History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.269

v4.c62.269

The words in Aśoka's Edict III 'pañcasu pañcasu vāsesu niyātu' probably refer to the practice of the transfer of high officers every five years. The 6th caste mentioned by Megasthenes (Fragment 1 p. 41 and Fragment XXXIII p. 85 in McCrindle's 'Ancient India') was that of overseers who inquired into and superintended all that went on in India, and made reports to the king or, where there was no king, to the magistrate. Megasthenes probably confounded the ministers and adhyakṣas (who were often hereditary) with a caste. Vide also Fragment XXXIV pp. 86-88 about the officers of state and their duties. It is probably on account of some such rule as is stated in Śukra about frequent change of portfolios that in the inscriptions high functionaries have epithets prefixed to them which indicate their connection with several portfolios e. g. in the Banskhera plate of Emperor Harṣa (E. I. vol. IV p. 208 at p. 211) Skandagupta (who is probably the same as the Skandagupta mentioned by Bāṇa in the Harṣacarita VI as commander of the elephant arm) was the *dūtaka* of the grant and is described as 'mahāpramātāra-mahāsāmanta'; in the Allahabad stone pillar Ins. of Emperor Samudragupta (Gupta Inscriptions p. 10 and p. 15 n. 4), Hariṣeṇa is described as 'Sāndhivigrahika' (minister for peace and war), 'Kumārāmātya' (the minister of the Yuvarāja?) and Mahā-daṇḍanāyaka¹⁵² (commander of an army); Pṛthvīṣeṇa (a brāhmaṇa) is described as mantrin, kumārāmātya and then mahābalādhikṛta (in E. I. vol. X p. 72, of Gupta Saṁvat 117). In theory and practice the king was to issue orders in the presence or under the advice of his principal ministers. We read in the grant of Rājarāja I of the Eastern Cālukya dynasty that he issued his command in the presence of the mantrin, purohita, senāpati, yuvarāja, dauvārika and pradhāna (E. I. vol. IV. p. 300 at p. 302). Śukra (II. 362-370) describes the procedure followed in issuing orders about State business. First the mantrin, prāḍvivāka (Chief Judge), paṇḍita (head of ecclesiastical department), and dūta should write out the business relating to their departments, then the amātya should write thereon (*sādhu likhanam-asti*, the writing is good), sumantra adds '*samyag vicāritam*' (it is well considered), the pradhāna writes '*satyaṁ yathārtham*' (it is the truth, it is as the business requires), pratinidhi should write '*aṅgīkartuṁ yogyam*' (it is proper to accept this), the yuvarāja should write '*aṅgīkartavyam*' (it should be accepted), the purohita should write '*lekhyam svā-* bhimatam' (this writing is approved by 'me); all then should make their seals after their remarks and then the king should write 'aṅgīkṛtam'¹⁵³ (it is accepted) and affix his seal.