Nature, Aims and the Functions of the State – Ancient India
Chapter – 3
- Ancient Indian thinkers viewed the state as a beneficial institution created for protecting human life and achieving higher ideals.
- Unlike some other philosophies, they did not see the state as a necessary evil; instead, it was valued for maintaining social order.
- The presence of anti-social elements made danda (force) a necessary function of government, though ideally, its use should be minimal if people follow a righteous life based on a divine code.
- Both the king and subjects were expected to follow this divine code for achieving peace and prosperity; violations by the king could lead to a loss of allegiance from the subjects.
- The early Vedic state was tribal, with no fixed territory; it became territorial in the later Vedic period as tribes settled in specific regions.
- By the later Vedic period, kings were seen as rulers of both their people and territory (rashtra), and emperors were described as rulers of the land bounded by oceans.
- In the 4th century B.C., the political thought in India recognized the state as an organic unity rather than a loose collection of parts.
- According to Kautilya and Manu, the seven constituents of the state are king, ministry, territory, resources, forts, military forces, and allies.
- Modern thinkers identify territory, population, and central government as core state constituents; ancient Indian lists mostly align but do not explicitly mention population, likely because it was considered an obvious element.