THEOREY OF KINGSHIP IN ANCIENT INDIA

1. THEOREY OF KINGSHIP IN ANCIENT INDIA

2. IN VEDIC TIMES • SOME SPECULATION ABOUT THE THEORY OF KINGSHIP WAS FOUND IN THE AITAREYA BRAHAMAN WHICH REFERS TO THE WAR BETWEEN THE DEVAS AND THE DANAVAS. • IN THIS WAR THE DEVAS APPOINTED INDRA AS THEIR KING.IT WAS THE NECESSITY OF THE WAR THAT ORIGINATED THE IDEA OF KINGSHIP.

3. BUDDHIST LITERATURE • THE SAME KIND OF THEOREY WAS FOUND IN THE BUDDHIST CANONS. • THE ANNA SUTTA REFERS TO THE SOCIETY WHERE THE STATE OF MATSYANYAYA(THE LOGIC OF THE FISH) PREVAILED.IT IS WHERE THE STRONG DEVOURED THE WEAK AND THE STATE OF ANARCHY PREVAILED IN THE ABSENCE OF AUTHORITY. • THEREFORE THE PEOPLE GATHERED AND ELECTED A PERSON AS THE KING. • THE SPECULATIONN IMPLIES MONARCHY TO BE BOTH ELECTIVE AND CONTRACTUAL.

4. ARTHASHASTRA….. • IN ARTHASHASTRA KAUTILYA JUSTIFIES THE KING AUTHORITY BY MEANS OF THE DIVINE RIGHTS. • AT THE SAME TIME HE BRINGS ABOUT THE GREAT CLEARNESS THE PRINCIPLE THAT THE KING IS AN OFFICIAL RECEIVING THE REVENUE FOR THE SERVICES OF PROTECTION. • THIS IDEA IS FURTHER CARRIED TO THE POINT THAT THE KING IS SPIRITUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAITHFULL DISCHARGE OF HIS FUNCTIONS.THEREFORE THE NECESSARY CONDITION OF THIS RELATION IS THE PAYMENT OF TAX. • HERE ALSO THE CONTRACTUAL THEOREY IS PURPORTED TO BUTTRESS ROYAL POWER.

5. EPIC AGE • THE ELECTIVE THEOREY OF THE VEDIC AGE DID NOT FIND SPACE IN THIS AGE. • THE SHANTI PARVA SECTION OF MAHABHARATE SPEAKS OF THE BRAHMA THE CREATORUPON WHOM THE GODS APPROACHED HIMAND COMPLIANED OF THE DECLINE OF VIRTUE ON THE EARTH. • THEN THE VISHNU CREATED AN ASEXUAL SONVIRAJAS. • IN THIS LINE BORH VENA ,ATYRANNICAL RULER.THE SAGES KILLED HIM AND FROM HIS RIGHT THIGH CREATED PRITH WHO RULED RIGHTEOUSLY AS REQUIRED BY THE SAGES. • . • HENCE THE KING WAS THE HEIR OF VISHNU(DIVINE RELATIONSHIP) AND THERE WAS A CONTRACT BETWEEN THE KING AND THE BRAHAMANS.THE KING PROMISES TO PROTECT AND RESPEDT THEM.

6. EPIC AGE • ANOTHER INCIDENCE IN THE SHANTI PRAVA SAYS THAT THEIR WAS ANARCHY AND CONFUSION IN THE WHOLE WORLD. • THE PEOPLE APPEALED TO GOD AND THE LATTER SEND MANU TO SET THINGS WHICH DID VERY EFFICIENTLY. • .EVEN IN THIS SPECULATION THE KINGSHIP IS NOT THE RESULT OF THE BILATERAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PEOPLE AND ONE OF THEIR OWN. • IT IS THE CREATION OF THE DIVINE WILL,AND IN THE AGREEMENT THEPEOPLE MAKE EXTRAVAGANT PROMISES TO THE KING. • YET THE CONTRACTUAL THEOREY OCCURING IN THIS SPECULATION SHOULD BE REGARDED AS THE MOST ADEQUATE THEOREY ON THE ORIGIN OF THE STATE.

7. THEOREY OF KINGSHIP IN MEDIEVAL INDIA. • BALBAN ADOPTED THE POLICY OF DIVINE RIGHTS OF KINGSHIP MEANS KINGSHIP CONFERRED UPON THE GOD AND SO NO ONE CAN CLAIM SUPERIORITY OF SULTAN AS HIS WORD WAS THE LAW WHICH MADE HIM NON-ACCOUNTABLE TO ANYONE. • THIS THEOREY MADE SULTAN A HOLY BEING i.e IT IS THE DUTY OF EVERYONE (ULEMA AND SUBJECTS ALIKE) TO OBEY HIS COMMAND AS HE HAD THE GRACE OF GOD. • HAVING SUPRESSED THE REVOLTS IN BENGAL i.e OF TUGHRIL KHAN HE APPOINTED HIS SON BUGHRA KHAN TO BE THE GOVERNOR OF THE PROVINCE WITH THE WARNING THAT IF HE REVOLTED, HE COULD BE DEALT WITH THE SAME FATE AS TUGHRIL DID,SO HE BELIEVES IN THE THEOREY OF KINGSHIP KNOWS NO KINSHIP. • BALBAN TRACED HIS DESCENT FROM THE MYTHICAL TURKISH HERO AFRASYAB AND DISCRIMINATE BETWEENN THE HIGH BORN AND THE LOW BORN.THE INDIAN BORN MUSLIMS WERE LOOKED DOWN IN THE GOVERNMENT SERVICES AS MORE EMPHASIS WERE GIVEN ON THE TURKISH NOBILITY. • HE APPOINTED A SPECIAL OFFICER WHICH WOULD BE LOOKING INTO THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND OF A PERSON BEFORE APPOINTING HIM TO THE TO THE HIGHER POSTS OF NOBILITY,FAILING IN WHICH HE DO SO,WOULD BE CHANGED. • BALBAN INSCRIBED ON HIS CURRENCY ZIL-I-ILLAHI ,viz THE SHADOW OF GOD ON EARTH. • HE ALSO STARTED SIZDA AND PABOS A METHOD OF HONOURING HIM BEFORE COMING TO THE COURT,HENCE IMPOSES A STRICT CODE OF CONDUCT TO HIS NOBILITY. • AT THE SAME TIME HE WANTED HIS PEOPLE TO FEAR HIM,FOR THIS HE APPOINTED THE UGHLIEST POSSIBLE GUARDS OF 6 FEET IN HEIGHT WITH NAKED SWORDS.THUS BALBAN LOVE TO BE CRUEL TO HIS SUBJECTS AND THOUGHT THAT ONLY SUCH A POLICY CAN PREVENT ANY REBELLION AGAINST HIM.

8. ALLAUDDIN KHILJI BASED HIS PHILOSOPHY ON THE RULE OF MIGHT IS RIGHT.HE WAS THROUGH AUTOCRAT AND IT WAS HIS POLICY TO RULE WITH UNCHECKED DESPOTISM. • IN HIS THEORY OF KINGSHIP THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR THE MANDATE OF RELIGION OR FOR THE INTERFERENCE OF THE ULEMA. • HE FORMULATED HIS POLICY IN THESES WORDS----I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER THIS IS LAWFUL OR UNLAWFUL,WHATEVER I THINK IT IS GOOD FOR THE STATE OR SUITABLE FOR THE EMERGENCY AND AS FOR WHAT MAY HAPPEN TO ME ON THE APPROACHING DAY OF JUDGEMENT THAT I KNOW NOT. • BY PROPOUNDING THIS DOCTRINE OF SOVEREIGNITY ALLAUNDIN DIVORCED RELIGION FROM POLITCS AND THEREBY STRUCK A GREAT BLOW AT THE TRADITIONAL INFLUENCE OF THE ULEMA OVER STATE AFFAIRS . • ALL HIS REFORMS WERE SUPPORTIVE OF THE STATE AND NOT THE MASSES.HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT IN CARRYING ON THE GOVERNMENT ,HE WOULD BE GUIDED BY HIS OWN DISCRETION RATHER THAN THE PRECEPTS OF THE KURAN. • HERE HE BROKE NEW GROUND ,COMPLETELY IGNORING THE THEOCRATIC CHARACTER OF THE STATE.

9. AS FAR AS MUGHALS ARE CONCERNED ,THEY BELIEVE IN THE DIVINE RIGHTS OF KINGHSHIP . • ABUL FAZL MENTIONED THE CONCEPT OF FARR-I-IZZDI AND SAID THAT THE KING IS DIVINE IN HIS OWN RIGHT. • NO PERSON COULD DISOBEY YHE KING AND WHOSOEVER DID IT WOULD BE LIABLE TO PUNISHMENT. • THE LATER MUGHALS ALSO FOLLOW THE SAME TRADITION AS SET UP BY THEIR FOREFATHERS.