Public Administration in Ancient India c19.13

c19.13

Although righteous warfare was supported and even extolled in olden times, the ancient teachers did not regard war in general as a profitable business. They seem to have clearly realised the fact that war inflicts heavy losses on both parties, and that even the victorious party does not derive much advantage from it. So the Mahābhārata advises Kings not to engage in wars until all peaceful means of settling disputes have failed.² In spite of such advice, however, aggressive wars became gradually more and more frequent. Thus we find Manu offering the King a different sort of advice: “When,” says Manu, “he is thus engaged in conquest, let him subdue all the opponents whom he may find by the (four) expedients, conciliation and the rest. If they cannot be stopped by the first three expedients, then let him, overcoming them by force alone, gradually bring them to subjection.”¹