Theory of Government in Ancient India (Post-Vedic) c6.s1.t1.8

c6.s1.t1.8

necessity of government. The very gods frown over kingless territories. There is no rain and no agriculture. Trade disappears. None can feel secure about his property or even his life. The very idea of law goes to the winds. Men prey on each other, like fishes, from hour to hour. Family life and morality suffer to an extent which is simply horrible. For instance, father and son fight each other, and husbands fail to control their wives. Religious practices decay in a woeful manner. Brâhmaṇas do not keep their vows. No one performs sacrifices with text and prayer. Sages are not sure of anything. In short, a kingless realm is perfectly wretched. It can see no happiness, no festivity, no joviality. From such misery, the monarch rescues the people. He is the universal benefactor, father, mother and friend, the hope and mainstay of all; he is the right, he is the truth.¹