Hindu Administrative Institutions c6.s2.4

c6.s2.4

Unprotected by an authority the state becomes subject to plunder and devastation by marauders; people devour one another. Life becomes unsafe. A person cannot enjoy the possession of his person and property. The wicked rob the weak and the innocent of their wealth, and themselves also suffer in their turn. Women are forced to give up their chastity. The atmosphere is pervaded by an all-round darkness. Like fishes in a small pool of water, and like birds in the toils of hunters, people injure and kill one another. People in a state of anarchy are compared to a herd of cows without a cowherd, and hence confront insurmountable difficulties in the maintenance of their family and property. The spiritually-minded are often thrown into the jaws of death. No regard is shown to parents, the aged, the *ācārya*, or the guests. The rich every day are murdered or put in chains. Women themselves become loose in morals. Agriculture, trade or commerce, does not thrive. The Vedas begin to disappear and the performance of sacrifices (*yajñas*) ceases. There are no regular marriages, nor well-conducted assemblies. Unrighteousness and injustice prevail. There is an intermixture of castes, and religious authority is openly defied. No one sleeps without fear, and famine stalks naked.’