State and Government in Ancient India c8.s2.61

c8.s2.61

As to purely political topics, the qualities of the kings, the qualifications of ministers (I, 54 ff.) and the duties of the treasurer, chamberlain and royal physician are mentioned, but there is nothing noteworthy about them. The same is the case about the discussion of the foreign policy. Occasionally however we get some interesting information. We are told that it was the duty of the foreign minister to summon feudatories at proper intervals in order to check their actions and policies (II. 128). It appears that forts were provisioned with snakes (kept in jars), tigers and other carnivorous animals, which were let loose when the enemy beseiged them (II. 555). Detailed lists are given about the weapons of the army (II. 681 ff.). The author allows destruction of crops, burning of towns and villages, imprisonment of enemy citizens, etc, during the course of the war.