शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम् ।
दानमीश्वरभावश्च क्षात्रं कर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ १८.४३ ॥

śauryam tejo dhṛtir-dākṣyam yuddhe cāpy-apalāyanam |
dānam-īśvara-bhāvaś-ca kṣātram karma svabhāvajam || 18.43 ||

Characteristics of kṣatriyas

Now, we come to the next group of tendencies, which are of extreme importance in ensuring the welfare and strength of any society. Kṣatriya represents these powerful social tendencies.

Valour, splendour, determination, skill, not running away from the battle, charity, lordship – these form the nature and activities of a kṣatriya.

Valour is the prime quality of a kṣatriya. Called śauryam, this is a mental enrichment. Majority of people are fearful and timid. However, there are those imbued with sufficient inner strength and courage as well. The kṣatriya is one such. He also has brilliance and majesty in his looks, thoughts and feelings. So too he has firmness in his stand and purpose. He is brave and will not fear and recede from any challenge or risk. In battle, he should not retreat. He will be liberal in giving. He must have a note of lordship, inner majesty and affluence. All these make one a kṣatriya.

While the brāhmaṇa, though knowledgeable, is gentle in his ways, kṣatriya is not. He is assertive, aggressive and commanding by nature. The valorous kṣatriya is a fitting complement to the gentle brāhmaṇa. To discipline the multi-pronged human society, keeping it orderly and cohesive, the kṣatriya qualities are indispensable. Kṣatriya traits enable one to sit on the throne and rule the people with resolve, to make the kingdom strong and resourceful.

Kṣatriya has a lofty attitude like that of god, in receiving and giving. His wont will always be to help the subjects to live and move freely, encouraging each to make his best contribution to the country’s welfare and progress. He should not hoard. He should be charitable to the needy.

In our country, emperors and kings used to perform yāgas, like the rājasūya-yāga. During the sacrifice, the emperor would donate generously till treasury became empty. In fact, this used to be a way of deploying the royal resources for the benefit of the people. This kind of royal dāna used to be the safeguard for the king from being unduly opulent.