Hindu Administrative Institutions c11.s9.9

c11.s9.9

Whether the commander-in-chief was a permanent officer of the state is a question that arises from a careful reading of the *Udyogaparvan* of the *Mahābhārata*. We find here the meeting of the war-council of the Pāṇḍavas where the commander-in-chief (*sarvasenāpati*) was elected and sectional leaders (*senāpranetṛaḥ*), one for each *akṣauhiṇī* of troops, were appointed. Drupada, Virāṭa, Dṛṣṭadyumna, Sikhaṇḍī Sātyaki, Chekitāna and Bhīmasena were the respective leaders of the seven *akṣauhiṇīs* of the Pāṇḍava host. Yudhiṣṭhira asks the counsel as to the choice of a competent *senāpati* from among the seven leaders equal to Bhīṣma on the other side.² A debate ensues and finally Dṛṣṭadyumna the Pāñchala king was elected to be the chief leader of the entire host.³ In the same way the Kauravas had Bhīṣma elected.⁴ Kauṭalya says he is a permanent officer on a salary of forty-eight thousand *paṇas*. This only demonstrates that both methods of election and appointment continued to exist side by side.