History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s2.2

v1.c14.s2.2

The government was of course as usual despotic, the powers of the king who was anointed by the Brahmins and who sat on a consecrated throne, being unlimited. His power was thus derived from the religious ceremony, in other words from God and was attested to by the Brahmins. These kings belonged to the Kshatriya, Vaiśya or Brahmin castes; but whatever their original caste they married into royal families of India and became Kshatriyas for all practical purposes. They were usually both valiant and learned men. No cowardly or ignorant man appears in the list of Kashmir kings. They usually dispensed justice impartially but were tyrannical in their exactions. In their private life they appear to have been very licentious. In fact it was then believed that kingly power was granted by God for earthly enjoyment to one who had in his previous life performed the most torturesome austerities. They, therefore, in this life went to the opposite extreme and threw themselves headlong into sexual enjoyment. Even the best Kashmir kings appear to have had several nay hundreds of queens, wives and concubines for carnal pleasure (with probably the single exception of Anantarāja who was satisfied with one wife only.) This conduct is singular and is not reflected in the history of other kingdoms. (Perhaps we have no veracious and outspoken historian like Kalhaṇa for them). It resembles rather the Mahomedan and Roman practices than Indian. In the Christian history of the west, however, the beneficial influence of christianity with its principle of monogamy cannot but be admired. Copying the conduct of kings, queens whether wives or widows were often as licencious, but examples of noble women are not wanting. The wonder is that both ill-behaved and well-behaved queens immolated themselves on the funeral pyres of their husbands. Such is the force of custom and the intense power of the human desire for the good opinion of the world.