History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.243.3

v4.c62.243.3

Here sacivas are divided into two sorts, those who give advice and those who execute the business decided upon and the word saciva seems to be a synonym of amātya. Amara¹³⁵ states that the amātya who is a *dhīsaciva* (i. e. *matisaciva*) is called a mantrin, while amātyas other than the mantrin are called karmasacivas. These distinctions are often not observed. Sumantra is called amātya in Rāmāyaṇa I. 7. 3 and the best of mantrins in I. 8. 4. In Ayodhyā 112. 17 amātya and mantrin seem to be distinguished. From Kauṭ. I. 8 (last verse) 'Having divided the spheres of their powers and having taken into consideration the time and place and the work they have to do, all these persons should be appointed as ministers (amātyas), but not as mantrins,' it follows that mantrins were regarded by Kauṭilya as of a higher grade than amātyas in general. The R. N. P. p. 178 says that the amātyas are also styled mantrins. Kauṭilya states (I. 10) how amātyas are to be tested by *upadhās* i. e. by means of tempting them as regards each of *dharma*, *artha*, *kāma*, and *bhaya* (fear) and to be employed if found honest after any one of the four tests, while *mantrins* were to be appointed only if their integrity and loyalty were proved by all the tests combined. Upadhā¹³⁶ is defined by the Nītivākyāmṛta p. 111 as 'testing the mind of a person as regards dharma, artha, kāma and bhaya by various devices' (employed by secret agents). Kāt. (4-5) quoted by R. N. P. p.