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108
Political Concepts in Ancient India
the prevention of fire and for civic measures
against such disasters as famine, flood and
plague. One such governor was Cakrapalita,
during the reign of Skanda Gupta in C. 455 A.D.³
Cf. Junagarh Rock Inscription of Skandagupta,
line 27.
(2) Same as Nagaraka or Nagarika.
PUSTA A Record book or account book. Cf. AS
II. 7.
-
PUROHITA (1) The Royal Chaplain.
(2) In Vedic age the Purohita was one of the
eleven Ratnins (Vide, Satapatha-Brāhmaṇa, V.
3.1).
(3) Yajnavalkya Smrti (I. 312) suggests that
the King should consult privately with the
Purohita before coming to a final decision on
important matters.
(4) According to Apastamba Dharma Sūtra (II.5.
10. 13-14) the Purohita was expected to be well
versed in both sacred law and politics. He was
to judge cases where some Prāyaścitta was in-
volved as the punishment or where some brah-
min stood as the accused.
(5) Kautilya maintains a difference between
Mantrī and Purohita as indicated by the title
of the Chapter AŚ I. 9 (i.e., Mantri-purohitot-
patti). According to Kautilya, the Purohita
should be learned in Vedas and Vedangas, astro-
2. Basham, The Wonder that was India, p. 104.
3. Cf. "taiḥ sārdhaṁ cintayed rājyaṁ vipreṇātha tatah svayam"
(Yajnavalkya, I. 312), where Viprena-brāhmaṇena=purohitena,
according to the Miṭākṣarā Com. The qualities of a Purohita
are given in the following two verses of the Yajnavalkya Samrti.
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Political Concepts in Ancient India
the prevention of fire and for civic measures
against such disasters as famine, flood and
plague. One such governor was Cakrapalita,
during the reign of Skanda Gupta in C. 455 A.D.³
Cf. Junagarh Rock Inscription of Skandagupta,
line 27.
(2) Same as Nagaraka or Nagarika.
PUSTA A Record book or account book. Cf. AS
II. 7.
-
PUROHITA (1) The Royal Chaplain.
(2) In Vedic age the Purohita was one of the
eleven Ratnins (Vide, Satapatha-Brāhmaṇa, V.
3.1).
(3) Yajnavalkya Smrti (I. 312) suggests that
the King should consult privately with the
Purohita before coming to a final decision on
important matters.
(4) According to Apastamba Dharma Sūtra (II.5.
10. 13-14) the Purohita was expected to be well
versed in both sacred law and politics. He was
to judge cases where some Prāyaścitta was in-
volved as the punishment or where some brah-
min stood as the accused.
(5) Kautilya maintains a difference between
Mantrī and Purohita as indicated by the title
of the Chapter AŚ I. 9 (i.e., Mantri-purohitot-
patti). According to Kautilya, the Purohita
should be learned in Vedas and Vedangas, astro-
2. Basham, The Wonder that was India, p. 104.
3. Cf. "taiḥ sārdhaṁ cintayed rājyaṁ vipreṇātha tatah svayam"
(Yajnavalkya, I. 312), where Viprena-brāhmaṇena=purohitena,
according to the Miṭākṣarā Com. The qualities of a Purohita
are given in the following two verses of the Yajnavalkya Samrti.
Digitized by
Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN