Administration and Social Life under Vijayanagar c6.t1.2

c6.t1.2

The Vijayanagar king, like all the ancient kings of India, was not a law-maker. The laws were already in existence which the king was to obey and execute. Kṛṣṇadēva Rāya insists on the protection of the Dharma by the ruling sovereigns. The royal poet says: “A crowned king should always rule with an eye towards Dharma; the lives of the gods like Indra, Varuṇa, Vaiśravaṇa, Vāyu and Agni are the results of their actions. The various worlds as Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ and Suvaḥ owe their positions to Dharma.”⁵⁰