War in Ancient India c4.s6.t5.6

c4.s6.t5.6

The ancient Hindus were a sensitive people, and their heroes were instructed that they were defending the noble cause of God, Crown and Country. Viewed in this light, war departments were ‘defence’ departments, and military expenditure was included in the cost of defence. In this, as in many cases, ancient India was ahead of modern ideas. All defence reduced to a theory becomes aggression. For what is defence to one nation is aggression to the other, and vice versa. The impulse of menace and a spirit of jealousy were the chief factors which actuated ancient Indian kingdoms and empires, and hence we find every writer on Arthaśāstra and Nītisāra insisting upon a heavy military expenditure for defence.