The Positive Background of Hindu Sociology c7.s16.t2.5

c7.s16.t2.5

It is the personal qualifications,—the proficiency in the use of arms as well as the diplomatic handling of situations,—that accounted for the ascendency of many lowly individuals to the position of generals and premiers and finally to kingship. The demand for military skill and diplomatic tact was perennial in the Indian society here and there and everywhere. In India as elsewhere the army has functioned as a great "ladder." And as the dynasties were changing and the boundaries of states were moving in season and out of season the adventurers from every nook and corner were in a position to exploit the conditions and build up their social, economic and political fortunes.⁵⁰ Individuals of lower castes could thereby get themselves admitted as Kṣatriyas, Brāhmaṇas and what not. The Indian aristocracies of all denominations were very often the instances of social mobility of the vertical type. This aspect of “geopolitics” was as common in India as in Europe.