4 



THE NITIPRAKAilKA. 



hundred years ago. The other copy is written in Grantha 

 characters. 



Contents The Nltiprakaiika contains eight chapters or cantos, 4 and 

 Nitipraka- it opens with introducing the sage Yaisampayana on his way 

 First ^° ^ e k* n £ Janamejaya, who resided in Taksasila. As 

 Chapter. goon as the king — who was a son of Parlksit, grandson of 

 Abhimanyu and great-grandson of Arjuna — had received 

 this news, he set out with his ministers and priests to meet 

 the sage. After the usual greetings had been gone through, 

 the sage and the king adjourned to the council-room, and as 

 soon as the former had taken a seat and the latter had done 

 the same at the request of Vaisampayana, Janamejaya began 

 to complain about the depravity of the times (I, 11-18). 

 Depravity Righteousness, truth, purity, patience and pity, he said, are 

 Kaliyuga. fast disappearing in the Kaliyuga, and wealth is more highly 

 appreciated than noble birth, noble deeds, and virtue. The 

 gratification of animal passions has taken the place of legiti- 

 mate marriage ; the mere wearing of the thread constitutes a 

 person a Brahman ; the religious position of a man is only 

 defined by external signs ; the poor man is despised, though 

 he be good. Abstaining from a bad deed is esteemed a 

 good action; bathing is deemed sufficient for purification; 

 taking a woman is regarded marriage ; beauty consists in 

 wearing hair on the head. Filling one's stomach is the princi- 

 pal object in life ; good actions are done for the sake of glorifi- 

 cation ; ability is only displayed in the keeping up of one's 

 family ; and rude behaviour passes for truthfulness. All castes 

 are like Sudras, as cows are like goats, religion abounds with 

 heresy, and kings behave like thieves. 5 



This being the case, Janamejaya asks how men may in an 

 easy manner be taught the rules of polity, as well as the 

 secrets of the Dhanurveda and the practice of arms. Yaisam- 



*See Note 1. 



ft Compare the description of the Kaliyuga in the Harivamsa } Chapters 186 

 and 187. 



