Greatness of the kings of Raghuvamsha

 Raghuvamsham is a Mahakavya written by a the great sanskrit poet Kalidasa. In this work, he describes the Raghu dynasty and its glorious kings.

Mahaakavi Kaalidaasa expounds on the various noble qualities of the kings of the Raghuvamsa. Here he lists out 16 of such very special qualities. What is to be remembered here is that, its not just one or two, but every single king in the dynasty had each one of these qualities, which is what makes the Raghuvamsa so divine that Bhagwaan Sri Raam himself chose to be born in that royal lineage. Kalidasa says with all humility that, 'I'm not greatly talented but after knowing about the greatness of the Raghuvamsa I feel tempted & inspired to sing their praise & announce their glory to the world." 

In four verses, he describes these 16 qualities of the kings of Raghu dynasty.They are as follows-

सोऽहमाजन्मशुद्धानामाफलोदयकर्मणाम्

आसमुद्रक्षितीशानामानाकरथवर्त्मनाम् ॥

1. They lived a blemishless life right from  conception to death. Not one king could be blamed of committing one adharmic activity throughout their entire lives. Their whole life was as per what the Saasthraas & Dharma stipulated

2. If they started something, they saw to it that it was brought to its rightful conclusion. 

3. The borders of their kingdom was the ocean, meaning they controlled all the lands.

4. They could drive their chariots right upto Swargaloka(heaven).  Raghuvamsa kings  were able to help the Devas(Gods) and defeat the Asuras(demons) due to their prowess and valour.

यथाविधिहुताग्नीनां यथाकामार्चितार्थिनाम् ।

यथापराधदण्डानां यथाकालप्रबोधिनाम् ॥

5. They performed all their religious duties as ordained by the DharmaSaasthraas(religious texts) properly & without fail. These include the daily rituals as well as special ones like Yagnaas(sacrifices) conducted for the benefit,peace and harmony of the whole world.

6. Whoever asked them for anything never had to return empty handed, provided they were deserving subjects. They practiced bountiful charity and also took care of the welfare of all their subjects so that no one remained poor or needy. They pleased the Brahmins by giving them all that was required to help them lead a prosperous life & concentrate on their duties.

7. They all had the gift of prudence. This is a very much necessary & highly rated quality for kings. They were scholars in law and knew how to investigate & interpret the Dharmic laws correctly so that they punished wrongdoers as per their crime.

8. They did everything at the right time without procrastination or hesitation in doing things. 

त्यागाय सम्भृतार्थानां सत्याय मितभाषिणाम् ।

यशसे विजिगीषूणां प्रजायै  गृहमेधिनाम् ॥

9)They earned wealth with the motive to sacrifice and use it to help others & give away in charity. 

10) They talked  very limitedly so that they always spoke the truth. They knew the power of words & never misused them 

11) They won over  others by their spotless reputation and greatness as a result of their Dharmic values and not by war or violence. They annexed territories & expanded their kingdom as it was Kshathriya Dharma & not because of greed for land. 

12) They married & led a grihastha's (householder's) life not to enjoy the pleasures; only so that they could beget good progeny & thereby continue the Dharmic ruling line and also to repay the pithru rna (the debt to ancestors which can be repaid only by furthering the dynasty)

शैशवेऽभ्यस्तविद्यानां यौवने विषयैषिणाम् ।

वार्धके मुनिवृत्तीनां योगेनान्ते तनुत्यजाम् ॥

13-16. They did everything in life too at its proper time. No question of postponing or missing out on something. Their childhood was devoted to earning  knowledge & acquiring life skills (Brahmacharya); their youth was devoted to Grihasthaasrama-living as a man of the world, discharging one's duties both worldly & divine and enjoying the rightful pleasures of life; in old age they renounced the material world and spent their life acquiring Jnaana(knowledge) that would release them from Samsaara (Vaanaprastha); and finally having acquired such jnaana & the resultant 'jeeva brahma aikyam', ( one with the supreme), they discarded the material body through yoga.

Such was the greatness of the kings of Raghuvamsha. Even today we can practice these qualities to lead a peaceful and successful life.

By Lakshmi.