State and Government in Ancient India c8.s2.3

c8.s2.3

Though there was no systematic literature on the political science composed in the earlier period, usually called the Age of the Vedas and the Brāhmaṇas, there are scattered passages in the Vedic literature, which throw considerable light, sometimes dim, somtimes clear, on the theory and practice of government in the contemporary times. The material in the *Ṛigveda* is very scanty,¹ but that in the *Atharvaveda* is relatively more copious; it however mostly refers to the institution of the kingship². In the different Saṁhitās of the Yajurveda and in the Brāhmaṇa literature, we frequently come across the description of the coronation ceremony and of the different sacrifices laid down for the king either at the time of his accession or at some later time in his career. These give us valuable glimpses into the position of the king, the prestige he enjoyed, the taxes he collected and the entourage that surrounded him.³ There are numerous passages in this literature which discuss the relative position and privileges of the different castes, especially the Brāhmaṇas and the Kshatriyas, which also are valuable to the student of the political institutions.