Armed Forces Memorandum

I am reproducing below an excerpt from a letter from Kautilya to Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, mentioned in the former's 'Arthashastra'. This had formed a part of the Joint Armed Forces Memorandum to the 5th Central Pay Commission, in 1995, albeit in an abridged form. Written over 2000 years ago, it is extremely pithy, relevant and hardhitting, if only people would get the underpinning right!

The Mauryan soldier does not the Royal treasuries enrich
Nor the Royal granaries fill.
He does not carry out trade and commerce
Nor produce scholars, littérateurs, artistes, artisans, sculptors, architects, craftsmen, doctors and administrators.
He does not build roads and ramparts nor dig wells and reservoirs.
He does not do any of this directly.

That the soldier only and merely ensures that the tax, tribute and revenue collectors travel forth and return safely;

That the farmer tills, harvests, stores and markets his produce unafraid of pillage;

That the trader, merchant and financier function and travel across the length and breadth of the realm unmolested;

That the savant, sculptor, maestro and mentor create works of art, literature, philosophy and astrology in quietitude;

That the architect designs and builds his Vaastus without tension;

That the tutor and the priest teach and preach in peace;

That the rishis meditate in wordless silence;

That the doctor invents cures and medicines undisturbed;

That the mason and bricklayer work unhindered;

That the mother and the wife go about their chores and bring up children in harmony and tranquility;

That the cattle graze freely without being lifted or stolen.

Pataliputra reposes each night in peaceful comfort,
O King, secure in the belief that the distant borders of Magadha are inviolate and the interiors are safe and secure.
Thanks only to the Mauryan Army standing vigil with naked swords and eyes peeled for action, day and night,
In weather fair and foul, all eight praharas round the clock,
Quite unmindful of personal discomfort and hardship,
All through the year and year after year.

While the citizenry of the State contributes to see that the State prospers and flourishes, the soldier guarantees it continues to EXIST as a State!

To this man, O Rajadhiraja, you owe a debt: please, therefore, see to it, suo motu, that the soldier continuously gets his dues in every form and respect, be they his needs or his wants, for he is not likely to ask for them himself.

The day the soldier has to demand his dues will be a sad day for Magadha for then, on that day, you will have lost all moral sanction to be King!

AVM RP Mishra (Retd)