Political Concepts in Ancient India /148

128
 
Political Concepts in Ancient(7) India
 
(7) In the third and sixth Rock Edicts of

As'oka we find the Prakrit term Parisā (Skt.

Parişṣad) in the sense of Mantri-Parişad.5
 
ṣad. Parisāpi yute āñapayisati (Third Rock Edict, line 6)
Parisāyaṁ=pariṣadi (Sixth Rock Edict, line 7) (Vide D. C.
Sircar, Select Inscriptions, Vol. I, pp. 19 and 24).
(8) There seems usually to have been a chief

counsellor, the Mantrin par excellence, often

called "great counsellor" (mahamantrin).
āhamantrin). A. L. Basham, The Wonder that was India, p. 99.
 
MANTRI-PARIŞṢAD-ADHYAKŞAṢA--The
 
president
 

of the council of ministers. He is one of the 18
 

Mahāmēātras (q.v.)
 

 
MANTRĪ—(1) A minister.
 

(2) Strictly speaking a counsellor of the king in

policy matters.
 

(3) Amarakośa equates Mantrī to a Dhiīsaciva

(a minister for counsel) as opposed to a Karma-

saciva (a minister for action or execution). mantrī dhīsacivo'
 
mātyo'nye karmasacivā-stataḥ (Amarakośa--
Kṣatriyavarga).
(4) Mantriī=Dhiīsaciva-=Matisaciva.
 

(5) The terms Mantriī, Saciva and Amātya are

often indiscriminately used.
 

(6) Rāmāyaṇa 1-7-3 refers to Sumantra as an
Ama
Amātya, 1-7-4/5 name 7 others as Mantriī, while

1-8-4 refers to Sumantra again as a Mantri.
 
ī.
(7) Manusaṁhitaā (VIII-54), while suggesting

that the council of ministers should have 7 or 8

members uses the term Saciva in the sense of

Mantri.
 
5. Parisāpi yute añapayisati (Third Rock Edict, line 6)
Parisāyam-parişadi (Sixth Rock Edict, line 7) (Vide D. C.
Sircar, Select Inscriptions, Vol. I, pp. 19 and 24).
 
6. A. L. Basham, The Wonder that was India, p. 99.
 
7. mantri dhisacivo'mātyo'nye karmasacivā-stataḥ (Amarakośa-
Ksatriyavarga).
 
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Original from
 
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
 
ī.