Duties of a King, President, Prime Minister or Dictator 1. First and foremost duty of a ‘Head of State’ is to live a life according to Dharma. He
/ She has to set a good example for all her / his subjects. The first conquest of the king is to conquer his own five senses and have total control over them. He / she cannot afford to get attached to ‘pleasures of the senses’. This is very important so that his personal and state enemies do not take advantage of her weaknesses. Some of these weaknesses are anger, arrogance, crude language, liquor, gambling, inappropriate attraction towards the opposite sex and harsh punishment of people who do not agree or have committed minor crimes. Lust for power and sex can lead to disaster for the King and the country. The Head of State has to be strong physically, mentally and spiritually to stay calm and focussed equally during tragedies and success. A President should have all his faculties and emotions under perfect control all the time - even during a disaster and after winning a war. Extremes like depression and euphoria need to be avoided at all times.
2. Most important duty of a ‘Head of State’ is welfare of the country and all his/her subjects. All subjects’ basic needs of water, food, shelter, safety, etc. need to be fulfilled. Some of the other important duties are to support teachers, health care workers, army, and all in the judicial system who maintain law and order.
3. Qualities of a ‘Head of State’:
a. She needs to be very intelligent and in excellent physical & mental health.
He should also be knowledgeable so that he / she can discriminate between wise and foolish advisers and ministers, good and bad advice, able to select good friends and know enemies of the state. Other positive traits are - truthfulness so that people believe him. A King will need lots of patience to listen to issues that concern his subjects, kind and compassionate.
b. Knowledge of ‘ Rājniti’ (Governance, how to rule a kingdom), art of warfare and use of arms is also important.
c. Art of ‘how to negotiate with other friendly and enemy heads of states’.
Excellent judge of character and ability to select best candidates for important positions like - Prime Minister & other ministers, judges, generals, spies etc.
e. A King has to be charitable towards his subjects, elderly, sick, disabled, women and children.
f. She should have the ability to pay attention to details in planning a project for his empire.
4 In a Democratic country, the Prime Minister is always in the ‘lime light’, he has to learn to behave - speak and act - like a noble man. Avoid all negative characteristics of a human being mentioned before. He has to set a good example by his behavior, speech and actions all the time. He has to be humble but smart enough to be willing to learn from his mistakes and advice from wise people.
5. Only the King should know about his thoughts, decisions and actions. With people a king has to behave as if he trusts them completely but gather information on everyone through spies. The identities of his spies who work for him, their findings, etc.; should be kept secret from everyone, even his Prime Minster. They keep an eye on friends and enemies of the state and bring information directly to the King. The spies should be able to pretend and behave like imbeciles, blind or deaf and able to suffer cold, heat, hunger, etc. They have to be very intelligent, wise & loyal to the king.
5. Citizens elect the King, President or Prime Minister. It is citizens’ duty to elect intelligent, knowledgeable, honest, trustworthy, kind, compassionate, person with a proven record of excellent administrative skills. Other above mentioned qualities should also be considered.
6. A Head of State and Judges she appoints should be impartial and punish criminals with compassion. Punishments should be according to the crime committed. All Judges need to be trustworthy, knowledgeable, compassionate and fair.
7. Taxes are levied according to the ability of people to pay without hurting the basic necessities of the public. Taxes are imposed judiciously - taking into consideration people’s ability to pay and amount of money necessary for running a benevolent government. Just like:
“A bee collects honey from the flowers
without causing any damage to the flower.”
8. A King should study his friends & enemies for their strengths & weaknesses. For a head of state or a country, ‘there are no permanent friends or enemies’ - everything depends on circumstances.
9. The King has to have the ability to decide ‘how to win over’ people: a. A friend can be appreciated by a gift.
b.
With a stronger adversary by conciliation, making treaties, creating divisions within the enemy camp.
c. With a weaker state by war as a last resort.
10. A loyal follower of the King, a guest and enemy who has surrendered in war - they all need protection of the President or Prime Minister.
11. Very rarely under extenuating circumstances a King may have to adapt immoral means to protect his country and his subjects.
Selection of Advisors & Ministers
1.
All Advisors & Ministers who are experts in their fields and completely loyal to the country and the king are selected. They are expected to give truthful & honest advice to the king.
2.
Army Generals are selected for their bravery, physical and mental strength, proficiency in war strategy, & use of weapons.
3.
Priests knowledgeable in scriptures, morals and ethics give advice and guidance during moral dilemmas.
4.
Avoid selecting advisors who flatter the King, who procrastinate, are malicious, mean, or lazy.
5.
Unqualified, wicked, corrupt or unfaithful advisor can destroy a kingdom.