The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c12.2

c12.2

The problematic character of kingship stands out clearly when we consider the lack of a consistent theory. The reason for this lack is not that kings and kingship were so much taken for granted that any theoretical speculation would have been otiose. On the contrary, the texts expound on this subject to the point of tedium, if not obsession. But all this does not deliver a unified view of kingship. Taken together the different statements agree on one point, namely, that kings are somehow necessary for the protection of the people through the maintenance of the moral order or *dharma*. But beyond that point, we meet, even within the same text, with a disconcerting variety of views. Now it may be theoretically possible to try to harmonize these diverging statements by interpreting and reinterpreting them as the classical Indian commentators have done. However, they have come up with different solutions. Or, failing that, we may string out the statements that seem the most refractory to us, as well as the ancient commentators' efforts