Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c13.3

c13.3

**A Standing Army.** This vast army was not of the nature of a militia or a citizen's army but a regular standing army in receipt of due remuneration paid by the State, supplied by the State with necessary equipment such as horses, arms, elephants, and stores, and always remaining at its disposal and command. Kauṭilya considers it essential that the army should always be in a state of readiness instead of being distributed among different centres on prescribed missions from which they cannot free themselves to join colours at call (*vikshiptasainyaṁ netarat kārya-vyāsaktaṁ pratisaṁhartum*) [VII. 9]. In that view, Kauṭilya also prefers the tried troops serving at provincial garrisons to mercenary troops, because the former are habitually bound to their master in ties of service and loyalty (*Nityasatkārānugamāchcha maulabalaṁ dhṛitabalāchchhreyaḥ*) [IX. 2].