The wise sage Pushkara offered guidance to the king on the art of governance, beginning with counsel and discipline. He explained that while a king may consult with many advisors, he must weigh each piece of advice separately, and even among ministers, secrecy regarding counsel is essential. Trust, he said, may be found in someone among men, yet the final decision should rest with one wise person. Pushkara emphasized that a king’s ruin comes from lack of discipline, but through discipline he secures his realm. The king should learn the triple knowledge from the three Vedas and understand the eternal science of punishment. Alongside this, he must study the science of inquiry, the ways of wealth, and the means of livelihood from the world, for only one who has conquered his senses can truly govern his subjects. All gods and twice-born should be honored, and gifts given to them, for such offerings are inexhaustible treasures that, according to some, never perish. The highest good for a king lies in never turning back in battle, protecting his people, and offering gifts to the Brahmins. Moreover, the king should care for the destitute, the helpless, the elderly, and widowed women, ensuring their welfare and livelihood. He must uphold the established order of the classes and stages of life and honor ascetics. While he should not trust everyone, he may place trust in ascetics. Trust must be inspired only for reasons grounded in the highest reality; the king should consider matters with the patience and discernment of a crane and act with the courage of a lion. He must seize opportunities like a wolf, withdraw prudently like a hare, and strike decisively like a boar. In appearance, the king should be as skillful as a peacock; in devotion, as steadfast as a dog; and in speech, as sweet as a cuckoo. He must remain as wary as a crow, dwell in unknown places, and examine food and bedding before use. He should avoid unknown women and unfamiliar boats, for reckless actions lead to the loss of both kingdom and life. Just as a calf, once grown, becomes fit for work, so too does a well-supported kingdom become capable of action. All action depends on both destiny and human effort: destiny is to be contemplated, but action lies in human endeavor. Pushkara explained further: what is called destiny is simply one’s own karma carried over from a previous body, and thus wise men declare that human effort is supreme. Even adverse destiny can be overcome by effort, though sometimes success from past virtue comes without current effort. Human effort bears fruit when joined with the wealth of destiny; both together bring results. Just as crops yield fruit at the right time through the union of rain, one should act in accordance with duty, avoiding both laziness and reliance solely on destiny. All undertakings succeed through means such as conciliation and others; these four are conciliation, gifts, sowing dissension, and punishment. Yet, the means are seven: conciliation, gifts, dissension, punishment, deception, neglect, and illusion. Conciliation itself is of two kinds: truthful and unceasing. Untruthful conciliation is reserved for rebuking the wicked, but those of noble lineage, upright, steadfast in dharma, and self-controlled—even demons—are won over by truthful conciliation. Such actions bring great benefit. The king should reveal hope to his people by addressing the very faults they fear, and by the same means, divide outsiders, always guarding against those who sow discord among kin. By calming his inner circle, he conquers his enemies. The highest means is giving; through generosity, one enjoys both worlds, and none can resist the power of gifts. Only a giver can break apart united foes; what cannot be accomplished by other means, he achieves through punishment and action. Everything rests upon punishment; if misapplied, it destroys all. A king who punishes the innocent or fails to punish the guilty is ruined. Without punishment, gods, demons, serpents, men, siddhas, spirits, and birds would transgress their bounds. Because he restrains the unrestrained and punishes even the unpunishable, the wise know him as Punishment. By his brilliance, the king is hard to gaze upon, like the sun; by his appearance, he brings delight to the world, like the moon. Through his spies, he pervades the world, like the wind; by suppressing faults, he is the lord Vaivasvata. When he burns the wicked-minded, he is like fire; when he gives gifts to the twice-born, he is the lord of wealth. By pouring forth streams of wealth, he is Varuṇa among the gods; by sustaining the worlds with patience, he becomes like Parjanya. Pushkara then spoke of the imposition of punishment, by which the king attains the highest goal. He explained the measures of fines, beginning with three barley grains equaling one krishnala, five krishnalas making one māṣa, sixty krishnalas making half a karṣa, and sixteen māṣas defining one suvarṇa. Four suvarṇas make a niṣka, and ten niṣkas make a dharaṇa, the established measure for copper, silver, and gold. The middle penalty is five, and the highest is a thousand. If a person is robbed and reports it, and the king restores what was lost, the fine is imposed accordingly. But anyone who speaks falsely or with contrary intent, or gives false testimony, must pay three times the amount. Thus, Pushkara laid out the wisdom and discipline by which a king may uphold dharma, secure his realm, and attain the highest good.