The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c10.55

c10.55

The whole problem of the succession was complicated by premature ambitions, jealousies and the vogue of renunciation. A prince, acting as viceroy, conspires against the king, his elder brother. When discovered he flies to a frontier district and demands the umbrella or a battle. In the ensuing war the king is slain (VI, 31). Another prince appointed viceroy grows impatient of the crown, conspires and murders the king (V, 263 et seq.). A sixteen-year-old prince tries various expedients to kill his father. When detected, he is imprisoned (III, 122 et seq., also 216). A prince-governor comes to the capital, Benares, to pay his respects to his father. The latter thinks, "This fellow may do me wrong, if he gets an opportunity." So he tells him, "As long as I live, you cannot dwell in this city. Live somewhere else, and at my death bear rule in the kingdom." The prince obeys and leaves Benares with his chief wife (III, 67). In another story too horrible to relate, a Benares king, afraid that his wife might grow too proud of their little son, has the seven-month-old baby torn to pieces, bit by bit, in the presence of his weeping mother (III, 179). A suspicious king exiles all his sons (II, 116). On the death of a king, the eldest prince succeeds to the throne in the regular order and the younger becomes Uparâjan but he grows arrogant as the astrologers have foretold universal dominion for his son. A command is issued for his arrest but he flies to the forest (IV, 230 et seq.). In another story the elder prince at first declines the kingdom but later demands it and gets it from his younger brother who had been reigning in the meanwhile (IV, 168 et seq.). Moral delinquency sometimes went against a prince. Thus a prince who refused to give up strong drink was banished (V, 467). On the other hand, the sway of the gospel of renunciation sometimes led kings to instal their sons on the throne and themselves to retire into the forest (V, 161-62). In VI, 95 et seq., a barber points out the appearance of grey hair on the head of a king. The latter forthwith instals his son on the throne, rewards the barber with a village and retires into the forest. Sometimes a prince, caring ‘nothing for glory,’ would voluntarily decline the crown in favour of a younger brother, though he may still awaken jealousies (II, 87). In an interesting story a king invites his brother suddenly found out, to come and reign as king (V, 22 et seq.). There are numerous instances, of kings abdicating in favour of their sons and of young princes prematurely following the path of renunciation and refusing consecration (I, 138 ; III, 364, 393, 515 ; IV, 7 ; V, 177). There are other cases of young princes being persuaded only with the greatest difficulty to assume the sceptre (IV, 105).