नास्तिक्यमनृतं क्रोधं प्रमादं दीर्घसूत्रताम्।
अदर्शनं ज्ञानवतामालस्यं पञ्चवृत्तिताम्॥
एकचिन्तनमर्थानामनर्थज्ञैश्च मन्त्रणम्।
निश्चितानामनारम्भं मन्त्रस्यापरिरक्षणम्॥
मङ्गलस्याप्रयोगं च प्रत्युत्थानं च सर्वतः।
कच्चित्त्वं वर्जयस्येतान्राजदोषांश्चतुर्दश॥
nāstikyam anṛtaṁ krodhaṁ pramādaṁ dīrgha-sūtratām
adarśanaṁ jñānavatām ālasyaṁ pañca-vṛttitām
eka-cintanam arthānām anarthajñaiś ca mantraṇam
niścitānām anārambhaṁ mantrasyāparirakṣaṇam
maṅgalasyāprayogaṁ ca pratyutthānaṁ ca sarvataḥ
kaccit tvaṁ varjayasy etān rāja-doṣāṁś caturdaśa
nāstikyam = disbelief in the next life; anṛtam = falsehood; krodham = anger; pramādam = inattention; dīrgha-sūtratām = procrastination; adarśanam = avoidance; jñānavatām = of saintly learned persons; ālasyam = laziness; pañca-vṛttitām = succumbing to the impulses of the five senses; eka-cintanam = solitary planning; arthānām = the affairs of the state; anarthajñaiḥ ca = with those inexperienced in such affairs; mantraṇam = discussing; niścitānām = what have been resolved; anārambham = not executing; mantrasya = political advice; aparirakṣaṇam = not guarding; maṅgalasya = in auspicious activities; aprayogam ca = not engaging; pratyutthānam = marching forth in battle at the same time; ca = and; sarvataḥ = against all opponents; kaccit = have; tvam = You; varjayasi = given up; etān = they are; rāja-doṣān = defects that kings fall prey to; caturdaśa = the fourteen.
Have You given up the fourteen defects that kings fall prey to? They are disbelief in the next life, falsehood, anger, inattention, procrastination, avoidance of saintly learned persons, laziness, succumbing to the impulses of the five senses, solitary planning, discussing the affairs of the state with those inexperienced in such affairs, not executing what have been resolved, not guarding political advice, not engaging in auspicious activities and marching forth in battle against all opponents at the same time.
1 “Those who have opposite ideas and views” indicate those who are stubbornly fixed in these ideas and views.
2 A king should respectfully stand up when his superior comes to see him. But respectfully standing up when his equals and inferiors come to see him is a defect, the defect of giving a person more respect than what he deserves (atimāna).
[In this verse] anger refers to that which is directed to one’s mother, father, ācārya, brāhmaṇa, weak persons and so on when they have committed an offense. Meeting [saintly] learned persons is the root cause of all auspiciousness. Laziness refers to that caused by consumption of intoxicants which makes one useless in getting anything done. Solitary planning occurs when a king disregards his ministers and solitarily deliberates on his governmental plans of action. Discussing the affairs of the state with those inexperienced in such affairs refers to discussing them with those who have opposite ideas and views.1 Not engaging in auspicious activities refers to not engaging in activities such as looking at the mirror in the early morning.
In some manuscripts, maṅgalādy-aprayogam appears instead of maṅgalasyāprayogam [without a significant change in the meaning].
Pratyutthānaṁ ca sarvataḥ also indicates that [respectfully] getting up to receive inferiors and non-inferiors who come to see the king is a defect.2
[It should be understood that] there are several other defects that the king should avoid.
GLOSS. [The glossator reads dīrgha-sūtritām instead of dīrgha-sūtratām indicating that Bharata should give up] the nature of constantly finding fault with a king and so on.