The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c16.s2.t1.5

c16.s2.t1.5

The doctrine of independence (*svârâjya*, *aparâdhînatva*) implied in this conception of external sovereignty was obviously the foundation of the theory of the state in relation with other states. And it gave rise to certain categories of *droit des gens* or *jus gentium* which normally influenced Hindu political thinking from at least the fourth century B. C. These concepts can more or less be grouped under the doctrine of *mandala*, that is, sphere or circle (of influence, interests, ambitions, enterprise, and what not).