Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power in the Indian Theory of Government c2.s1.43

c2.s1.43

The difficulties are best resolved by recalling that the Priesthood and the Kingship correspond to Sky and Earth, who were originally One, but departed from one another as soon as their unity had been consummated (RV. *passim*, TS. V. 1. 5. 8, V. 2. 4. 1, BU. III. 8. 9, etc.). In the same way the King is assimilated to and identified with the Priest (as Arjuna is sometimes identified with Kṛṣṇa in Mbh.) for the duration of the nuptial Sacrifice, but, just as in any other Sacrifice, "becomes again what he really is" when the rite is relinquished, thus returning from divinity to humanity, *satya* to *anṛta* (VS. I. 5 and II. 28, ŚB. I. 1. 1. 4-6, I. 9. 3. 23, III. 6. 3. 21, III. 9. 4. 1, IX. 5. 1. 12). It is, in fact, explicit, that having put off his Royalty and become a Brāhman, the King in turn abandons this Priestly character: "when he concludes, he assumes his Kṣatriya character, calling to witness Agni, Vāyu, and Āditya (the cosmic Purohitas) that 'Now I am he who I am'" (AB. VII. 22): it is then "not actually and evidently" (*na . . . pratyakṣam*) but only symbolically and in an occult manner (*parokṣam*) that "the Kṣatriya assumes the form of the Sacerdotium" (*brahmaṇo rūpam upanigacchati*) and therefore only transubstantially that he can partake of Soma (AB. VII. 31); cf. JUB. I. 40. 3 where, not withstanding that the Voice (*vāc*) is the indispensible support of the Sāman, "It is by no means by the Voice that the priestly office is performed, but in an occult way" (*parokṣeṇa*), i. e. mentally, in accordance with the injunction *yájadhva . . . mánasā*, RV. VIII. 2. 37, cf. TS. VI. 1. 4. 5, KB. VII. 4. In any case, that the King does assume the Sacerdotal character, however temporarily and in whatever manner, makes it impossible to say that "the connection of royalty with priestly rank had long disappeared." All we can say is that hardly any trace of any actual exercise of Brāhmanical functions survives in the Brāhmaṇas.