Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c11.s1.t3.2

v1.c11.s1.t3.2

The earlier notions of the divinity of the king having thus been modified in later times, it remains to be seen whether the corresponding ideas about the position of sovereignty also underwent any alteration in subsequent ages. The adherence of the early Hindu canonists to the theory of the divine nature of kingship may at first sight seem to be most uncompromising, especially as expressed by Manu. Nevertheless, it is curious to observe that their attitude was to some extent characterized by tolerance. This is seen when we deal again with the topic of protection which we discussed once from the point of view of the right which the king could claim in levying a specified rate of taxation. We shall now analyse the same question from the standpoint of the obligation which the king owed to the people for having received from them a certain amount of revenue. In other words, we shall explain the position of the king "as a moral element in the social system".³