which are clearly anti-Dharma, fall under both Adharma and Anartha. Another meaning of Anartha in Sanskrit is disaster. It’s worth noting that Artha also means “fortune.” As a result, Artha can be better defined as the correct collection of resources and money for happiness and prosperity.

We all realize the value of wealth; without it, many things in life are impossible. However, in order to obtain riches lawfully (Artha), there must be a sound economy, and for a sound economy to exist, there must be job/entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as peace. Dharma makes peace possible. While they are interconnected in many ways, Vedic thinkers such as Kautilya consider Dharma to be larger than Artha.

As a result, leaders must grasp the value of economy (Artha) in carrying out their responsibilities and achieving their goals for the benefit of all (Dharma).

Without Artha, there can be no Dharma disciples, and without Dharma, there can hardly be Sukham – This is the Truth.

4. Rajyam is the foundation of Artha.

The Sanskrit word Rajyam is frequently mistaken with Rashtram or Rashtra.In addition, Rashtra is frequently translated as “Nation” or “Nation-state,” and Rajyam as “State.” Many people today understand the terms ‘nation’ and ‘nation-state’ from a European perspective. While a nation is defined as “a large body of people united by common descent, history, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory,” a nation-state is defined as “a state that self-identifies as deriving its political legitimacy from serving as a sovereign entity for a nation as a sovereign territorial unit.” The phrase “Nation-State” indicates that the two are geographically adjacent. In a broader sense, a nation-state is any group of people who seek to form a common political state-like organization. It is also fundamentally built on division and superiority complexes.

It is worth noting that many people now believe that the concept of Nation or Nation-State was unknown to Vedic Indians and that the concept of Nation-State only emerged about two centuries ago. The British, who controlled India for nearly two centuries, frequently made such observations. Sir John Strachey, a member of the Council of Secretary of State of the British Government, made the following statement in a speech to the British Parliament in 1888:

The first and most important thing to understand about India is that there is and has never been an India or any country in India that has any kind of physical, political, social, or religious unity, according to European ideals. There is no Indian nation, no Indian people that we hear so much about.

For thousands of years, the concept of country existed in India in the form of pan-Indian spiritual-emotional identity. The word Rashtram was employed in the Rig Veda to express the national identity of the people of Aryavartha, as India was known at the time. Rashtram is a concept that is both unifying and developmentally oriented, as opposed to the prevalent concept of nation, which does not develop the basic drive to live together. In this context, Rajyam is properly translated as the government or rule – which comprises the ruler, judicial, banking, military, and other social welfare establishments – to ensure that the Dharma purpose is relentlessly pursued.

Rajyam is a spiritual, all-encompassing, all-systems welfare system based on the concept of Dharma. The foundation and its significance are never contentious. Rajyam can change, adapt, or even collapse, but the concept of Rashtra, which stems from the benign desire for eternal welfare – Dharma– endures until there is a desire to live and coexist in the hearts of the people.

Government (Rajyam) is a crucial antecedent for the economy (Artha) to grow. Good governance leads to good economics (Artha); good economy leads to good possibilities for people (Artha); such good opportunities nourish Dharma, and Dharma nourishment ensures Sukham.

5. Indriya Vijayi’s administration of Rajyam is excellent.

Indriya Vijayi has mastered his Indriya (Sense Organs). Indriya is frequently rendered as “belonging to or agreeable to Indra.” Vijayi, on the other hand, connotes supremacy, dominion, control, power, and strength. Other pertinent words include ‘predominant influence,”sovereignty,’ ‘power,’ ‘organ,’ ‘faculty,’ ‘ruling faculty,’ ‘controlling principle,’ and ‘directive force as well as function’.

Although respected by Buddhist monks, the Abhidharma kosha was originally composed in Sanskrit and has its roots in Dharma Shastra. This document, written in the third century BCE, lists 22 Indriyas. They are as follows:

1.     

1.    Chakshushendriya – Sight organ, eye

2.    Shrotendriya – Hearing organ, ears

3.    Ghranendriya – Smell organ, nose

1.     

1.    Jihvendriya – Taste organ, tongue

2.    Kayendriya – Touch organ, body

3.    Manendriya is a mental organ or brain.

4.    Strindriya – Female reproductive organ

5.    Purushendriya – A mental state of dissatisfaction or grief.

6.    Jivitendriya – Life, vital organs

7.    Dukhendriya – A feeling of annoyance, discomfort, or suffering. Bodily.

8.    Sukhendriya – Sensation of physiological pleasure

9.    Daurmanasendriya – A mental feeling of dissatisfaction.

10.                  Saumanasendriya – The faculty of mental contentment or joy.

11.                  Upekshendriya – The faculty of indifference, both bodily and mental.

12.                  Shraddhendriya – Faith and Confidence Faculty

13.                  Virendriya – Energy, vigor, and enthusiasm

14.                  Smritendriya – Memory and mindfulness faculty

15.                  Samdhindriya – Absorption and meditation faculty

16.                  Prajnendriya – Dharma discernment faculty, Wisdom

17.                  Anajnatamajnasyamindriya – Learning Faculty

18.                  Ajnendriya – Knowledge faculty, ultimate knowledge, having learned

19.                  Ajnatadvindriya – The faculty of someone who has previously learned, of flawless knowledge.

The first five of these 22 Indriyas are the most significant in materialist life. If a person is unable to control his own Indriyas, he will always be a slave to them. These Indriyas cause delusion in men when they are slaves. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, “Through delusion comes anger, this anger causes bewilderment of memory, through bewilderment of memory wrong decisions are taken, and through wrong decisions the person verily meets his end.” As a result, controlling these Indriyas is critical for political leaders as well. The Vedic rishis have provided six paths for accomplishing this:

1.     

1.    Vichara – Deliberation, Contemplation, or Inquiry into Oneself

2.    Icchashakti means “inner will.”

3.    Kumbhaka – Breath retention by Pranayama

4.    Dama means “restraint.”

5.    Vichara is seen as the most viable path for individuals primarily interested in material pursuits of life, such as Politics.

Vichara, like many other words, has no English equivalent; the closest words may be Deliberation, Contemplation, or Self-inquiry. ‘To think’ (verb) or ‘thinking’ (noun) could be used. It is the ability to distinguish between what is right and wrong. It is a discussion of cause and effect (Karma),as well as the conclusion. Vichara, according to Ramana Maharshi, can be done at any time. However, according to his teachings, “Vichara should not be regarded as a meditation practice that occurs at specific times and in specific positions; it should continue throughout one’s waking hours, regardless of what one is doing.” Working and Vichara do not clash, and with a little practice, anyone can incorporate it into their lives.”

People take up one or more types of employment to satisfy their desires, needs, or greed. Many people give little thought to whether what they are doing is correct, effective, or worthwhile. Then there are those who spend a large amount of time thinking in order to check if their self-serving objectives are met. Worse, there are some who only think and never accomplish anything. Neither of these are capable of comprehending Vichara.

Vichara is always thinking about herself and the greater good. Vichara is that which is on the Dharma path. Vichara is the absence of Arishadvargas.

Through the practice of such Vichara, a person will eventually realize how to vanquish oneself and become Indriya Vijayi.

As a result, an Indriya Vijayi is well suited to ensure competent government (Rajyam). Economic well-being is accomplished through well-served Rajyam (Artha).Everyone follows Dharma through Artha. As a result of Dharma, universal welfare is achieved (Sukham). This is the fundamental tenet of Rajaneeti’s Vedic approach to politics.

 

Article Courtesy: https://www.vedic-management.com/the-fundamentals-of-rajaneeti-vedic-approach-to-politics/

THE COSMIC SWEEP OF SANATANA STATECRAFT AND POLITY: AN INTRODUCTION by SANDEEP BALAKRISHNA

The luminous hallmark that reveals itself even in a preliminary study is the remarkable antiquity, unrivalled continuity, sturdy endurance and intrepid resilience of Sanatana statecraft and polity. With a recorded history of over two thousand years—dating back to at least the 4^th century BCE—this tradition endured and retained the core elements of its original glory till the downfall of the Maratha Empire. The full text of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s coronation offers a panoramic delineation of the glory of a true Sanatana Samrajya ruled by an uncompromising, rock-solid Kshatriya.

However, the full fiendish disgrace for wiping out the last vestiges and even the living memory and traces of Sanatana statecraft and polity undoubtedly goes to Indira Gandhi who abolished privy purses and criminally betrayed Sardar Patel’s trust. As a rough history experiment, one can consider the regions ruled by the (nominal) Hindu princes from the British colonial period up to the abolition of the privy purses. The conclusion is inescapable: it was in these regions that age-old Hindu customs, traditions, and festivals were preserved largely in their original forms. The last surviving element of this historical fact is visible in Mysore Dussehra, which is a Hindu festival, not a tourist attraction.

The primary and recommended approach for studying Sanatana statecraft and polity is to desist the invariable urge to compare it with western democracy for three important reasons.

The first is the selfsame antiquity; that is, Indian polity and statecraft evolved gradually over more than a millennium. By the time Europe emerged from its soul-eroding Christian Darkness, Bharatavarsha already had a well-rooted and firmly established political tradition which did not rely on One Holy Book to deliver justice in the material world. Above all, this political tradition had inbuilt mechanisms for safeguarding and ensuring cultural continuity. Throughout its evolution, the Sanatana political system faced ebbs and tides but never abandoned its foundational ideals, aims, and retained its core strength till the time of the Marathas and Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The second is the fact that research done by early Western scholars in this field is winnowed with defective scholarship. Writers like Max Mueller, Weber and Roth ignored or were unaware of or casually bypassed the mind-blowing corpus of literature on statecraft in Sanskrit, Pali and most major Bharatiya Bhashas. We highly recommend reading the introduction in R. Shama Sastry’s classic Arthashastra in which he performs a thorough surgery of such Western scholarship by naming and shaming the scholars.

The third reason relates to the spirit. There is no realistic reason Indians should feel inferior to or ashamed of a comparison between Sanatana and Western political systems. On the contrary, we should welcome it provided truth is the only yardstick of this comparison. Let’s not forget that democracy was “granted” to India in two major phases: first by a pitiless commercial exploitation, and then by military and political colonisation. The sham democracy India experienced roughly beginning in the 1920s up to 1947 was primarily subject to England’s whim and not to its supposed civilised benevolence.

This backdrop is essential for a standalone study and assessment of Sanatana polity and statecraft from the earliest times.

For a start, we can’t find a more illustrious sage than D.V. Gundappa who drank deeply from the profound fount of the founding ideals of Sanatana ethos of whose infinite bounty polity was just one of the outward expressions. His treasure-trove of writing repeatedly invokes the Ashwamedha Yaga portion of the Taittiriya Brahmana of the Yajur Veda, which he correctly calls as the National Anthem of the Rishis.

Let us be bestowed with auspiciousness, safety, security, and abundance. Through this Yagna, may the citizens be blessed with unity and peace.

And DVG was our contemporary colossus (he passed away in 1975). The fact that he regarded this Vedic hymn as one of his primary political ideals in the 20^th century is Proof #97348937479324732932 of the aforementioned sturdy endurance. Neither does he stop at that. Even as Nawab Nehru was thundering his fatuous nonsense at midnight in Delhi about an alleged tryst, in faraway Basavanagudi in Bangalore, DVG penned an inspirational, moving poem in the quietude of his room: alone, elated but anxious for the future of an “independent” India.

His worst fears have come true in a nightmarish fashion.

In the Sanatana annals, polity and statecraft in both theory and practice is familiar by the terms, Rajyasastra or Rajadharma. However, other synonyms—some well-known—exist: Arthasastra, Dandaniti, Nitisastra, Rajaniti, Rajanitisastra, and so on. Indeed, Arthasastra has been synonymous with Dandaniti from the earliest times. This then is the other blight. The calculated destruction of Sanskrit in “independent India” has rendered us inaccessible to ourselves, an unforgivable self-inflicted cultural holocaust that is both unprecedented and unparalleled. One vainly hunts for words to describe the phenomenon where a vote is taken to decide whether we must preserve our own culture and language.

According to the Sanatana tradition, Saraswati Devi gave Danda Niti to this world, which is quite befitting when we think about it.

Keshava [Vishnu] armed with an enormous Sula [spear], created his own self into a form of chastisement. From that form, having Righteousness for its legs, the goddess Saraswati created Danda-niti (Science of Chastisement) which very soon became celebrated over the world… Chastisement should be inflicted with discrimination, guided by righteousness and not by caprice. It is intended for restraining the wicked. Fines and forfeitures are intended for striking alarm, and not for filling the king's treasury.

Mahabharata: Shanti Parva: Section 122

The primary goal and function of Danda Niti is that it should act as the “support of the world” by establishing order and checking and punishing evil. The Raja or king is the upholder of Danda Niti. It is his primary Dharma.

At the broadest level, Raja Dharma has a twofold goal:

1. The Ultimate: As a means of attaining Moksha through virtuous deeds, etc.

2. The Proximate: To create and maintain a condition of sustained peace, safety, stability and ensure the freedom of vocation, right to enjoy personal property, to safeguard the traditions, customs, etc of every clan, guild and sect, and to deliver speedy justice.

Technically speaking, although the king was the master of all land in his domain, he was merely a trustee, and individuals had full property rights. The Nanda dynasty violated precisely this sacred tenet, a crime that deserved the severest punishment. The classic TV series, Chanakya powerfully describes the nature of this violation in this pithy dialogue: “iss dharaa ko apne daasi samajh baite hai” (these people have treated this sacred Mother Earth as their personal maidservant).

The implication is clear: it is only in Bharatavarsha that Arthasastra is subservient to Dharmasastra. Indeed, Arthasastra texts and commentaries unequivocally state that Dharma is the highest goal, a constant theme constant. For example, the Kamasutra says that Kama is the lowest of the three Purusharthas and Dharma the highest.

Invariably, every exponent, scholar, writer and commentator on Arthasastra sounds this refrain: when clashes or conflicts in worldly [Artha]transactions cannot be resolved by law, custom or usage, the verdict of the Dharmasastra prevails. This timeless and perennial primacy of Dharma is what preserved our civilisation. Innumerable Hindu Empires flourished and fell but the Sanatana civilisational spirit has survived. To that proportional extent, our culture and traditions have been preserved.

On a very profound plane, Dharma exists not for its own sake; in fact, such a notion is itself absurd. Dharma achieves nothing by serving itself akin to light illuminating itself. Its presence is intangible and therefore unenforceable by the writ of a king or president. Dharma is both an ideal to be realised and a value to be cultivated in our inner lives and pursued in the outer. There’s a reason Dharma is the first Purushartha, and blessed is the person who realises the straight line leading from Dharma to Moksha by bypassing the avoidable tumults of Artha and Kama.

Without realizing Dharma in both its changeless and dynamic states, we will get the Western (or Islamic) political and social condition of constant one-upmanship and endless strife. Political life or politics is merely an instrument (Sadhana) to attain a higher state of life, and not an end in itself. We shall examine this theme in the next part of this series.

There was a reason our great Hindu Empires survived unbroken for five, six and even seven generations: by realising Dharma in the realm of statecraft, they ensured stability and bloodless succession. The point becomes crystal clear when we contrast it with Muslim dynasties which were as strong as their strongest sultan. The sickening motif of a sultan’s son murdering his own father only to capture political power is more a rule than an exception in the Muslim history of India.

Courtesy: https://www.dharmadispatch.in/culture/the-cosmic-sweep-of-sanatana-statecraft-and-polity-an-introduction