The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c18.15

c18.15

The fact is well illustrated by Visâkhadatta’s political drama, the Mudrârâksasa which belongs to the eighth or ninth century A.D.¹ The play perhaps follows an older tradition and it is not easy to decide how far it is representative of the age in which it was actually composed. None the less, the series of adroit manœuvres in which Cânakya plays a leading part and which culminate in the replacement of the Nanda by the Mauryan dynasty on the throne of Pâtaliputra are of fascinating interest. Cânakya addresses Candragupta as a Vrisala (Sûdra). Râksasa, the chief minister of the Nanda king, addresses the goddess of royal power in a soliloquy and asks "was there no chief noble of blood to win thy fickle smiles, that thou must elevate a base-born outcast to imperial sway?" (Act II). In the play the monarch finds his position a source of great uneasiness. It is difficult for him to attend to his own interests as well as to those of others. On the other hand, he runs a fatal risk if he entrusts too much power to his minister. Fortune makes kings her sport. When both the king and the ministers are very powerful, the goddess of royalty deserts one of them. Sovereignty, so to say, is indivisible. If a king relies too much on his ministers, he will, on separation from the latter, feel like a helpless babe. Or the minister may unconsciously usurp too much power. In the play, the king chafes under the control of Cāṇakya. In high affairs of state, secret intrigue sometimes played an important, even decisive part. Espionage is there as an integral part of the machinery of government.¹ In the first Act avaricious Nandas are contrasted with Candragupta who "esteems your happiness his wealth." The third Act emphasises that the king must forego his personal comfort for the sake of the general good.