Kaikaya Upākhyāna
The Kaikaya Upākhyāna is an itihāsa (a record of events) told by Bhīshma in the Śānti Parva of the Mahābhārata. A righteous king of the Kekaya dynasty goes into the forest for tapas (austerity), and a rākshasa seizes him. The king does not beg or threaten. He describes the dharma of every person in his kingdom. The rākshasa hears this, lets him go, and says that where cows and brāhmaṇas are protected, rākshasas have no right of entry.
Why Bhīshma tells it
Yudhishṭhira asked Bhīshma about the king’s authority over wealth: whose wealth may the king claim, and how must he act toward the wealth of his people?
Bhīshma answered that the king has authority over the wealth of those who are not brāhmaṇas. He also has authority over brāhmaṇas who have fallen from their dharma. But this comes with a duty. If a king lets brāhmaṇas fall into dishonesty or disorder in his kingdom, the guilt is the king’s own. Bhīshma then told the Kaikaya Upākhyāna to show what a king who does his duty is like.
The Kekaya king is seized
A king of the Kekaya dynasty studied the Veda, kept his vows and was firm in dharma. He went into the forest for tapas. There a very cruel rākshasa seized him.
As the rākshasa carried him off, the king did not beg for his life. He did not threaten the rākshasa with his power. Instead he spoke to the rākshasa and told him what his kingdom was like. After each part he asked the same question: “Why have you entered me?”
On his brāhmaṇas
“In my villages there are no thieves, no drunkards, no brāhmaṇas who have given up their fires, and no one who does not perform yajña. My brāhmaṇas chant the Vedas and teach others to chant. They perform yajña and help others perform it. They give dāna (gifts) and receive dāna. All six karmas (duties) of a brāhmaṇa are kept. They are learned, gentle, truthful and steady in their own dharma. Tell me, why have you entered me?”
On his kshatriyas
“My kshatriyas do not beg. They give. They are well versed in satya (truth) and dharma. They study the Vedas but do not teach them, because that is the brāhmaṇa’s work. They perform yajña but do not act as the priest. They protect brāhmaṇas and never turn their backs in battle. They stand firm in their own karma. Why have you entered me?”
On his vaiśyas
“My vaiśyas live by farming, keeping cattle and trade, without lies or cheating. They are careful and hard-working. They keep their vows and speak the truth. They have viveka (clear judgement) and indriya-nigraha (control of the senses), and they are clean inside and out. They keep friendship without fail and stand firm in their own karma. Why have you entered me?”
On his śūdras
“My śūdras are free from envy. They serve the other three varṇas faithfully, each according to his own svadharma (own duty). Why have you entered me?”
On those who need care
“I protect the dīna (the poor and low), the anātha (those with no one to turn to), the old, the thin and weak, the sick, and women, each as is right. Why have you entered me?”
On himself
“I keep all the dharmas of family and country without any corruption. My purohita (priest) is full of ātmajñāna (knowledge of the Self). He is a tapasvī, a knower of all dharmas, and the master of the whole kingdom. I do not eat before I have given to others. I do not look at another man’s wife. I never act on my own will without good counsel. My body has no place that is unwounded, for I have always fought for dharma. My people, the brāhmaṇas, the cows and the yajña all wish me well. Why have you entered me?”
The rākshasa lets him go
The rākshasa heard this full account of a kingdom ruled in dharma, and he set the king free at once. He said:
“In every situation you have kept dharma. So, O king of the Kekayas, go home. May it be well with you. I leave. Where cows and brāhmaṇas are protected, rākshasas have no right to come, and even fire is no danger.”
The rākshasa then stated the rule behind it. Where the king walks with brāhmaṇas before him, where the king’s power goes with the brāhmaṇas, and where the people follow dharma, no dark force has any rightful claim on that king or that kingdom.
What the king’s words show
The king’s answer to the rākshasa is a full account of the state of his kingdom, given at the moment of danger. He names the duty of the brāhmaṇas, kshatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras, and tells how each one keeps it. He also names his own duties and how he keeps them.
This account is part of Bhīshma’s teaching on the king’s duty for the welfare and dharma of all four varṇas.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva, Chapter 77