State and Government in Ancient India c12.s5.1

c12.s5.1

From the Vedic times downwards, the king has been regarded as the supporter and upholder of the law. The Vedic age held that the ideal king was to be *dhṛitavrata*, dedicated to law and piety like the great god Varuṇa. The king may be divine, but the law was still more so, and must, therefore, be respected by him. The essence of rulership lies in *dharma*; the king should realise that there is nothing higher than *dharma* and always abide by it.¹ The first king Veṇa had to take the oath that he would scrupulously follow the *dharma* prescribed in the authoritative works on the subject and never act wilfully.² The responsibility of the the king was particularly great. He was the first citizen and his subjects were naturally prone to follow his example. His conduct, therefore, should be always exemplary. Unhappiness, misery and pestilence among the subject swere attributed to failure in duty on the part of the king. ‘When kings are unjust’ says one writer, ‘even sugar and salt lose their flavour.’³ The popular notion on this subject is well illustrated by the Jātakas. The ox of a ploughman is struck accidentally by his plough-share; for this the king is to blame; a milkman is killed by a vicious cow, the blame is assigned to the same quarter; even a frog does not spare the king when it is bitten by hungry crows.⁴ Happiness, it was believed, depended upon virtue and piety, and these could prosper only if the king set a proper example and standard. Under a good king prosperity will prevail.⁵