History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.56.4

v4.c62.56.4

In fact in all works on polity we find comparatively little about the king's rights and special privileges, but on the other hand the greatest emphasis is laid on the king's duties and responsibilities. Some works describe the king as a servant of the people whose wages or remuneration for the protection he affords is the taxes he raises. Vide Baud. Dh. S. I. 10. 1, Śukranīti I. 188, Nārada (prakīrṇaka 48), Śānti 71. 10.³⁶ It may be said here that the apparently inconsistent dicta about the divinity of the king and about his being liable to be deposed or even killed for evil deeds are delivered from two different standpoints and are addressed to different persons. The writers believed in maintaining the *status quo* about the duties of varṇas and āśramas, in the privileges of the respective castes and in the progressive deterioration of dharma in the ages to come and wanted a strong king to preserve the social order; therefore the king was raised to divinity and absolute obedience to his orders was demanded. This was addressed to the people in general. There was danger however of bad kings and ministers oppressing the people by misrule. Hence the king and his ministers were threatened with destruction and death. These dicta were principally meant for the king and his advisers.