State and Government in Ancient India c15.59

c15.59

*Purohita* or the Royal Chaplain figured prominently in the council of *ratnins* of the Vedic period, and he continued to be a member of the ministry for several centuries. He stood in the relation of a spiritual preceptor (*guru*) to the king. He was to protect the nation by counteracting the magical charms of the enemy and ensuring its prosperity by performing the requisite rituals (*purohitikarmas*) recommended in the *Atharvaveda*.¹ He consecrated the war elephants and horses of the state army in order to enhance their military efficiency,² and even accompanied the king to the battlefield in the Vedic times in order to ensure his victory by his prayers, sacrifices, charms and incantations.³ He was expected to be well-versed both in *śastra* (military art) and *śāstra* (religious rituals), as also in the political science. When the king, consecrated for a long sacrificial session, could not direct the administration, it was the *purohita* who deputised for him.⁴ The *Rāmāyaṇa* shows that when the monarchy was in abeyance owing to the absence of a suitable heir to ascend the throne, it was the *purohita* Vasishṭha, who carried on the administration. Among the ministers, *purohita* alone enjoys the distinction of having a ritual prescribed for his installation ; it was known as *Bṛihaspatisava*, and was in vogue in the Vedic age.