A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c13.46

c13.46

Secondly, the duty of protecting society was cast by theory on a special class, the Kshatriyas, and by a natural and easy transition anyone who felt equal to the task of undertaking the rule of a particular area and did not hesitate to do so was more or less readily accepted as the ruler. Each successful adventurer became a king and gained respectability by maintaining a liberal court, patronizing learning and the arts, and causing *praśastis* (praises) to be composed in honour of himself and his family. Moreover, aggrandizement was the recognized duty of the ruler; he had to be a *vijigīshu* (one who wishes to conquer) and the general acceptance of this ideal led to frequent wars and skirmishes resulting in changes in the relative precedence of the different powers involved. Lastly, and as a consequence of these two factors, political changes did not have in India such profound effects on the structure of society and civilization as elsewhere, although the establishment and the continued prosperity of an empire often, indeed, meant an era of high endeavour and achievement in literature and the arts.