Theory of Government in Ancient India (Post-Vedic) c14.2

c14.2

Corporations in Hindu Literature. The bulk of the political matter which occurs in Hindu literature and inscriptions from the earliest times to our own days refers to Government, its necessity, its purpose, its machinery and its relation to various classes of the population. But the Epics, if not the Rigveda, allude to other organisations which served some particular needs of the community and developed a quasi-governmental form. In the Dharma Sûtras, Buddhist and Jaina literatures, Kautalya’s Arthaśāstra, the Smṛtis and Nīti-śāstras, corporations occupy a more prominent place and stand in definite relations towards the state. A large number of inscriptions in the north and a yet larger number in the south throw additional light on their constitution and actual working. Recently, the subject has been treated by several scholars,¹ but there is room for a re-statement of their theory.