The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c10.s2.t3.7

c10.s2.t3.7

There are, besides, several instances of the ministers remonstrating with the king against arbitrary expenditure. If Hiuen Thsang's stories are to be relied on, Asoka the Great's financial extravagance was greatly curbed by his minister Râdhâ-gupta.¹ A councillor likewise prevented Vikramâditya of Srâvasti from indulging in ultra-philanthropic schemes. His arguments² were thoroughly modern. "Your Majesty", as the member of the council is said to have pointed out, "indeed will get credit for charity, but your minister will lose the respect of all *** and then fresh imposts will have to be laid *** and then the voice of complaint will be heard." The power of the council is likewise evident in an event of the second century A. C. It was out of his private purse that Rudradâmana, a satrap of the Kuṣâṇ Empire, was compelled to repair the Sudarśana Lake at Girnar (in Kathiawar, close to the Arabian Sea) because of the Council's opposition to the project.³