A History of Hindu Political Theories from the Earliest Times to the End of the First Quarter of the Seventeenth Century A.D. c8.s3.67
A History of Hindu Political Theories from the Earliest Times to the End of the First Quarter of the Seventeenth Century A.D. c8.s3.67
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c8.s3.67
As regards the category of three powers, the authority whom Kauṭilya quotes under the reverent title of the preceptors (āchāryyas) considers the king's energy to be more important than his majesty. The king, it is argued, who is brave strong and armed, is himself able with the help of his army to overpower a powerful enemy, while his army, small though it is, fired by his prowess, is capable of performing its task: on the other hand, the king who is devoid of energy but has a strong army perishes, overpowered by heroic valour. The same teacher, it further appears, held on other grounds that the king's majesty was superior to good counsel.∗ According to this view, then, statecraft is primarily a race for the display of personal energy, and only secondarily a game of craft and skill.