History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.145.3

v4.c62.145.3

2 occur⁸⁹ the words in the *āvid* formula recited in the Rājasūya 'May the gods extract for men great power, great overlordship, great sovereignty over people; this, O Bharatas, is your king, while Soma is king of us brāhmaṇas'. The exact relation of the two words 'ādhipatya' and 'jānarājya' is not clear. Similar words occur in Vāj. S. IX. 40 and X. 18 and in Kāṭhaka XV. 5. In the Ait. Br. (39. 1) it is said⁹⁰ that 'whoever desires the king to attain supremacy over all kings, to attain to the rank of emperor...and desires that he be the supreme ruler, the sole emperor (ekarāṭ) of the whole earth bounded by the sea up to its very extremities should be consecrated and crowned with the *Aindra Mahābhiṣeka* after making him take an oath.' In this passage the meanings of the words 'bhaujya', 'svārājya', 'vairājya' and 'pārameṣṭhya' in relation to sovereignty over people are not clear. They are probably hyperbolical and grandiloquent words to convey supreme power. Even a brāhmaṇa, according to vedic texts, may perform the Vājapeya if he desires 'svārājya' which means super-eminence. Parameṣṭhin means 'Prajāpati' and so pārameṣṭhya simply means godlike power. Further there is no apparent reason why, after rising high from sāmrājya to 'pārameṣṭhya' there should be a descent to mere 'rājya' and 'māhārājya'. Sāyaṇa⁹¹ takes 'rājya' and 'māhārājya' at the end of the passage as referring to the position of the king in the next world. This is rather far-fetched.