those gates should be carefully guarded.  Let thy purposes be accomplished through men whose families and conduct are well known.  Thou shouldst always protect thy person also with care, in matters connected with thy food, O Bharata, as also in the hours of sport and eating and in matters connected with the garlands thou wearest and the beds thou liest upon.  The ladies of thy household should be properly protected, looked over by aged and trusted servitors, of good behaviour, well-born, and possessed of learning, O Yudhishthira.  Thou shouldst make ministers of Brahmanas possessed of learning, endued with humility, well-born, conversant with religion and wealth, and adorned with simplicity of behaviour.  Thou shouldst hold consultations with them.  Thou shouldst not, however, admit many persons into thy consultations.  On particular occasions thou mayst consult with the whole of thy council or with a portion of it.  Entering a chamber or spot that is well protected (from intruders) thou shouldst hold thy consultation.  Thou mayst hold thy consultation in a forest that is divested of grass.  Thou shouldst never consult at night time.[9] Apes and birds and other animals that can imitate human beings should all be excluded from the council chamber, as also idiots and lame and palsied individuals.  I think that the evils that flow from the divulgence of the counsels of kings are such that they cannot be remedied.  Thou shouldst repeatedly refer, in the midst of thy counsellors, to the evils that arise from the divulgence of counsels, O chastiser of foes, and to the merits that flow from counsels properly kept.  Thou shouldst, O Yudhishthira, act in such a manner as to ascertain the merits and faults of the inhabitants of thy city and the provinces.  Let thy laws, O king, be always administered by trusted judges placed in charge thereof, who should also be contented and of good behaviour.  Their acts should also be ascertained by thee through spies.  Let thy judicial officers, O Yudhishthira, inflict punishments, according to the law, on offenders after careful ascertainment of the gravity of the offences.  They that are disposed to take bribes, they that are the violators of the chastity of other people’s wives, they that inflict heavy punishments, they that are utterers of false speeches, they that are revilers, they that are stained by cupidity, they that are murderers, they that are doers of rash deeds, they that are disturbers of assemblies and the sports of others, and they that bring about a confusion of castes, should, agreeably to considerations of time and place, be punished with either fines or death.[10] In the morning thou shouldst see those that are employed in making thy disbursements.  After that thou shouldst look to thy toilet and then to thy food.  Thou shouldst next supervise thy forces, gladdening them on every occasion.  Thy evenings should be set apart for envoys and spies.  The latter end of the night should be devoted by thee