The Divya
Upadesh of Prithvi Narayan Shah
It
is amazing to read the confidence of the unifier when he asserts his
preparedness to withstand imminent Turk, Magar and the Mughal threat
·
By Dr. Bipin
Adhikari
March 6, 2015, 5:45
p.m. Published in Magazine Issue: Vol: 08 No. -17 March. 06- 2015 (Falgun 22, 2071)
The Divya
Upadesh(Divine Counsels) of Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great (1723–1775), the
founder King of the unified Nepal, is probably the single most significant
document which explains the Gorkha conquest and his contribution to the newly
founded country.
The
Divya Upadesh also explains Prithvi Narayan Shah’s accomplishment of the
unification campaign and his counsel to the successors of his seats of power.
These counsels dealt with the geo-political vulnerability of his newly unified
country, and provided directions to the governing elite on how to pursue
governance, nationalism, and foreign policy in order to sustain the country.
The
exact date of Divya Upadesh, known in English as Divine Counsel,
is not clear. It is stated in this document, that the Upadesh (Counsel)
was given when Prithvi Narayan moved his capital from Nuwakot to Kathmandu, and
had returned there for the last time. His conquest started with the A.D. 1744
seize of Nuwakot, which formed part of Kantipur principality at that time, and
lied between Kathmandu and Gorkha, and the final conquest of Chaudandi and
Bijaypur principalities shortly before his death in A.D. 1775. After Nuwakot,
he took possession of major strategic points in the hills surrounding the
Kathmandu Valley, and also took hold of its trade routes to Tibet and Muglan.
He then managed to takeover Kathmandu valley and also unified many of the baisi and chaubisi principalities
in the west and east into one nation.
Prithvi
Narayan Shah died at the age of 52 before the Gorkhali expansionary wars and
ambitions had subsided. Apparently, he could not quite organize the new country
as effectively as he had conquested it. The Divya Upadesh was
intended to infuse his knowledge and experience onto his successors towards
this reform. It is clear in the beginning that Prithvi Narayan’s eyes were only
on Kathmandu Valley and its wealth, and the threat of the other emperorsin the
region expanding into the hill principalities. As the expansion continued, he
learnt many new things about his newly founded kingdom, and his vision evolved
gradually with both the love for the land and its people, and a genuine desire
to maintain its power, prosperity and clout. Thus, he explains in the Divya
Upadesh: “When an old man dies, his words die with him, so they say. What
you who are gathered here will hear from me, pass on to your children, and they
to ours; and this kingdom will endure.”
The Divya
Upadesh encompasses most of the important issues for the newly unified
country. In the national front, Prithvi Narayan emphasized that his country,
which he finds to be a real Hindustana, is a commonwealth of all
castes and tribes, and he believed in the government by the consent of the
governed. Historical texts have made it apparent thathis preference was to
appoint Biraj Bakheti as Kazi (Prime Minister) prior to the Gorkha conquest.
However, he appointed Kalu Pande instead asserting the following justification:
“He, with whom the people are pleased, he it is who is made kazi, so the
shastras say. I consulted the wishes of the people and found that the people
also wanted him. If Kalu Pande is made kazi, all the people will be pleased, I
was advised.” His expression that, god willing, he would ordain arrangements
similar of King Ram Shah, Jayasthiti Malla and Mahindra Malla in his kingdom
demonstrated his conviction for fair and just rule. Further, emphasizing the
role of justice, Prithvi Narayan proclaimed: “Let the king see that great
justice is done. Let there be no injustice in our country. Justice is crippled
when bribes are given and when bribes are taken.”
In
the economic front, Prithvi Narayan was convinced of the significance of
homespun products for the internal use and export of the local herbs abroad. He
ordains: “Do not let the merchants of Hinusthana come up from the border. If
the merchants of India come to our country, they will make the people
destitute.” He then emphasizes keeping the money within the country itself: “If
the citizens are wealthy, the country is strong. The king's storehouse is his
people.” Further, he even advises people not to drain out money on Hindustani
singers and dancers. Whilst he acknowledged that there wasgreat pleasure in
their melodies, he sought to highlight the possible ramification of local
wealth drainage and espionage: “they also take away the secrets of your
country and deceive the poor.” Moreover, he sought to turn the attention
instead towards the Newar dancers of the three cities of Nepalas a suitable
alternative:“This is quite all right. If anything is given to these, it remains
inside your own country: If this is done, your country will be well protected.”
It
is amazing to read the confidence of the unifier when he asserts his
preparedness to withstandimminent Turk, Magar and the Mughal threat. The
Turkish attack had come and gone, and the Mughals were not doing anything at
that stage. Prithvi Narayan as the King of Magars had already nullified the
Magar threat. As for the third, or the Mughal threat, he highlights his
preparedness for imminent attack with following assertions: “I made the
companies mixed, half with khukuris and half with rifles. With a company of 100
rifles, the work will be easy. With such a company of 100 rifles, I can resist
1,000 men. Placing one company at each fort, divide the ridge, maintain
reserves.”
The Divya
Upadesh maintains that “soldiers are the very marrow of the king” and
if insurrections are to be avoided the king must do well with the army and the
peasants. Prithvi Narayan has spent many words advising on the strategic
matters of the unified country. Despite his claim of military prowess, he warns
that “this country is like a gourd between two rocks. In terms of regional
neighbours, Prithvi Narayan advises to maintain a treaty of friendship with the
emperor of China. Further, he emphasizes the significance of a treaty of
friendship with the emperor of the southern sea (the British Company in
Hindustan). He is very clear in his advice that Nepal should not operate
military initiatives against either of them. Its preparedness should only be
for defensive wars. Proximately, he recalls Kasim Khan attacking Makwanpur,
whom he defeated with a limited army of 120 khukuri-clad warriors. Similarly,
he also recalls Hardy Sahib coming to attack Sindhuligadhi with three or four
companies. Not only did he defeat Hardy Sahib and his army but also took
possession of their weapons, i.e. flintlocks.
The Divya
Upadesh shows how a conqueror eventually changed himself into a
unifier. Many of the words and phrases of this document are not legible, or
comprehensible. There are conflicting interpretations as well.
Despite
this, the obvious must be pointed out. Prithvi Narayan was the hero of a feudal
age. By the standard of his time, he was certainly far ahead of many of his
contemporary rulers in this region and beyond. The Kingdom that he unified not
only remains unified till today, but also continuously maintains independent
existence and expresses the collective consciousness of its people. The rest
has certainly become history.
