State and Government in Ancient India c20.220

c20.220

The *Arthaśāstra* is a little more helpful. It gives us different items of the state expenditure. They, however, mostly refer to the royal establishment and throw very little light on the moneys spent on the different state departments. It does not also tell us what percentage of the state income was spent on each item of expenditure included in the royal household. Kauṭilya also gives us the salaries of ministers and some other officers of his ideal State. But we do not know its income, and so can form no idea about the reasonableness of the emoluments received by different officers. It is further almost certain that states in ancient India usually paid their officers either by the grants of land or by the assignement of land taxes. Cash pay was rather an exception.