Theory of Government in Ancient India (Post-Vedic) c13.s1.17

c13.s1.17

To the class of story-tellers also belongs Kṣemendra, but he really stands in a class by himself among later classical Sanskrit writers. He lived in Kashmir in the reign of Ananta Deva in the eleventh century and was probably descended from a line of ministers. Earlier than Somadeva, he wrote a Bṛihat Kathāmañjarī on the basis of Guṇāḍhya's Bṛihatkathā. Here the political instruction corresponds to his age but in his Bhāratamañjarī and Rāmāyaṇamañjari he seeks to recapture the atmosphere of the two great epics. In broad outline he follows the order of narration in the epics and, inter alia, summarises the didactic chapters, of course, adding touches of his own. Once again we meet with the state of nature or anarchy, with all its horrors, where might is right and people dine on one another. There religion or virtue is impossible; there are no timely rains. How can there be any wealth or wife, how can the body itself subsist, unless there is a king, a protector, an embodiment of all the gods? Well, the people put an end to anarchy by raising Manu to the kingship.¹ In laying down precepts for the guidance of kings, Kṣemendra sums up the injunctions of the Mahābhārata, Arthaśāstras, Dharmaśāstras and Nītiśāstras.² He does not omit to add that Brāhmaṇas should be honoured, worshipped and followed by kings but if they fall from the ethical code, they are to be punished like Śūdras. It is to the interest of the king himself that all his subjects should be devoted to religion, virtue and family usage. A Kekaya monarch was once taken hold of by a demon in a forest but the latter released his victim when told of the virtue prevalent in his realm. It follows that none dare molest a ruler who leads his subjects into righteousness. In the same strain follow the precepts on finance and general administration. Spies are there in abundance.¹ In dealing with enemies, internal or external, Kṣemendra faithfully follows the Mahābhārata. In his usual limpid flowing style he paraphrases the Āpaddharma chapters of the Epic and joins to them the substance of Kaṇinka's discourse in the Ādiparva and a few scattered tales. He rehearses the discourse of Viśvāmitra and the Caṇḍāla on the ethics of abnormal days and goes on to illustrate his theme by additional anecdotes.² In other cantos, too, political reflections are interspersed in the manner of the Mahābhārata though not with the same abundance. The Rāmāyaṇamañjarī³ which begins and ends like Vālmīki echoes the scanty political precepts of the Epic.⁴