Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c4.t5.23

c4.t5.23

It is very probable that these ministers, more or less, corresponded to the nobility or the knightly class around the king. These ministers were, as we are told,² “the thousand gallant warriors who would face the charge even of a rut elephant, whom the launched thunderbolt of Indra could not terrify, a matchless band of invincible heroes ready at the king's command to reduce all India to his sway.” In the same way the five hundred gallant warriors (pañcasatamattā mahāyodhā) of king Seyya were his amaccas.³ The 60,000 noble-looking warriors of King Sañjaya are his ministers, whose sons, again, are the birthmates and would-be ministers of Prince Vessantara.⁴ A king, intending to have a retinue for his son, calls the commander-in-chief (mahā-senagutto) who seems to be the leader of the ministers,⁵ and orders him to find out many young nobles were born in the ministers' houses on the same day as the prince. 500 young nobles are thus found and nurses are appointed to take care of them⁶. “These nobles,” to apply Hopkins's remarks,⁷ regarding the epic nobility, “for the most part native and well-born, took part in council, conducted the assemblies, led the army and were the king's vice-regents in all military affairs…. They are the real advisers of the king in all matters not purely judicial or spiritual.⁸ For the Mantrins or cabinet councillors consist chiefly of these nobles…. All the sacivas (comites) may be, and often are, purely military. These are officials of the highest rank, to whom in the king's absence, for instance, all the royal business is left.”⁹