Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power in the Indian Theory of Government c2.s1.29

c2.s1.29

In a traditional society, whatever is said by whoever “has the say-so” is “no sooner said than done.” It is not with his hands but by his fiat or edicts that a King “works.” He is the “Voice” that gives effect to the purposes of the Spiritual authority, and thus does the will of God on earth.14a “What is done vocally is done indeed” (*vācā kṛtaṁ karma kṛtam*, *Mahānārayaṇa U.* IV. 7). Just as *in divinis* “Indra, the Regnum, is the Voice” and it is by this voice that Agni performs the Sacrifice (*karoty eva vācā* . . . *gamayati manasā*, JUB. I. 33. 4), so it is at the Royal Sacrificer’s word of command that the “work” (*karma*, the sacrificial work essential to the welfare of the kingdom) is done (ŚB. I. 9. 1. 2), “it is with the Voice that he says ‘Do this,’ and therewith the altar is built” (ŚB. X. 5. 1. 1.). The dual government “knows all purposes intellectually (*manasā hi sarvān kāmān dhyāyati*) and announces them verbally” (*vācā hi sarvān kāmān vadati*, AA. I. 3. 2). Just as the Purohita is “preferred,” so “Intellect takes precedence of Voice (*purástād vācáś* . . . *carati*) . . . and were it not for Intellect, the Voice would only babble” (ŚB. III. 2. 4. 11, where for *manas* and *vāc* could be substituted *brahma* and *kṣatra*; cf. I. 4. 5. 11): even in the ritual, whatever is uttered by a Hotṛ that has not been prompted by the Maitrāvaruṇa (Brahmā) is *asurya* (AB. II. 5). We have seen that what the Purohita “knows” (*abhigantṛ*) the King performs (*kartṛ*): in other words “the Voice speaks not but what is ‘known’ (*abhigatam*) by Intellect” (ŚB. IV. 6. 7. 10), and of this filial and wifely obedience we can say truly that “the discipline of Logos, caught up with the vision of Mythos, is a royal marriage” (L. F. Kinney, in *Journal of Philosophy*, XXXIV, 1937, p. 358).