The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c5.27

c5.27

Religion must be reckoned among the great factors in the history of the Hindus. Brahmanism sanctified caste and entrenched it firmly in the estimation of the people. It made law part of itself and thus tended to impart to it strength, conservatism and permanence. Religion sought to direct the life of the rulers as of the rest of the community. It inculcated charity, gentleness and promotion of popular happiness on the part of the king. It held a spiritual ideal before the state. It could serve as a moral check on the despotism. Occasionally, it might become the animating principle of the policy of the state. Under a king like Aśoka, the state might become actively missionary. Religious change was likely to tell on politics. The rise of Buddhism and Jainism shook the political position of Brāhmaṇas for a while. Incidentally, religion emphasised renunciation of the world and led many rulers to abdicate in favour of their sons or relations.