Rigveda – Mandala 1, Sukta – 54 & 55

We shall discuss the hymns, Sukta wise & Mandala wise. Our focus is on the implicit meaning of the various hymns instead of literal translations of the hymns. These purported meanings are based primarily on the English translations by Swami Dharmanand Saraswati of the works done by Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
 
Highlights –
Unrighteousness causes suffering. Those, who take shelter of supreme being or head of state with universal virtues, tread on righteous path. Head of state like God should punish the wicked and protect righteous persons. Head of State should have good knowledge, humility, justice and strong army consisting of brave persons. Head of state and its ministers should be benevolent and provide good governance.
 
A man most exalted on account of his virtues should be made the President of the Assembly or the Council of Ministers etc. And he being righteous himself should be terrifier of the wicked and giver of happiness to the righteous. Those persons are benevolent to all who earn industriously and enjoy wealth. Heads should acquire knowledge, intelligence, humility and righteousness; and should be fierce to the wicked but full of forgiveness and mild to the righteous. The duty of the teacher and the preacher to remove or set aside all superstition and to make all people happy by giving the light of knowledge and justice and to establish the observance of true conduct.
 
The hymn wise, purported explanations –
 
Mandala 1 – Sukta – 54

1. Men should know that God's Power is Infinite and when He is adored sincerely and earnestly, He can make them turn away from the path of unrighteousness which causes suffering and can make them happy. As God is infinite, no one can grasp His end, therefore who is such an unfortunate person who should worship anyone else having given up His worship?
2. Men should approach and take shelter in that President of the Assembly etc. who on account of supremacy in his universal virtues keeps all in the path of righteousness governing all with justice and law.
3. Men should have a State or Kingdom which obeys the commands of the Lord and is therefore dear to Him and which is governed by the President of the Assembly (responsible to the Assembly) and not autocratic, so that there may not be misery, injustice, laziness, ignorance and discord among the people and fear from enemies.
4. As God punishes and causes suffering to the wicked according to their sins, in the same manner, the President of the Assembly or King should train his army by giving proper training in arms and weapons and by restraining the wicked, should protect and preserve righteous subjects.
5. As God governs over the whole world by His Eternal knowledge and with justice and as the sun cuts into pieces the cloud, in the same manner, the President of the Assembly (King) should govern righteously and should slay his enemies.
6. Men should not appoint or elect as king a person who cannot protect or preserve the State.
7. None can administer a State, conquer enemies and get happiness without good knowledge, humility, justice and strong army consisting of brave persons. Therefore, the President of the Council of Ministers must do all this.
8. The Officers of the State should not oppose or go against the legitimate interests of the subjects and the subjects should not revolt against the officers of the State. But they should mutually love and do good to one another and thus should multiply happiness the State. Without doing this, the law and order in the State cannot be firm and secure.
9. The President of the Assembly or the Commander of the Army should maintain an army of well-trained and well-fed brave soldiers and should protect the subjects through them, giving them all happiness. These brave people should also always satisfy the President of the Assembly or the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, so that all their noble desires may be fulfilled.
10. As the air upholds the water that the Sun draws out and takes to the firmament, when together this assumes the form of a mountain and covers the light of the sun, the lightening falls it down on earth. From that, rivers and streams of various forms flow down, sometimes cutting the pieces of the land, mountain and trees etc. Then that water goes to the sea or the firmament and rains again and again, so should the king and other officers of the State. (They should be of benevolent nature like the sun, air, clouds and rivers etc.)

1. The President of the Council of the Ministers etc. should protect and preserve all people, make them all learned and well-trained and thus multiply wealth and vast and good government.

 
Mandala 1 – Sukta – 55

1. As the solar is the greatest among the worlds, as the bull is mighty among the herd of cows, in the same manner, a man most exalted on account of his virtues should be made the President of the Assembly or the Council of Ministers etc. And he being righteous himself should be terrifier of the wicked and giver of happiness to the righteous.
2. As the ocean keeps in itself many jewels and many rivers by its greatness or vastness, in the same manner, the President of the Assembly or the Council of ministers should accept various articles and armies, defeat the wicked and protect the noble persons and thus extend his glory.
3. Those persons are benevolent to all who earn industriously and enjoy wealth, associated with the President of the Assembly having acquired knowledge, intelligence, humility righteousness and brave army, are fierce to the wicked but full of forgiveness and mild to the righteous.
4. A highly learned scholar should make all people full of knowledge free and safe by giving them instructions in various sciences, so that they may ever enjoy happiness being free from all doubts.
5. As the sun gives delight to all with his rays, demolishing the cloud and making it rain down, in the same way, it is the duty of the teacher and the preacher to remove or set aside all superstition and to make all people happy by giving the light of knowledge and justice.
6. Men should know that that person is doer of good to all who like the sun being the illuminator of knowledge, righteousness and politics, makes all full of good knowledge.
7. As good charioteers train horses and keep them under their control, in the same manner, the teachers and preachers by their knowledge and sermons keep all established or firm in the observance of true conduct. None can make men righteous without their assistance.
8. As cultured learned men possess in-exhaustible knowledge, strength wealth and good actions, in the same manner, other people also should try to do.