Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c19.s1.10

v2.c19.s1.10

Nevertheless the underlying principle which has marked the relationship of the Brahman to the State, in spite of the injunction of Kauṭilya, may be expressed in the following statement of the Mahābhārata: "It is said that the preservation and growth of the kingdom rests upon the king. The preservation and growth of the king rests upon the king's priest. That kingdom enjoys true felicity where the invisible fears of the subjects are dispelled by the Brahmana and all visible fears are dispelled by the king with the might of his arms".⁴ Thus did Bhishma reconcile the apparently conflicting claims of the Kshatriyas and of the Brahmans for superiority in the Hindu state and society.