War in Ancient India c8.3

c8.3

IN war, as in all other important affairs of state, the ancient Hindu king sought and followed the advice of his ministers. They in their turn employed secret agents, and managed to keep themselves informed of all the events and circumstances of which they had to take account in tendering their counsel.¹ It is remarkable that this was followed up to the twelfth century A.D., as is testified by the *Raṇadīpikā* written for a Kerala king.² There is, therefore, justification for the remark that the ancient South Indian kings, who had their own laws of war (as is evident from the *Saṅgam* works of Tamil literature), slowly but surely adopted the laws prescribed in early Sanskrit writings. Unaided, it is said, even a skilled monarch gets into difficulties. The aid here referred to is that afforded by ministers.³ Consultation must be held with not more than three, and the king was to act on the unanimous decision of these three members of the War Council. The chief thing deliberated upon was the examination of one's resources as compared with the resources of the enemy.⁴ The examination of this particular topic is entitled *naya-viveka*, and the policy to be pursued must be rooted in *nīti*. Or else even a strong king suffers disgrace at the hands of a weakling like an elephant stuck in the mud by fish.⁵