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Political Concepts in Ancient India
(3) Samyutta (connected) Nikāya, brief ser-
mons on connected topics.
(4) Anguttara (Graduated) Nikaya, a collec-
tion of over 2,000 brief statements.
(5) Khuddaka (Minor) Nikaya, a collection
of miscellaneous works in prose and verse.
Of the fifteen books belonging to this
collection, the Jataka serves as the most
important source for a socio-cultural
history. The Jataka is a collection of over
500 poems containing folk-tales and other
stories. Now these poems, accompanied
by a prose commentary attributed to
Buddhaghosa, are together known as
the Jataka.
A section of the Digha Nikaya, III, called the
Aggañña Suttanta, gives us the Buddhist theory of
the origin of the King. According to the story given
in this work, originally in the human society there
was no king and no personal property. Later on, with
the growth of personal property there arose four
evils of theft, censure, lying and violence. Then the
human beings selected the most handsome and cap-
able person to become the King. The epithet Maha-
sammata, implies that he was the choice of all; he
was also called a Khattiya (Skt. Ksatriya) in the sense
that he was the lord of the fields. Another epithet
Rājā implies that the King used to gratify the
people by protecting their interest with righteous-
ness. In the various Jataka stories we get descriptions
of good and ideal Kings, the wrong ways of life which
they used to avoid, the ten royal duties (Rājadham-
ma) and the various aspects of good behaviour
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Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Political Concepts in Ancient India
(3) Samyutta (connected) Nikāya, brief ser-
mons on connected topics.
(4) Anguttara (Graduated) Nikaya, a collec-
tion of over 2,000 brief statements.
(5) Khuddaka (Minor) Nikaya, a collection
of miscellaneous works in prose and verse.
Of the fifteen books belonging to this
collection, the Jataka serves as the most
important source for a socio-cultural
history. The Jataka is a collection of over
500 poems containing folk-tales and other
stories. Now these poems, accompanied
by a prose commentary attributed to
Buddhaghosa, are together known as
the Jataka.
A section of the Digha Nikaya, III, called the
Aggañña Suttanta, gives us the Buddhist theory of
the origin of the King. According to the story given
in this work, originally in the human society there
was no king and no personal property. Later on, with
the growth of personal property there arose four
evils of theft, censure, lying and violence. Then the
human beings selected the most handsome and cap-
able person to become the King. The epithet Maha-
sammata, implies that he was the choice of all; he
was also called a Khattiya (Skt. Ksatriya) in the sense
that he was the lord of the fields. Another epithet
Rājā implies that the King used to gratify the
people by protecting their interest with righteous-
ness. In the various Jataka stories we get descriptions
of good and ideal Kings, the wrong ways of life which
they used to avoid, the ten royal duties (Rājadham-
ma) and the various aspects of good behaviour
Digitized by
Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN