A History of Hindu Political Theories from the Earliest Times to the End of the First Quarter of the Seventeenth Century A.D. c8.s3.56

c8.s3.56

dagger The technical term that is used as the designation of the seven constituent elements of sovereignty is ‘prakriti’ (cf. Kaut. VI 1, VIII 1, Ibid 2; Kāmandaka, VII, XXI-XXII; Manusamhitā IX 294; Yājñavalkya I 353). Besides the category of seven elements Kauṭilya (p. 259) includes the hostile king in the list of ‘prakritis.’ ‘Prakriti’ is also applied to mean the twelve constituent parts of the ‘maṇḍala’ or system of States: these multiplied by five (scill. the seven elements of sovereignty except the king and the ally) yield sixty ‘prakritis’ and the total of seventy-two (Kaut. pp. 260-261; Manusamhita VII 156). The third sense in which ‘prakriti’ is used in the literature of Hindu polity is citizens or a corporation of citizens. Thus the lexicographer Kātya, who is older than Amarasiṅha (fl. 4th cent. A. D.) gives ‘paurāḥ’ and ‘amātyāḥ’ as the synonyms of the term (vide the quotation of Kṣirasvāmin, commentary on Amarakoṣa II 8. 18). The Amarakoṣa (loc. cit.) gives the synonyms ‘prakritayaḥ,’ ‘rājyāṅgāni’ and ‘paurānām śreṇayaḥ,’ while Śāśvata, who belonged to the close of the 6th and the beginning of the 7th century, has the equivalents ‘prakritiḥ’ ‘paurah’ and ‘amātyādiḥ;’ It is very probable that ‘prakriti’ in the sense of the element of sovereignty was known to the authors of the Arthaśāstra before Kauṭilya’s time, for that writer (p. 430) claims the credit of originality for applying the term to the members of the maṇḍala alone. Kāmandaka indeed quotes (VIII 5) Brihaspati as saying that sovereignty consists of seven prakritis. component parts or limbs (cf. Manusamhitā IX. 294-295; Śāntiparvan LXIX 64-65; Kāmandaka VII 1 Amarakoṣa I. 6. 5; Śukranīti I 61) is capable of a twofold interpretation. Etymologically it means royalty or sovereignty (rājñaḥ karma bhāvo vā), and derivatively it signifies a kingdom. Now neither Kauṭilya nor Kāmandaka has cared to define ‘rājya,’ nor indeed does it appear that the distinction between State and Government presented itself to them or any other Hindu political philosopher. We are inclined to hold that the category of seven elements implies the concept of ‘sovereignty’, or ‘government’ rather than ‘State’ or ‘Kingdom.’ This interpretation is supported by the definition in a later work of ‘rājyam’ in its application to the seven limbs. Śaṅkarāryya, commenting upon Kāmandaka's list of the seven elements (I 18) writes, “ ‘Rājyam’ is kingship or kingly function (rājatvam), which is used to signify the appellation and the connotation of the term king.”