State and Government in Ancient India c21.6

c21.6

The religion and culture of the later Vedic period placed the ideal of the emperorship before the Aryan king. The *aśvamedha* sacrifice was to be performed by one who wished to be the king of kings, and the *vājapeya* by one who wanted to become an emperor. This naturally introduced a principle of instability in the interstate relations. A *vijigīshu* or ambitious king could at any time launch a campaign of conquest. We should further note that there were no natural boundaries to separate a state, for instance, like Kauśāmbī from another like Kāśī or Kośala ; when one of them became strong , it was natural for it to seek expansion at the cost of its neighbours.