The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c15.s2.7

c15.s2.7

This secular idea of monarchy is not however inconsistent with the conception of the ruler as a "god in human form".⁴ The divine character of royalty is described in the *Manu Samhitâ* and the *Mahâbhârata* and is stated also in the *Śukra-nîti*. Royalty is indeed superhuman energy embodied in a human institution, exactly as every activity and *élan* or *śakti* of life is godly or divine in the mythological imagery of Hindu heinotheism.