War in Ancient India c4.s6.t4.12

c4.s6.t4.12

This state of anarchy presupposes a state of nature where one notices a chronic warfare between strong and weak individuals in a group and between strong and weak groups. Often the weak are defeated and subjugated by the strong. This epic idea is stressed with much emphasis in the Dharmaśāstras like that of Manu,⁴³ the Purāṇas like the Matsya,⁴⁴ and in later works like the Yuktikalpataru,⁴⁵ and Raghunātha’s Laukika Nyāya Saṅgraha.⁴⁶ What does all this show except that before the introduction of popular monarchy investing the holder of that office with powers of daṇḍa, in the light of the established law of the realm, the communities were subject to no law and suddenly developed a combative instinct excited by crude sentiment? Hence the necessity of putting down individual idiosyncrasies and building up a society which would develop a spirit of altruism and extend the virtues of family life to groups and nations. The foundation of monarchy and a new social order based on functions brought to an end the concept of *mātsya nyāya*. Occasionally its effects were felt. It is said that in the ninth century A.D. the people elected as king, Gopāla, the father of the more famous Dharmapāla, of the Pāla dynasty, in order to free themselves from the prevailing state of *mātsya nyāya*.* This shows that there is considerable truth in the statement: No State, no Society. Unless a strong executive authority places restraints on common impulses like jealousy, fear, passion, these are brought into play in the everyday life of the citizen. So in their social order the ancients merged the individual into the group by making him one of the group and in the group, so that he was to subordinate his opinion to the group-opinion. By means of group organisation and devolution of powers, the State in ancient India solved many social, economic, and even political problems that confront the modern politician and statesman in the civilised world.⁴⁷