The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c16.s1.t2.3

c16.s1.t2.3

Property does not exist in the non-state¹ (*mâtsya-nyâya*) i. e. in the condition of men left to the pursuit of their "own sweet will". In the non-state, of course, men can possess or enjoy, but they do not "own". Property, however, is not mere *bhoga* i. e. enjoying or possessing, its essence consists in *mamatva* or *svatva* i. e. ownership.² It is "one's own"-ness that underlies the "magic of property". To be able to say *mamedam*³ (This is mine) about something constitutes the very soul of owning or appropriation.