The Mauryan Polity c7.s1.t8.8

c7.s1.t8.8

There are what we may call administrative Edicts² and from them we gather four facts among others: (1) The pariṣad enforced the execution of the king's orders by the officials; (2) it was summoned by the king whenever necessary for consultation and advice; (3) the king interfered with its work whenever differences of opinion arose amongst its members; and (4) it had a controlling influence over the officials of the state. After a close examination of these details, K. P. Jayaswal conclusively shows that the Council of Ministers was so powerful that the Emperor was virtually deprived of his sovereign authority.³