Hindu Administrative Institutions c7.s2.15

c7.s2.15

It would thus appear that the duty of the protection of subjects by a king is divinely ordained. This doctrine of the divine nature of the king was formulated, according to Dr. Ghosal, with the deliberate object of countering the tendencies inherent in the older theory of kingship.¹ The idea underlying this is that the monarch was the highest official, paid for his services like every other ordinary officer. To counter unhealthy tendencies the authors of the *Dharmaśāstras* and the *Arthaśāstras* contrived to hedge the king with divinity familiar with Hindu political theory.² According to Manu in a kingless state when anarchy became rampant a king was created by the divine will, for affording protection to all creatures, out of elements from Indra, Vāyu, Yama, Sun, Agni, Varuṇa, Moon, and Kubera.