War in Ancient India c5.s1.6

c5.s1.6

The functions common to both the communities—learning, sacrificing, and bestowing gifts—were intended for their moral and spiritual elevation in society. Manu lays down that in addition to these three functions, the Kṣatriyas should attend to the defence of the country (prajānām rakṣaṇam), and be moderate in the enjoyment of worldly pleasures like dancing, music, and women.³ It was realized that the Kṣatriya’s excessive indulgence in ephemeral pleasures would be detrimental to his very responsible work of defending the country from external attacks and internal risings.⁴