A History of Hindu Political Theories from the Earliest Times to the End of the First Quarter of the Seventeenth Century A.D. c10.66

c10.66

∗ Cf. Manu (VII 144), "The highest duty of a Kṣatriya is to protect his subjects, for the king who enjoys the rewards just mentioned (viz. the taxes specified, Ibid 130-132; 137-139) is bound to (discharge that) duty"; Ibid IX 254: "The realm of that king who takes his share in kind though he does not punish thieves (will be) disturbed and he (will lose heaven"; Ibid VIII 307-308: "A king who does not afford protection, (yet) takes his share in kind, his taxes tolls and duties, daily presents and fines, will (after death) soon sink into hell. They declare that a king who affords no protection, (yet) receives the sixth part of the produce, takes upon himself all the foulness of his whole people"; Śāntiparvan CXLII. 31: "An impotent Kṣatriya is the king who unjustly exacts his dues without fulfilling his duty of protection and he is unskilled in the expedients of policy"; Ibid CXXXIX 100; "(The king) should spend his taxes after collecting one-sixth (of the produce as) the same: he who does not properly protect his subjects is a thief among kings (pārthivataskarah)." Similarly Yājñavalkya (I 3, 3, 5) says that the king takes half of whatever sins are committed by the unprotected subjects since he levies taxes. In this connexion wo may mention Sāntiparvan LXXI 10 where certain taxes levied by the king are called his wages (vetana)—a view involving the idea that the king is an official.