Hindu Administrative Institutions c7.s1.1

c7.s1.1

THE executive edifice in ancient India was strong and enduring. It was not complex in character. At its apex stood the king, the executive head who practically controlled the state. The king was not a mere ornamental figure but a true official guiding the destinies of the kingdom. A king is generally known by the expression *rājan*, *nṛpa*. The word *rājan* is derived from the root रञ् to please—implying that a king makes his subjects always happy by ruling justly.¹ The other expression *nṛpa* is from नृन् पालयति, he who affords protection to his subjects. That this was an axiom traditionally acquiesced in is seen from an inscription of the Jain king, Kharavela (165 B.C.), and from a statement in the Buddhist canon ‘*dhammēna parē rañjēti kho Vāseṭṭha rāja*,² *rājā he evatatiyaṃ akkharaṃ Upanibbattam*.’