The Mauryan Polity c7.s5.t6: Protection from calamities

The Mauryan Polity c7.s5.t6

Language: English

Protection from calamities

c7.s5.t6.1

The king was further to protect the land from national calamities including providential visitations. The latter are mentioned to be fire, floods, epidemics, famines, rats, wild animals, serpents, and demons. In these cases the king was expected to take precautionary measures and try to avert the visitations of such calamities. For prevention is better than cure. But if such untoward things happened it was for the monarch to rectify them with proper remedial measures. These measures included the propitiation of supernatural forces, and the performance of magical and religious rites. The belief was that such prayers would tend to minimise the evil effects of such an outbreak. In conclusion it is said that the king should ever protect the afflicted among his subjects as a father would his sons.²

c7.s5.t6.2

² Bk. IV, ch. 3; Bk. VIII, ch. 4; Bk. IX, ch. 7.

Linked texts (1)

Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit