Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c4.t5.104

c4.t5.104

It was Bühler who in 1893 first¹ pointed out the identity between our *rajjuggāhaka* or *rajjuko* and the *rājuka* of Aśokan Edicts.² He also equated these with the *rajjuya* of the Jaina *Kalpasūtra* where Jacobi translated it simply by a clerk or an accountant.³ His identification has been accepted by the majority of scholars⁴ while some⁵ would connect the word ‘*rājuka*’ with the Pāli ‘*rāju*’ meaning ‘king’ and not with ‘*rajju*’, rope. However the question must now be considered as finally decided after the elucidated discussion, on sound philological grounds, by Ghoshal and S. K. Chatterji⁶ in favour of Prof. Bühler. Our *Jātaka* does not give any thing more about the duties and functions of this officer than that he was connected with land measurement and survey. The *Rājukas* of Aśoka, on the other hand, are High Officers having a great responsible administrative status. It is again not improbable that these officials were the same as *Corarājjukas* of Kauṭilya⁷ and those of whom Megasthenes⁸ speaks thus: “Some superintend the rivers, measure the land, as is done in Egypt, and inspect the sluices by which water is let out from the main canals into their branches so that every one may have an equal supply of it.”⁹ It appears from all this that originally, and in the *Jātaka* period, the *Rājjukas* were very likely the chief provincial revenue officers connected mainly with survey, land settlement and irrigation.¹⁰ With time their powers must have increased as seen from Megasthenes' statement given above. And Aśoka, with his truly administrative zeal, invested them with more extensive powers “over hundreds of thousands of souls” granting them independence in their administration of Law and justice so that they may perform their duties confidently and fearlessly, distribute the good and happiness of the people of the country (*Janasa janapadasa*) and also bestow favours upon them.¹¹