Hindu Administrative Institutions c9.s5.16

c9.s5.16

More or less connected with the topic under discussion is that of official documents, which are either official letters (lekha), or royal writs (śāsana). Official letters are classified according to their purport: blame (nindā), praise (praśamsā), inquiry (pṛccha), narration (ākhyāna), request (arthana), refusal (pratyākhyāna), censure (upālamabha), prohibition (pratiṣedha), command (codanā), conciliation (sāntvam), promise of help (abhyavāpatti), threat (bhartsana), persuasion (anunaya). Writs or decrees are the following: notice (prajñapana), command (ājñā), gift (*paridāna*), remission (*parihāra*), licence (*nisṛṣṭi*), instruction (*pravṛttilekha*), reply (*pratilekha*), general proclamation (*sarvatraga*).¹ These different documents show how elaborate must have been the administration of the land, and how orderly the system of government. There were records which were presumably presented in the Record office under the supervision of the Accountant-general. For they dealt with matters pertaining to the state, and hence would be required for reference occasionally.