The wise sages taught that a king faces many dangers, the greatest of which are his own vices—drinking, indulgence in women, hunting, and gambling. Along with these, laziness, stubbornness, arrogance, recklessness, and sowing division are perilous faults for a ruler. The ministers, too, are not immune; their vices have been described previously, and when drought and oppression afflict the land, these are known as calamities of the kingdom itself. A stronghold is only as secure as its defenses; if its machinery is broken, its walls and moats are in disrepair, if it lacks weapons and the army is depleted, then the fortress suffers a grave calamity. The treasury, too, must be guarded, for when it is spent, besieged, not replenished, plundered, or seized by enemies, this is a disaster for the state’s wealth. The army faces its own perils: if it is blockaded, surrounded, not respected by allies, insulted, diminished, sickly, exhausted, newly arrived, or scattered; if its vanguard is struck, it is filled with despair or hopelessness, or rumors of its defeat are spread; if it is divided by internal quarrels, scattered by women and children, lost its foundation, lacks a master, is disunited, has broken ranks, is hard to control, or is used for another’s purpose—these are all calamities of the armed forces. Friends, too, are not always steadfast; a friend suffering misfortune, captured by the enemy, or overcome by desire or anger, or discouraged by adversaries, becomes unreliable. Wealth is corrupted by anger, harshness in words or punishment, and by the vices of hunting, gambling, drinking, and women. Harsh speech brings suffering and serves no purpose, while improper or unjust punishment can destroy a king. Excessive harshness in punishment disturbs all beings, who then seek shelter with the king’s enemies. When enemies grow strong, destruction follows; thus, abandoning the corrupt for the sake of the great is proper. The wise, well-versed in the principles of governance, recognize that the corruption of wealth is a vice; drinking leads to loss of judgment, hunting to deviation from duty. While hunting may be allowed to relieve fatigue, gambling brings loss of righteousness, wealth, life, and leads to quarrels. Addiction to women causes delay and harms both righteousness and wealth; drinking brings confusion and loss of life. A king should be skilled in arranging his camp and interpreting omens to defeat his enemies. His residence, along with the treasury, should be at the center of the camp, surrounded in proper order by the main force—guildsmen, friends, enemies, and forest-dwellers. At night, a well-armed section of the army, led by the commander, must circle the crossroads in formation, guarding the perimeter. The king must be ever vigilant, gathering intelligence from those who patrol the borders and carefully observing all who enter and leave. To accomplish his objectives, he should use the seven strategies: conciliation, gifts, division, punishment, neglect, illusion, and deceptive means. Conciliation is fourfold: recalling past favors, speaking of mutual relationships, and gentle speech at the outset. When someone arrives, he should be welcomed with words and offerings, saying, “I am yours.” Gifts may be superior, middling, or inferior, and reciprocation should be shown through approval, new gifts, or personally initiating the act of taking. Giving, release from obligation, and donation are fivefold: removing affection and attachment, and producing delight. Division, as taught by the experts, is threefold: causing separation, taking away wealth, and inflicting distress—these also constitute three forms of punishment. Actions may be open or secret; those hated by the people should be dealt with openly, and the people made to fear through executions, for which rewards are praised. Enemies should especially be eliminated by secret means or with weapons, but a twice-born should not be killed simply for his birth—he should be subdued through conciliation. One should use conciliatory words that soothe the mind, as if anointing with nectar, always employing pleasing speech. Those who are falsely accused, desire prosperity, are summoned but not honored, hate the king, act unlawfully, or are self-important; those whose righteousness, desires, or wealth are cut off, who are angry, proud, insulted, or abandoned without cause—even those who have become enemies—should be conciliated. Those whose property or wives have been taken, or who are worthy of honor but are not honored, remain anxious and should be divided among the enemy. Those who arrive should be honored with what they desire, and one’s own people calmed; conciliation is especially important in times of great fear. The main forms of giving, honor, and division have thus been described; a friend who is destroyed, like wood eaten by worms, falls apart. One who knows the three powers—strength, place, and time—should subdue enemies with punishment, but friendly and well-intentioned people should be won over with conciliation. The greedy and the weakened are to be won with gifts; suspicious friends and wicked sons or brothers must be restrained by the threat of punishment or conciliation. Through gifts and division, the chief commanders, warriors, the people, border chieftains, and forest-dwellers can be influenced; those who transgress are to be brought into line by division and punishment. Sometimes, images of deities are worshipped by men concealed within, or a man dressed as a woman appears at night as a wondrous sight. Forms of vetālas, owls, piśācas, and Śiva may be assumed at will, along with the power to change shape and to cause showers of weapons, fire, stones, and water. Darkness, wind, fire, and illusion—forces not human—were once used by Bhīma to slay Kīcaka, when he had assumed the form of a woman. Thus, the teachings on vices, calamities, and the arts of policy and strategy are revealed for the wise and vigilant king.