Utathya Gītā

The Utathya Gītā is a teaching in two chapters, 90 and 91, of the Śānti Parva of the Mahābhārata. The brahmarshi Utathya of the Āṅgirasa gotra (family line) teaches King Māndhātā what rājadharma (the duty of a king) is at its root. Bhīshma tells it to Yudhishṭhira as one of the foundation teachings on rājadharma.

Its central teaching is that the king exists for dharma, not for his own enjoyment. All beings live in dharma. Dharma lives in the king. A king who keeps dharma is a deva. A king who breaks it is a vṛshala.

Utathya and Māndhātā

Utathya is of the Āṅgirasa gotra and is rich in brahma-jñāna (knowledge of Brahman). Māndhātā, the great cakravartī (emperor) of the Sūryavaṃśa, comes to him. Māndhātā wants to understand the root of rājadharma. Bhīshma presents the Utathya Gītā as one of the fullest teachings on why a king exists and what his basic purpose is.

The king exists for dharma, not for his own enjoyment

Utathya’s first and most basic teaching is that the king is the servant of dharma, not its master. He says: “Know, O Māndhātā, that the king exists for dharma, not to do as he pleases (kāmataḥ). The king is the guardian of the world (loka-rakshaka).”

If the king keeps dharma, he reaches devatva, the state of a deva. If he follows adharma, he goes to naraka. His place is between deva and naraka. Which way he goes depends wholly on whether he does his duty under dharma.

The chain that holds the world

Utathya states the chain. All beings live in dharma. Dharma lives in the king. So when the king fails, everything above and below him in the chain fails. The brāhmaṇas stop studying the Vedas. Yajñas (fire rituals) stop. The order of the world is broken. When the king succeeds in dharma, all beings flourish.

The meaning of rājan and vṛshala

Utathya gives two meanings of words.

• Rājan: “Where dharma reigns, he is called rājan.” The title is not only a matter of birth or rule. It describes a dharmic state.
• Vṛshala: “Where dharma is lost, he is called vṛshala.” The word vṛshala usually means a person of low standing. Here it means the king who suppresses dharma: “vṛsham lāti“, he destroys dharma.

Utathya says the devas of the Veda declared: “He who covers dharma, covers the divine (vṛsha).” So vṛshala means one who buries the divine principle.

Dharma as the life of all beings

Brahmā made dharma to keep all the prāṇas (living breaths) alive. So a king who keeps dharma is carrying out Brahmā’s basic purpose for creation. A king who lets dharma grow weak undermines the basis of all life.

Bali and Lakshmī

Utathya uses Bali as his example. Bali, the son of Virocana, was the great king of the asuras. He warns of the danger of envy toward brāhmaṇas.

From childhood Bali had held asūyā (jealousy) toward those who know Brahman. Because of this, the blazing prosperity (Lakshmī) that lived with him left him and went to Indra. Bali watched Lakshmī dwell in Indra and was full of regret.

The lesson for Māndhātā is that jealousy toward brāhmaṇas destroys the king’s Lakshmī. The king must honour and serve those who know Brahman. He must do so not out of duty alone but because he truly understands that Lakshmī is held in place by that bond.

Never become complacent

One last rule is that the king must never think, “I am complete in dharma and in allies.” Dharma must be grown all the time. The moment a king believes he has enough virtue or enough friends, his decline has begun. Dharma is not something reached once. It is a practice kept up.

Utathya ends with a summary. By hearing these rules, studying them and acting on them, the king gains yaśas (fame), kīrti (renown), sampada (wealth) and the loyalty of his people. A king who brings buddhi (understanding) to dharma gains everything.

The main points

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva, Chapters 90 to 91