State and Government in Ancient India c12.s8.11

c12.s8.11

We have already shown how our writers do not recommend passive obedience to wicked and tyrannical rulers. They want the people to take action, but it must be admitted that they do not give us any systematic exposition of the philosophy of resistance, indicating clearly the limits beyond which the king could not go and defining the circumstances that alone would justify the resistance on the part of the people. It is not unlikely that this may be partly due to an apprehension that an open and frank discussion of the topic may lead to the encouragement of anarchy.