History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.264

v4.c62.264

on the Yaśastilaka I. p. 91 differ as to the names of these 18.¹⁴⁸ The Rājataraṅgiṇī I. 120 informs us that in former times there were only seven departments (*karmasthānas*), that later on they became 18 and that five more were added to these eighteen (IV. 142-143 and 512) viz. mahāpratīhāra, mahāsāndhivigraha, mahāśvaśāla, mahābhāṇḍāgāra, mahāsādhanabhāga (and so the Heads were called 'adhigata-pañcamahāśabda' i. e. to whom five titles with 'mahā' in them were given).¹⁴⁹ The Agnipurāṇa 220 mentions several high functionaries like the senāpati, pratīhāra, dūta and heads of departments. The Śukranītisāra (II. 69-70) enumerates ten principal high functionaries of the king (*prakṛtis*) viz. purodhas (purohita), pratinidhi, pradhāna (President of council), saciva (war minister), mantrin (Home minister), prāḍvivāka (minister of justice), paṇḍita (minister of ecclesiastical matters), sumantra (Finance minister), amātya (revenue minister) and dūta (minister of diplomatic relations) and remarks that others omitted purodhas and dūta from this list of ten and held that these eight should all receive the same pay (verses 71-72), while Śukra was of opinion that the ten high dignitaries should each receive in order one tenth more as pay than the succeeding one (v. 71), that the purohita was the most eminent of all, that among the rest each preceding was more eminent than each succeeding one (II. 74-77), that after these high dignitaries came the other officers (adhikārigaṇa, II. 279), that then came the darśaka (secretary ?), and lekhaka (clerk), then the menial servants who waited on the king and lastly the lowest were those who carried out dirty work. In II. 84-87 Śukra briefly brings out the special functions of the ministers from pratinidhi to dūta¹⁵⁰ and then in II. 88-105 at length. In I. 353-361 Śukra lays down how the king's public *durbar* should be arranged, viz. the king's throne should be in the centre of the western half of the hall on which the king should sit well-dressed, wearing his crown, armour and a drawn sword; his sons, grandsons, brother's and sister's sons should sit behind him, his daughter's sons should sit on his right and on his left should sit in order his uncles, chief agnates, members of the assembly, commanders; in front of the king to his right should be seated his maternal grandfather's relatives, the mantrins, and to the left his father-in-law, wife's brother, officers &c. The Śukranītisāra (I. 374-376) lays down certain very practical rules for the king: 'he should personally observe villages, towns and districts every year; he should see whether his subjects are kept contented or are harassed by his officers, he should not side with the officers (with the man on the spot) but rather should take the side of the subjects, he should remove an officer who is hateful to many (lit. a hundred) people and an *amātya* should be removed if he is found to commit several illegal acts. Śukra (in II. 107-113) further advises the change of portfolios among the ministers (e. g. sumantra should be appointed amātya or *vice versa*); he says that for each department three should be engaged, one the most clever being the head and two others being darśakas (secretaries) who should be changed every three, five, seven or ten years; one man should not be allowed to hold the same high office for a long time, since otherwise he becomes intoxicated with power;¹⁵¹ servants should not do any business without a written order nor should a king order anything to be done except in writing (II. 290).