O
thou best of the Brahmanas, all the four orders here rigidly adhere to
their respective duties. King Janaka punisheth him that is wicked, even
if he be his own son; but never doth he inflict pain on him that is
virtuous. With good and able spies employed under him, he looketh upon
all with impartial eyes. Prosperity, and kingdom, and capacity to
punish, belong, O thou best of Brahmanas, to the Kshatriyas. Kings
desire high prosperity through practice of the duties that belong to
them. The king is the protector of all the four orders. As regards
myself, O Brahmana, I always sell pork and buffalo meat without slaying
those animals myself. I sell meat of animals, O regenerate _Rishi_, that
have been slain by others. I never eat meat myself; never go to my wife
except in her season; I always fast during the day, and eat, O
regenerate one, in the night. Even though the behaviour of his order is
bad, a person may yet be himself of good behaviour. So also a person may
become virtuous, although he may be slayer of animals by profession. It
is in consequence of the sinful acts of kings that virtue decreaseth
greatly, and sin beginneth to prosper. And when all this taketh place
the subjects of the kingdom begin to decay. And it is then, O Brahmana,
that ill-looking monsters, and dwarfs, and hunch-backed and large-headed
wights, and men that are blind or deaf or those that have paralysed eyes
or are destitute of the power of procreation, begin to take their birth.
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