शास्त्रामात्येभपौराणामविकल्पा स्वभावधीः । या सा भिक्षुकराज्यस्य कर्तृ धर्तृ प्रजास्थितेः ॥ १६ ॥
śāstrāmātyēbhapaurāṇāmavikalpā svabhāvadhīḥ | yā sā bhikṣukarājyasya kartṛ dhartṛ prajāsthitēḥ || 16 ||
Translation
The settled understanding, natural to each, of scripture, ministers, elephant and citizens: that is what makes the beggar's kingship and upholds the order of the people.
Word by word
- śāstra
- of scripture
- amātya
- ministers
- ibha
- elephant
- paurāṇām
- and citizens
- avikalpā
- settled
- svabhāva
- natural to each
- dhīḥ
- the understanding
- yā
- which
- sā
- that
- bhikṣuka
- the beggar's
- rājyasya
- of kingship
- kartṛ
- makes
- dhartṛ
- upholds
- prajā
- of the people
- sthitēḥ
- the order
Meaning
Back to the beggar-king, to finish the account. What made him king was a single mind shared by many: the rule of scripture that a land must not lack a king, the judgement of the ministers, the natural instinct of the elephant, and the assent of the citizens. All these came together without doubt or division (avikalpā), and their agreement made the kingship, and goes on keeping up the order of the realm. The commentary: the natural understanding that has reached one purpose. A public order rests on such shared understanding and on nothing higher. Even what seems most like a gift from heaven turns out to be many wills that agreed.