Political History of Ancient India, from the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty c9.s10.141

c9.s10.141

The king, however, was not an absolute despot in practice. His power was checked, in the first place, by the Brāhmaṇas. We have seen that the most powerful sovereigns, even those who were consecrated with the *Punarabhisheka*, had to descend from the throne and make obeisance to the ‘holy power’ (Brahman) that was the repository of culture and education in those days. We learn from the *Aitareya Brāhmaṇa*,⁶ and the Kauṭilīya *Arthaśātra*⁷ that even a powerful king like Janamejaya was humbled by the Brāhmaṇas. Karāla Janaka met his doom for a crime against a Brāhmaṇa maiden. The Vṛishṇis perished on account of their irreverent conduct towards Brāhmaṇas.⁸ This shows that not only kings, but republican corporations (Saṅgha), too, had to cultivate friendly relations with the Brāhmaṇas.