Hindu Administrative Institutions c7.s2.29

c7.s2.29

external enemies of the state. It is not, however, the eternal *abhaya* of the Lord, for it is said that a weak monarch who is also a *naradevata*¹ must succumb before a powerful conqueror. Otherwise the consequences will be the harassing of his subjects and the plunder of his territory. Unless we would perpetuate a hierarchy of weak *devatās* and strong *devatās*, these could not be said to be *devatās*. The theory that a king is a *devata* has no leg to stand on.