The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c12.29

c12.29

With the *rajjugāhaka amacca*, “the surveyor,” the series of royal officers mentioned expressly as ministers (*amacca*) comes to an end; of the remaining numerous courtiers it is doubtful whether they are to be reckoned as belonging to the category of *amaccas*. In part, they are called, as well as the “taxing officers” (Doṇamāpaka), *mahāmattas*, “of great importance, esteem,” an expression which is probably to be regarded as a designation of an office, similar to that of an *amacca*¹ but is perhaps only to be treated as a predicate, corresponding to our “grandee, magnate.” Whatever that may be, this much seems to me certain, that the *mahāmatta* and the *amacca*, as well as the other courtiers, belonged to one and the same class, namely, that of “people in the king’s pay and service,” the *rājabhoggas*,¹ who are reckoned in the Pâtimokkha (Nissaggiya 10), along with the *khattiyas*, *brâhmaṇas* and *gahapatis*, as a special class. In the passage of the Pâtimokkha in question the matter is this: A monk has been given a valuable object through a messenger, in exchange for which he wanted garments; as givers of such a present, which only wealthy and aristocratic people alone can possess, there are mentioned in order, the king, those in the king’s pay, the Brâhmaṇa, the householder (*râjâ vâ râjabhoggo vâ brâhmaṇo, vâ gahapatiko vâ*). Comparison with this passage of the Pâtimokkha has made me suppose—of the tentative character of this supposition I am perfectly conscious—that by the word *râjañña*, mentioned in the Assalâyana Sutta,² which has already been noted, “royal officers" are to be understood. Also here the highest classes of the population are enumerated, as in the Pâtimokkha, with only this difference, that the gahapatis are omitted; the first to be mentioned are the Khattiyas, corresponding to the *rájá* of the Pâtimokkha, then—probably, through courtesy to Assalâyana,—in the second place and before the *rájaññas*, the Brâhmaṇas and thirdly, the *rájaññas*. I think these are identical with the *rájabhoggas* and that by this word "people in the king's service, high officials of the king, courtiers" are to be understood.¹