Part 2 - Seven Factors of Growth, Non-decline for Kings

At that time, the Venerable Ānanda was at the back of the Buddha, fanning Him. (In this connection it may be pointed out that the Buddhas, by virtue of their infinite merit, do not feel too cold nor too hot. Ānanda’s fanning the Buddha was merely an act of veneration.) When the Buddha had heard the Brahmin’s words He did not say anything to him but entered into a dialogue with Venerable Ānanda:

(He said:) “Ānanda, do the Vajjī princes hold meetings frequently? Do they have meetings many times? What have you heard?”

(Ānanda:) “Venerable Sir, I have heard that the Vajjī princes hold meetings frequently, and that they have meetings many times.”

(i) The First Factor of Growth, Non-decline

“Ānanda, so long as the Vajjī princes assemble frequently and have many meetings, they are bound to prosper; there is no reason for their decline.”

(Note: Frequent meetings means three or more meetings every day. ‘They have meetings many times’ means never skipping a day without meeting.

The advantages of frequent meetings is that fresh information is always forthcoming from the eight directions. If up-to-date information is not forthcoming, unrest at remote places and border areas might go unnoticed at the capital; so also breach of law and order in the country might not be duly reported. If no prompt action is taken against lawless elements this will be taken as laxity on the part of those in authority and the law and order situation will deteriorate. This is a sure way of decline for rulers.

If, on the other hand, frequent meetings are held, up-to-date information from all over the country can reach the capital and prompt action can be taken whenever necessary. The bad people will then know that they do not stand any chance against this sort of efficient administration and will disperse. This is a sure way of prosperity for rulers.)

(ii) The Second Factor of Growth, Non-decline

“Ānanda, do the Vajjī princes assemble in harmony and do they disperse in harmony? Do they act in harmony in discharging their duties in the affairs of the Vajjī country? What have you heard?”

“Venerable Sir, I have heard that the Vajjī princes assemble in harmony and disperse in harmony, and that they act in harmony in discharging their duties in the affairs of the Vajjī country.”

“Ānanda, so long as the Vajjī princes assemble and disperse in harmony and act in harmony in discharging their duties in the affairs of the Vajjī country, they are bound to prosper; there is no reason for their decline.”

(Note: ‘To assemble in harmony’ means never appearing late at the appointed hour of meeting on any excuse. When the time for the meeting is announced by gong or by bell, all turn up in time, leaving aside whatever activities they may be engaged in. If one happens to be taking his meal, he must leave the table at once in the middle of his meal; if one happens to be dressing himself up, he must attend the meeting even though not fully dressed up yet.

‘To disperse in harmony’ means leaving the meeting chamber all at the same time after the meeting has concluded. If some have left the meeting chamber and others were to remain, the ones who have gone might harbour suspicion against those who remain, with the uneasy thought that they stay behind to make important decisions behind their back. This sort of suspicious speculation is poisonous for the rulers’ mind.

In another sense: ‘to disperse in harmony’ means to be keen to undertake what is to be undertaken (as the follow up action consequent to the deliberations and decisions at the meeting). For example, if a rebellion needs to be quelled and someone is to take charge, everyone is eager to shoulder the responsibility.

‘Harmony in discharging duties’ means rendering every possible assistance among one another. For example, if one of the members is found to be falling short of his duty, the others would send their sons or brothers to render help. Where a visitor needs to be entertained, the responsibility is not shirked but all join in the task. In meeting their individual social obligations too, whether for happy occasions or sad occasions, all the members act as one whole family.)

(iii) The Third Factor of Growth, Non-decline

“Ānanda, do Vajjī princes abstain from enacting ordinances that have not been enacted previously, and do they abstain from revoking what has been enacted previously, and do they follow the time-honoured Vajji traditions and practices? What have you heard?”

“Venerable Sir, I have heard that the Vajjī princes abstain from enacting ordinances that have not been enacted previously, and that they follow the time-honoured Vajjī traditions and practices.”

“Ānanda, so long as the Vajjī princes abstain from enacting ordinances that have not been enacted previously, and abstain from revoking what has been enacted previously, and follow the time honoured Vajjī traditions and practices, they are bound to prosper; there is no reason for their decline.”

(Note: ‘Enacting ordinances’ means imposing taxes and fines. Imposing fresh taxes and fines that were not done before, and not revoking traditional taxes and fines is an important principle for rulers. ‘Following Vajjī traditions and practices’ means acting in accordance with traditional code of justice. For instance, execution of accused persons without trial is a flagrant disregard of tradition and practice. Whenever fresh taxes and fines are enacted the people naturally resent it. They may even feel that they are fleeced and in that case they may leave the country in disgust and turn to robbery and crime in remote places, or some of the discontented lot may join gangs of bandits, cause strife in out of the way areas. Revoking traditional taxes and fines will result in loss of revenue. This will render the rulers unable to meet state expenditures. The armed forces and civil servants will have reductions in their remuneration. This will lower their efficiency and the standards of their services will fall, effecting the might of the army.

If the time-honoured Vajjī traditions and practices are disregarded and people are executed without trial, relatives of the victims of injustice will bear grudge against the rulers. They may go to remote places and resort to crime themselves or may join gangs of bandits and roam the country. These are causes of decline for rulers.

In a country where the ordinances enacted are the same ones that have been traditionally enacted, the people will accept them without murmur. They will feel happy about their obligations and go about their normal activities such as agriculture and trading.

Where rulers do not revoke traditional taxes and fines their revenues in kind and in money are flowing in every day. The armed forces and civil servants enjoy their usual remuneration as they are properly provided and made happy, Their services remain as trustworthy and dependable as in the olden days.

In Vajjī system of justice, there were stages of careful scrutiny in the administration of criminal justice. When a man was brought before the authorities and was accused of theft, he was not put into custody but was properly examined. If there was no proof of theft, he was allowed to go. If someone was suspected of a crime, he was handed to the officials of the justice department where he was given a proper hearing. If found not guilty, he was released. If the judges suspected him of the crime, he was referred to a panel of learned persons who were well versed in social ethics. If the panel of learned persons found him not guilty he was released. If they considered him not free of fault, he was then referred to a review board of eight jurors (who belonged to the eight categories of families with an honourable tradition and who were free from the four kinds of improper official conduct.) If the review board found him not guilty, he was released but, if he was not free from blame, he was committed to the King through the Commander-in Chief and the Heirapparent. If the King found him not guilty, he was released. If he was not free from blame, the traditional criminal code, ‘dhammathat’, was caused to be read in his presence. The code contained specific descriptions of acts of crime with specific punishments attached to them. The King ascertained the nature of crime the man had committed that answered the description in the list of crimes in the code, and the prescribed punishment was meted out to him.

The Observance of the Vajjī tradition described above was very reassuring to the people. When one of their kith and kin was punished for a crime the people did not blame the Vajjī princes. They knew the King had dispensed justice and that the fault lay with the perpetrator only. Being satisfied that they had full protection of the law, they went about their usual business honestly. This adherence to the time-honoured system of justice is thus a factor of progress for rulers.)

(iv) The Fourth Factor of Growth, Non-decline

“Ānanda, do Vajjī princes treat their elders with courteous regard, deference, esteem and veneration, and do they consider that the advice of elderly people are worth listening to? What have you heard?”

“Venerable Sir, I have heard that the Vajjī princes treat their elders with regard, deference, esteem and veneration, and that they consider the advice of elderly people are worth listening to.”

“Ānanda, so long as the Vajjī princes treat their elders with regard, deference, esteem, and veneration, and consider that the advice of elderly people are worth listening to, they are bound to prosper;there is no reason for their decline.”

(The terms ‘regard, deference, esteem and veneration’, all denote a deep sense of respect, indebtedness, genuine affection and humility. ‘To listen to their advice’ means to seek their counsel twice or thrice every day.)

If young princes do not have a sense of respect for their elders and do not go to them for advice, they will be ignored by the elders, and lacking proper guidance, they will tend to indulge themselves in sensual pleasures and forget their princely duties, thus leading to their ruin.

Where princes hold their elders in esteem, the latter will advice them on state craft, pointing out the traditional practices. In military strategy, they have practical experience so that in a given situation they can give sound guidance, such as how to advance, how to retreat. Drawing on the rich experience and mature wisdom of their elders, the princes can thus carry on their proud tradition, perpetuating their national glory.

(v) The Fifth Factor of Growth, Non-decline

“Ānanda, do the Vajjī princes refrain from carrying away, by force, women and girls and keeping them? What have you heard?”

“Venerable Sir, I have heard that the Vajjī princes do not carry away, by force, women and girls and keep them.”

“Ānanda, so long as the Vajjī princes refrain from carrying away, by force, women and girls and keeping them, they are bound to prosper, there is no reason for their decline.”

(Herein, where the rulers forcibly take any woman or girl without consent, the people will be very angry. “They have taken away a mother from our house!” “They have taken away our girl whom we have nurtured with such great devotion!” “They have kept them at the palace!” People will complain. They will leave the country, go to the remote regions and become criminals themselves, or they may join gangs of bandits and roam the country. This is a cause of decline for rulers.

Where the rulers do not forcibly take away women and girls and keep them, the people are free from molestation and anxiety and they go about their usual business. They contribute to the wealth of the rulers. So, restraint of rulers is a factor for their progress.)

(vi) The Sixth Factor of Growth, Non-decline

“Ānanda, do the Vajjī princes hold in respect, reverence, honour, and veneration their traditional shrines within and without the city? Do they see to it that appropriate offerings and oblations are made at those shrines as of yore, without remiss? What have you heard?”

“Venerable Sir, I have heard that the Vajjī princes hold in respect, reverence, honour, and veneration their traditional shrines within and without the city. They see to it that appropriate offerings and oblations are made at those shrines as of yore, without remiss.”

“Ānanda, so long as the Vajjī princes hold in respect, reverence, honour, and veneration their traditional shrines within and without the city, and see to it that appropriate offerings and oblations are made at those shrines as of yore, without remiss, they are bound to prosper;there is no reason for their decline.”

(Where the rulers do not venerate the traditional shrines whether inside or outside of the city and are remiss in making the customary offerings and oblations that are due to them, the guardian spirits do not afford them protection. Although the guardian spirits are not able to cause fresh misfortune to the people, they can aggravate the existing misfortune such as a worsening in coughs and headaches. In time of war, they do not join forces against the enemy. Thus the rulers stand to meet with decline.

Where rulers do not neglect the customary offerings and oblations that are due to guardian spirits at the traditional shrines, the latter give them protection. Although the guardian spirits are not able to bring fresh fortunes to the people, they can attenuate the existing misfortune such as causing immediate relief in coughs and headaches. In times of war, they join forces with the local combatants. They may cause delusion to the enemy into thinking that the local army is twice or thrice its actual numbers; or they may show up terrifying sights before the enemy. Keeping the traditional guardian spirits in their good mood through customary offerings and oblations is a factor of prosperity for rulers.)

(vii) The Seventh Factor of Growth, Non-decline

“Ānanda, do the Vajjī princes see to it that arahats are given suitable protection and security so that those arahats, who have not yet visited the Vajjī country, may go, and so that those arahats, who have already arrived, may live in the Vajjī country in a genial atmosphere? What have you heard?”

“Venerable Sir, I have heard that the Vajjī princes make careful provisions for the protection of and security for arahats so that those arahats, who have not yet visited the Vajjī country, may go and so that those arahats, who have already arrived, may live in the Vajjī country in a genial atmosphere.”

“Ānanda, so long as the Vajjī princes see to it that arahats are given suitable protection and security so that those arahats, who have not yet visited the Vajjī country, may go, and so that those arahats, who have already arrived, may live in the Vajjī country in a genial atmosphere, they (the princes) are bound to prosper; there is no reason for their decline.”

(In this matter, ‘protection’ means necessary measures to ensure safety and ‘security’ means safeguarding the peace and friendly atmosphere. For noble persons, their protection and security need not be provided using a powerful armed guard. What is needed is to make sure that annoyance is not caused to these noble ones by such improper ways as felling of trees near their monastery, hunting or fishing in the vicinity. Careful provisions for the protection and security are intended to guarantee a genial atmosphere for arahats. They reflect the friendly attitude of the Vajjī princes towards the noble ones.

Where the rulers of a country do not have a friendly attitude towards arahats, who have not yet visited their country, it is due to their lack of faith in the Triple Gem. In that case when bhikkhus visit their country, they would not welcome them, (repeat:) would not go to them and pay homage, would not converse with them cordially, would not ask questions concerning the Doctrine, would not listen to their discourse, would not make offerings to them, would not hear the joyous remarks of the donee-bhikkhus, and would not arrange for their stay. They earn the reputation that such and such a ruler has no faith in the Triple Gem as when bhikkhus visited their country, they would not welcome them,... (repeat from above)... would not arrange for their stay. Due to this ill-repute, bhikkhus do not travel by the city gate of such a ruler, and if they cannot avoid using the road that passes by the city of that ruler, they would not enter the city. And thus there is no arrival of arahats, who have not yet visited that city.

If those bhikkhus, who have already visited that city, do not find a genial atmosphere, the bhikkhus will feel that they have visited a wrong place. “Who would live in such an unfriendly city where the rulers are so disrespectful?” they would say, and leave the place. Where a place is shunned by bhikkhus due to non-arrival of bhikkhus and departure of bhikkhus who have already visited, there, the place becomes devoid of bhikkhus. Where bhikkhus do not stay, guardian spirits do not stay either.

Where guardian spirits do not stay, demons have the run of the place. Where the demons thrive, strange diseases that are not known previously are caused by them. Opportunity for earning merit on account of seeing virtuous persons, seeking answers to doctrinal point, etc., is lost. This state of affairs is cause of decline for rulers.

The happy consequences of caring for the virtuous persons may be understood on the basis of the above unhappy consequences arising out of lack of such caring.)

Then the Buddha said to the Brahmin Vassakāra, Chief Minister of Magadha:

“Brahmin, on one occasion I taught the Vajjī princes these seven principle of progress while I was staying at the Sārandada shrine in Vesālī.

“Brahmin, so long as these seven factors of growth, non-decline remain with the Vajjī princes, and so long as the Vajjī princes carefully abide by these seven principles, they are bound to prosper; there is no reason for their decline.”

Then the Brahmin Vassakāra replied to the Buddha: “Revered Gotama, careful abidance of just anyone of those factors of growth would ensure the prosperity of the Vajjī princes, allowing no cause whatever for their decline. How much more so, if they carefully abide by all the seven factors!

“O revered Gotama, it is not likely that King Ajātasattu will conquer the Vajjī country simply by making war upon it, unless he can successfully seduce the Vajji princes or sow seeds of dissension among them.

“O revered Gotama, we shall go now. We have many affairs to attend to.”

“Brahmin, you know the time to go (i.e. go when you wish ).”

Then the Brahmin Vassakāra, being greatly pleased with the Buddha’s words, expressed his delight, rose from his seat and departed.

(Sārandada Shrine was pre-buddhistic shrine set up to propitiate a demon of that name. With the advent of the Buddha, a monastery was built on the site, hence the monastery was still known as Sārandada Shrine.

The Brahmin’s suggestion of seduction was meant to resort to acts of friendliness towards the enemy with lavish presents and messages of goodwill and amity. When the enemy was led to thinking that Ajātasattu was a real friend and remained unprepared for war, then only Chief Minister would advise the king to attack.

His second idea of sowing seeds of dissension also was another strategy to weaken the enemy. Both the two ideas flowed out of the Buddha’s seven factors of growth.

It might be asked: “Did the Bhagavā know that the Brahmin Vassakāra would benefit from the discourse?”

The answer is, “Yes.”

“And then why did the Bhagavā make the discourse?”

He made the discourse out of compassion for the Vajjī princes. To elaborate: The Buddha knew with His supreme wisdom that if He did not give the discourse to the Brahmin, King Ajātasattu would invade the Licchavī Country, capture the Licchavī princes and destroy them in two or three days time. By giving the discourse, King Ajātasattu would first use the strategy of sowing dissension among the Licchavī princes and move to destroy them only after three years.

Three more years of survival would provide the Licchavīs opportunities for more meritorious deeds that would establish them in good stead. Hence the discourse was given out of great compassion by the Buddha.)