War in Ancient India c7.s4.11

c7.s4.11

In the opinion of the Kauṭalīya¹³⁰ that was the best army which was composed purely of Kṣatriyas, of noble birth, strong-bodied and well-disciplined, with a contented home, ready to march over the roughest tracts and for a considerable length of time, valorous, accustomed to varieties of climate, and hence inured to privations and fatigue, well trained in all arts and modes of warfare, and also in the handling and application of weapons, and which never loses its sense of obedience and loyalty to the King. Further, it is said that a standing army recruited from the warrior caste, even though disobedient, is infinitely superior to a force recruited from different classes of people, for the former can be easily conciliated and brought round.¹³¹ Kauṭalya has no confidence in an army composed of Brahmans or even Vaiśyas or Śūdras.¹³²