Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.s5.211

v2.c4.s5.211

*The King in Peace.*—In return for his warlike services the king received the obedience¹⁶—sometimes forced¹⁷—of the people, and in particular their contributions for the maintenance of royalty. The king is regularly¹⁸ regarded as ‘devouring the people,’ but this phrase must not be explained as meaning that he necessarily oppressed them. It obviously has its origin in a custom by which the king and his retinue were fed by the people’s contributions, a plan with many parallels. It is also probable that the king could assign the royal right of maintenance to a Kṣatriya, thus developing a nobility supported by the people. Taxation would not normally fall on Kṣatriya or Brahmin; the texts contain emphatic assertions of the exemption of the goods of the latter from the royal bounty.¹⁹ In the people, however, lay the strength of the king.²⁰ See also Bali.