The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c16.16

c16.16

Another frequent and telling expression is that of "eating" a hereditary right: "For ages past our ancestors have eaten the muqaddamī of (the) village".¹³ The metaphor is a classical and well-known one, especially with regard to rulers who have a natural right to "eat" their subjects, the rights of the husband over his wife, or the king's on the earth.¹⁴ Here, however, the emphasis is on the exclusive and irrevocable nature of the connection between the holder of the right and its object. Through its "eating," the object or right is integrated with its holder.¹⁵ The metaphor is full of meaning in Indian culture, where always much thought has been given to exchanges of food and the permissibility or otherwise of acceptance.¹⁶