The Social and Military Position of the Ruling Caste in Ancient India, as Represented by the Sanskrit Epic c2.s5.3

c2.s5.3

I turn now to a study of this warrior feeling. To subdue an enemy, three means are popularly quoted. Of these, the first is conciliation, the last is war. This introduces us fitly to the theoretical as opposed to the practical side of the military sentiment. As a matter of fact, ‘conciliation’ has little part to play in the early story; but in the later development of the Epic drama, the first means of attaining political ends is faithfully carried out.*