War in Ancient India c8.57

c8.57

In dealing with the military organization in ancient India, mention must be made of the arsenal (*āyudhāgāra*). The Kauṭalīya has a chapter on this.³⁴ There was a special superintendent over this department, which also went by the name of *Śastraśālā*. According to the *Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa*, whose date of composition is not yet established, the superintendent was known as *Śastraśālādhyakṣa* or merely *Śastrādhyakṣa*. He should be loyal, vigilant, and able in the discharge of his duties. His chief ability consisted in discriminating the five kinds of weapons.³⁵ The chief business tran-