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Ancient Indian Political Thought: Unit I

The ancient Indian political thought drew from various sources including the Vedas, Mahabharata, Arthashastra, and works of ancient thinkers. Politics was conceived within the framework of dharma. Government and society were closely linked, with ethics and caste playing influential roles. Monarchy was the most common form of government, though some non-monarchical forms existed. The king derived power both from his warrior caste and priestly blessings. The state aimed to uphold dharma, artha, and kama for its citizens through functions like security, order, taxation, and welfare.

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Farah Shaheryar
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5K views18 pages

Ancient Indian Political Thought: Unit I

The ancient Indian political thought drew from various sources including the Vedas, Mahabharata, Arthashastra, and works of ancient thinkers. Politics was conceived within the framework of dharma. Government and society were closely linked, with ethics and caste playing influential roles. Monarchy was the most common form of government, though some non-monarchical forms existed. The king derived power both from his warrior caste and priestly blessings. The state aimed to uphold dharma, artha, and kama for its citizens through functions like security, order, taxation, and welfare.

Uploaded by

Farah Shaheryar
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ANCIENT INDIAN

POLITICAL THOUGHT
UNIT I
SOURCES OF THE ANCIENT INDIAN
POLITICAL THOUGHT

 The Vedas
 The Mahabharata
 The Arthashastra
 Works of Thinkers
 Inscriptions
 Accounts of Foreign Travelers
• The Vedas: The Vedas are regarded as the authentic works of Gods at
the time of the creation of the world and so are considered the original
source of information. Though Vedas do not describe the political system
that existed, information can be drawn from the concepts like King,
Kingship, Saints or Rishis, etc., and their duties towards the subjects. It
is interesting to note that institutions like sabha and samithi that are
prevalent even in the modern days have their roots in the Vedic period.
• The Mahabharata: This Indian epic is considered a classic work on the
art of politics. Certain episodes like Shanti Parva provide outstanding
information related to political philosophy and administrative system and
the political system of the time. The entire art of statecraft, diplomacy,
war ethics and strategies, state relations and the like can be very well
under­stood by making a reference to the Mahabharata.
• The Arthashastra:
This work authored by Kautilya is again a masterpiece on polity. This
work of Kautilya also highlights issues like taxation, diplomacy, war
strategies and revolution. It is also a handbook of economics as well as
administration for the kings.
• Works of Thinkers:
Some of the great works that act as major sources of the political thought
of ancient India are the Smrithis, Kamandakeya Neethisaara,
Sukraneetisara and the like. Smrithis advocated that a king was the
servant of the subjects and that it was not wrong to kill a tyrant. A king
was expected to be virtuous, gracious and helpful.
• Inscriptions:
Stone and copper inscriptions throw light on the
contemporary political life of the people and the
administrative system of those days.
• Accounts of Foreign Travelers:
The writings of foreign travellers to India like
Megesthanes, Fahien, Huang Tsang and others provide
great information about the ancient Indian society,
administration, trade and industry and the like.
OTHERS SOURCES
• Brihapati Sutra
• Neeti Vakya Niritha of Somadeva
• Rajaneethi Ratnakara
• Veeramrityodaya
• Rajaneethi Mayukha
• Puranas
• Coins and seals found in the excavations
• The Jain and Buddhist literature
 
SALIENT FEATURES OF
ANCIENT INDIAN
POLITICAL THOUGHT
Political Life conceived within the framework of
Dharma
The divine is omnipotent and is visible in the
formation of society and government; the divine
purpose is to be enforced by the king, divine
punishment reinforces earthly punishment and
sometimes supplants it. This is what we find in almost
all the texts that deal with the life of the people. But one
should not be led to believe the reality. There was a
wide gap between the ‘sastras’, traditions and the actual
lives of human beings.
Influence of Ethics

The social thought in ancient India not only assures certain


fundamental principle of morality, but it always seeks to direct
the material life as well. The king must consciously stimulate
virtue and act as a guide to the moral life, morality as stipulated
in the dharmasastras. The state figures considerably in the
communal life and the theory of life proceeds to resolve itself
into a theory of morality. In short, political science becomes the
ethics of the whole society, a science of the duty of man found in
the complex set of relations in society.
The Influence of Caste Based Social Structure on Politics
 

Caste occupied a prominent place in all social speculation


during the later Vedic period and had a direct bearing on the
theory of government. Varna shrama dharama in the society
was fixed on the basis of caste. Each Varna was assigned
specific functions. It was the foremost duty of the king to see
that every individual confined himself to performing
functions of the varna to which he was born. The individual
was not to seek his own interest or expression; he was not to
determine his own ambition or ends.
Government as a Partnership of the Upper
Varnas
In ancient India, the Kshatriyas, Brahmanas and later
the Vaisyas together formed the ruling class. The
Shudras were the serving class. ‘Kshatra’ – the temporal
power derived its strength and authority from ‘Brahma’
- the spiritual power. Coronation by the priest was a
necessary pre-requisite to the exercise of royal power.
Symbolically, it meant that the Kshatriya derived his
power from the Brahman. The priest was the chief
adviser to the king.
No Clear Distinction between State and Society

The governmental organisation and politics were looked at as


a part of the larger whole called society. In other words,
society was at once religious, political, economical and
military. It was generally viewed in a comprehensive manner.
The habit of looking at society from a political angle was not
cultivated. As a result, there was no clear conception of
either the state or the government. Both were interchangeable
terms.
Monarchy was the normal form of Government

Since the four fold division of society entrusted the ruling


power with the Kshatriya caste, monarchy was the natural
outcome. There were also non-monarchical forms of
government. Kautilya’s Arthasastra for example, mentions
‘dvairajya’ (rule by two kings) ‘vyrajya’ (state without a
king) etc., There were also ‘ganasanghas’ which according
to K. P. Jayaswal are comparable to modern republics. But
still monarchy was the normal form of government. Though
there were non-monarchical forms, they were more of an
exception rather than a rule.
The Government was not Sovereign

From its very nature of existence, the government in


ancient India. the government had no independent
existence of its own. The sustenance of the social order
was merely its function. Sovereignty was, infact,
ultimately sourced in the divine will. On the part of the
individual, there was no unified allegiance, no single
loyalty except to society as a whole. Only the pluralistic
theory of sovereignty can grasp the Indian
phenomenon.
ELEMENTS OF THE STATE
(Saptanga theory) According to Kautilya, the seven prakritis of the state are:
1) Swami, 2) Amatyas, 3) Janapada, 4) Durga, 5) Kosa, 6) Bala and 7) Mitra.
Mahabharata:
1) Atman (Raja), 2) Amatya, 3) Kosa, 4) Danda 5) Mitra, 6) Janapada and 7) Pura
Sukra, the seven elements are:
1) Swami, 2) Amatya, 3) Suhrud, 4) Kosa, 5) Rashtra, 6) Durga and 7) Bala.
Manu and Yajnavalkya have said that the state consists of seven elements:
1) Swami, 2) Amatya, 3) Rashtra, 4 )Durga, 5) Kosa, 6) Sena and 7) Mitra.
NATURE OF STATE
 State as a means to concretise power
 Divine origin of the king- established by Vishnu
 Tolerance The primary rule governing relations
between states
 Organization of the Varna Ashram system
 Theory of punishment or danda as the source of
government
 Dharma –duty before rights
 Public welfare as the end
FUNCTIONS OF STATE
• Security
• To maintain social order
• Impose taxes
• Promotion of Public Welfare
• Economic Work
• International Relations
OBJECTIVES OF STATE
P. Shamshree & M. Mohsin “The central place in the theory of state is
reserved in Dharma. A state is good or bad, according to the degree in
which it succeeds in making dharma flourished”.
Overall development of the individual.
Dharma (righteousness, moral values), Artha (prosperity, economic
values) and Kama (pleasure, love, psychological value)
Security
Justice
N. C Bandhopadhya “As such, the end of the state were both economic
as well as moral”

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