Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.s5.192

v2.c4.s5.192

1. Rājan, ‘king,’ is a term repeatedly occurring in the Rigveda¹ and the later literature.² It is quite clear that the normal, though not universal form of government, in early India was that by kings, as might be expected in view of the fact that the Āryan Indians were invaders in a hostile territory: a situation which, as in the case of the Āryan invaders of Greece and of the German invaders of England, resulted almost necessarily in strengthening the monarchic element of the constitution.³ The mere patriarchal organization of society is not sufficient, as Zimmer⁴ assumes, to explain the Vedic kingship.