Hindu Administrative Institutions c12.s6.32

c12.s6.32

We can now turn our attention to the staff which manned the ship of the Municipal administration. Śukra speaks of six principal officers—the headman or the president, the magistrate or the judge, the collector of land revenue and other products, the officer in charge of tolls and duties, and the sentinel,⁶ and lastly the clerk. Tax-collectors should be like gardeners who pluck only fruits and flowers of the plants thus leaving the productive capacity altogether unimpaired.¹ The mayor of the town must behave towards the citizens like parents towards their sons. His duty was to keep peace and order while the judge punished the wicked and the evil-minded. The qualifications which were expected of a clerk are indeed high. Besides skilled proficiency in maintaining accounts he must be conversant with the several languages of different countries so as to carry on unintermittent correspondence with every state. The duty of the sentinel was to furnish information. He must be of strong physique, regular and active in habits, obedient and faithful and also well versed in the science of weapons.²