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War in Ancient India c8.s2: Section VII: Non-Military Officers

War in Ancient India c8.s2

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Section VII: Non-Military Officers

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Besides the various military officials there were other officers and servants who were non-combatants but were attached to the War Office of the army on the march, especially the department of transport and co-ordinate supply. There was first the Purohita⁸³ who went with the king to the field of battle accompanied by astrologers and soothsayers. Most of these were experts in Atharvan lore and consequently in reading bird-omens and other impending portents. In order to prevent misfortune, propitiatory ceremonies were gone through. The Purohita encouraged the soldiers on the eve of the battle and inspired them with new spirit and enthusiasm.⁸⁴ The Saciva was a non-combatant officer who went to the field of action with the king. Physicians, surgeons, carpenters, and other artisans came under this category of non-combatant officials. There was the Mahānasa, the head-cook in charge of rations and food supply. There were war musicians with their drums and gongs to encourage the troops to fight with greater vigour and energy. Yet another official was the Praśāsta,⁸⁵ in charge of sappers, miners and engineers (Vardhaki and Viṣṭi) who marched in advance, repairing roads and digging wells wherever necessary. He was also engaged in raising or pulling down fortifications and in erecting camps.

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⁸³ AV. Bk. X, 18.

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⁸⁴ Ar. Śās. Bk. III, 3.

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⁸⁵ पुरस्ताद्ध्वनः सम्यक् प्रशास्ता ग्रहणानि च । यायाद् वर्धिकिविष्टिम्यामुद्रकानि च कारयेत् ॥ Bk. X, 1.

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Thus the ancient Indian organisation of the army was efficient and excellent.⁸⁶ If it was not efficient, would it have been possible for Candragupta Maurya to expel the Macedonian chieftains from India, and to defeat Seleukos; for Bindusāra to effect the conquest of the Dekkan and South India; for Aśoka to maintain diplomatic alliances with forest tribes and far-off nations; for Samudragupta to make a *digvijaya* of all India and for Harṣa to conquer and maintain a vast empire?

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⁸⁶ Speaking of the military organisation of Candragupta Maurya, V. A. Smith remarks: "It shows no trace of Hellenic influence. It is based on ancient Indian model and his vast host was merely a development of the considerable army maintained by the kingdom of Magadha." (*Early History of India*, p. 153).

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the *Gesta Romanorum*, the *Legenda Aurea*, and the *Speculum Historiale* of Vincent of Beauvais. The *Gesta Romanorum* is a collection of anecdotes and tales, often with a moral attached, which were used by preachers to enliven their sermons. The *Legenda Aurea* (Golden Legend) of Jacobus de Voragine is a collection of the lives of the saints, which was immensely popular and influential in the Middle Ages. The *Speculum Historiale* is a vast historical compilation, which aimed to provide a comprehensive account of human history from the creation of the world to the author's own time.

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These works, and others like them, were not merely repositories of information; they were also instruments of education and edification. They helped to shape the medieval worldview, providing a framework for understanding the past and the present, and offering models of conduct and belief. They were also, in many cases, works of literature in their own right, displaying a narrative skill and a command of language that have ensured their survival and continued interest.

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The study of these texts is essential for an understanding of the medieval mind. They reveal the preoccupations and values of the age, the way in which history was perceived and interpreted, and the role that literature played in the life of the Church and society. They are, in short, a window into the medieval world, and their importance cannot be overstated.

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