The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c12.s3.1

c12.s3.1

At first sight, the paradigm of cyclical alternation between the complementary phases of grāma and araṇya may appear as an elegant solution to the conundrum of the king's authority. On further consideration, however, it is clearly far from satisfactory, for it makes authority the sport of fortune in the unending circulatory game. Instead of wielding the daṇḍa over the community, the king has on his return to pass it on to another who then has to set out, if the king does not start again on another wandering phase himself. In fact, it makes effective kingship illusory. But that is not all, for we cannot overlook the risk and mortal danger involved in the aggressive conventions of the warrior phase.