The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c12.25

c12.25

So much is clear, the king cannot derive his authority from the community, for within the community he is himself subject to the community's dharma as well as its adharma, and, as we saw, the two are difficult to define. So authority has to be looked for outside the community. The king has to belong to the community, but at the same time he must stand outside so as to guarantee his authority.