The Social and Military Position of the Ruling Caste in Ancient India, as Represented by the Sanskrit Epic c2.s4.37

c2.s4.37

corporations?* Prominence is given to the guilds in the later books of the Epic. There also we find corporations of every sort, under the name of *gaṇa*; of the members of which the king is particularly recommended to be careful, since enemies are apt to make use of them by bribery. But dissension is their weak point. Through dissension and bribery they may be controlled by the king. On the other hand, ‘union is the safeguard of corporations.’† The power of the corporations is said to be equal to that of all the king’s military dependents; ‘these two, I think, are equal,’ it is said in a passage where the strength of the kingdom is reckoned (unless the dependents include servants of every kind).‡