Friday, June 10, 2011

Decadence is the precursor of destruction.

प्रजानामेव भूत्यर्थं स ताभ्यो बलिमग्रहीत्
सहस्रगुणमुत्स्रष्टुमादत्ते हि रसम् रविः॥
कलिदासविरचिते रघुवम्शमहाकाव्ये १ -- २८
prajānāmeva bhūtyarthaṁ sa tābhyo balimagrahīt
sahasraguṇamutsraṣṭumādatte hi rasam raviḥ||
kalidāsaviracite raghuvamśamahākāvye 1 -- 28

The philosophy behind taxation is described by Kalidasa in the first Canto of Raghuvamsamahaakavya.  He is describing the benevolent rule of King Dileepa, the father of Raghu, with whom the poet starts the geneological saga of the solar dyanasty.
" He (Dileepa) collected taxes from his subjects  (mallinathasuri says in his commentary that the rate of tax was one sixth of the earnings)  keeping in view the welfare of the sujects in view.  The glorious sun absorbs water from the earth only to form clouds and give back the life's elixir thousandfold through rains.

It is always heartening to read about the welfare policies of our ancient kings.  Wherever we study, it leads only to the conclusion that the kings were always bound by dharma and they existed for the welfare of the people.  This is in quixotic contrast with the democracy we face today, where the citizens are supposed to have elected their own choicest representatives to rule them and getting cheated and bled to white in the process..
Wherever there is  life, there is taxation also.  Now we murmur about thirty percent of our earnings being deducted at source by way of tax.  But  the philosophy of taxation is that we pay the taxes because we are supposed to have the guaranteed protection for our life and welfare.   Happiness is the birthright of every human being and it is the duty of the man or the group of men who have taken oath to uphold the unity and integrity of the nation as well as the citizens to provide such welfare.

"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence and considered by some as part of one of the most well crafted, influential sentences in the history of the English language.
These three aspects are listed among the "unalienable rights" or sovereign rights of man.


The callousness of the administrators led to various riots and revolutions.  "No taxation without representation" was a war cry that rang out loudly in Europe  during the era of French Revolution.

In our times, our tax administration waxes eloquently about a regime of exemplary service providers.  The service is not to be confined to facilitation for the taxpayers to pay their taxes without any hassles and without the threat of a visitation by the tax-collector, but it should extend to the proper application of funds raised through tax for the genuine welfare of the countrymen in general and the definition of countrymen cannot be confined to a handful of  people sitting in legislative fora, cabinets and secretariats and government offices.
It was the fond belief of the ruler and ruled that if the king ruled with justice, the nature, the gods and all benevolent powers would shower their bounties on the nation.
But when the rulers and ruled go wayward, what can we expect from the natural forces.. Decadence is the precursor of destruction.

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