The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c15.s2.9

c15.s2.9

But the king is not "vicar of God" as understood by mediaeval western philosophers, imperial as well as anti-imperial.⁵ The divinity that hedges the monarch is the glory and importance of the functions that he has to perform as *svâmin*. By analogizing the marks of *aiśvarya*, i. e. sovereignty with the attributes and *śakti* of the gods (or powers of nature) Śukra wants the people to understand nothing more than the fact that kingship consists in protection of person and property,⁶ administration of justice,⁶ diffusion of culture and *dharma*,⁶ philanthropy and charity,⁶ and last but not least, realization of revenues.⁶