History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.291

v4.c62.291

Hopkins in 'Position of the ruling caste' J. A. O. S. vol. XIII. pp. 151-162 traces how the influence of the purohita grew. One cannot accept his views about there being three layers in the Mahābhārata and the conclusions from such dealing with the text that he draws, which are rather subjective. Gradually the importance of the purohita waned. As the Śukranītisāra cited above (n. 150) shows, long before that work he came to be omitted by several writers from the council of ministers and was supplanted by the Paṇḍita. The same functions came to be exercised by an officer called dharmādhyakṣa or dharmādhikaraṇika in Bengal and other countries. The Matsyapurāṇa (215.24) states the qualifications of a *dharmādhikārin*.¹⁶⁷ Vide E. I. vol. 14 p. 156 at p. 160 of the Naihati grant of Ballālasena, where we have both purohita and mahādharmādhyakṣa mentioned among the great functionaries of State and the Benares copper-plate of the Cedi king Karṇadeva in 1042 A. D. in E. I. vol. II. p. 309 where we have mahādharmādhikaraṇika but no purohita. Besides another officer called sāṁvatsara (astrologer) gradually took over some of the functions of the purohita. The Viṣṇudharmasūtra III. 75 (*rājā ca sarvakāryeṣu sāṁvatsarādhīnaḥ syāt*) requires the king to depend on the sāṁvatsara in all matters. The Bṛhat-saṁhitā (2.9) states that a king without a sāṁvatsara mistakes his path like a blind man. Kām. 4.33 and Viṣṇudharmottara II. 4. 5-16 recommend reliance on him. Kauṭilya167a IX. 4 was himself against too much reliance on astrology, while Yāj. I. 307 holds that the rise and fall of kings depend on the (aspects or influence of) planets.