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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c7.s1.t1: Viceroyalty and Succession

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c7.s1.t1

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Viceroyalty and Succession

c7.s1.t1.1

According to the *Jātakas*, kingship was generally hereditary in character. Normally if the prince was the only son of his father, he became the Viceroy, and after his father's death succeeded to the throne. But if he had one or more brothers or step-brothers, there was an outburst of jealousy⁵ after the death of the king which soon developed into bitter fratricidal wars. Ordinarily, if nothing untoward happened, after the death of his father, the eldest succeeded to the throne and the younger was anointed as Viceroy.⁶ The Jain texts mention two types of kings, viz., *sāvekkha* and *niravekkha*. The former established the crown-prince on the throne within his life time; this avoided civil war and other calamities. In the latter type the crown-prince succeeded after the death of the king.⁷ In the event of a king having more than two sons, usually, the king, if he was living, put them to test and selected one to be the Viceroy. The *Vyavahāra Bhāṣya* refers to a king who put his three princes to test. He served them with a splendid dinner and while the princes were dining, he let loose furious dogs on them. The first prince left his dinner and ran away, the second stopped the dogs with sticks and finished his dinner, the third continued his dinner and also allowed the dogs to feed. The king was pleased with the last one and made him the heir-apparent.⁸

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⁵ Cf a prince employed a shepherd and made his elder brother blind (*Uttarā Tī*, 5, p. 103). ⁶ P.B.I., pp 94f, 99. ⁷ *Vya Bhā*., 2 327 ⁸ 3.210, also cf 4 267. The *Pādañjali Jātaka* (II, 247) refers to a young prince who was told by the ministers that he would be consecrated only on satisfying certain tests which pertain to the administration of justice But the prince was incapable of distinguishing between the two judgments, one correct and the other incorrect and consequently lost his chance to the kingship ⁹ See *Uttarā. Tī*, 18, P. 246. ¹⁰ *Nāya*., 19. ¹¹ Cf, the renunciation of Sāla and Mahāsāla, *Āva. cū*., p. 381.

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