Part 1: Form of Government

Bāṇa’s Harṣacarita is based on the life of famous Gupta emperor Harṣavardhana. The writer himself says that he was patronized by king Harṣa.^[1] Therefore, Bāṇa’s Harṣacarita reveals many ideas and political information such as kingship, manifold duties of a king, and form of government, importance and position of a prince in a royal family, relation between the king and the ministers, taxation, administrative measures, army and rules of warfare etc. under the reign of Harṣa in the 7^th century A.D.

According to the Manusaṃhitā, the seven components of a state may be enumerated as the king or the lord, ministers, the fort, the sovereign, the treasury, the force and the political allies.^[2] The kingship was the supreme power of the ministry. He had a great responsibility towards his state, kingdom etc. because, without the political and functional integration an emperor could not run a state mechanism properly. It means the bond between the king and his employees should be good and helpful. The king Prabhākaravardhana had given more attention to this relation with heart and soul, it was known from his comments, when he was on his dead-bed.^[3]

The term rājan occurs frequently in the Ṛgveda.^[4] In the Harṣacarita, several terms such as rājā, rājan, deva, narendra, bhūpati, narapati etc. are frequently used to indicate the king.^[5]

The concept of state comes into being along with the evolution of kingship. The state was called rājya. The word rājya^[6] has been used in many a time in the Harṣacarita, which means the administration of the kingdom. The word rājatantra^[7] is mentioned in the Kādambarī, another book written by Bānabhaṭṭa, which indicates the same meaning. In the 7^th century A.D. the political conditions in the country were, on the whole, stable and peaceful except for occasional fights between petty princesses. In the country, all sections of society were allowed to live peacefully in accordance with their faith and customs. Monarchy was the only form of government described in the Harṣacarita. Succession of the thrown was systematic. Only occasional departure in favour of a brother was exceptional. Sometimes, the selection of successor was depended on the king’s own choice. It is mentioned in the Allahabad^[8] Stone pillar inscription which shows Chandragupta-I specially selecting Samudragupta from among his several sons. After the death of Rājyavardhana, Harṣa came to the throne of Sthāṇvīśvara through selection by ministers and magistrates.^[9]

Manu also recommends—

“If the eldest son suffers from any physical or mental defect, he is to be passed over and his younger brother should become king.”^[10]

According to the Dharṃśāstras the king was normally a member of the kṣatriya caste.^[11] But, Bāṇa has not mentioned anywhere about the caste of Harṣavardhana. According to the Harṣacarita, the predecessors of Harṣa were all rulers of the country (janapada) of Śrikaṇṭḥa (Sthāṇviśvara) and Puṣpabhūti^[12] was the remote ancestor of the king Harṣa. The Banskhera^[13] copper-plate, Madhuban^[14] copper-plate inscriptions of Harṣa mentions the names of only four of his immediate ancestors.

The Harṣacarita describes about king Prabhākaravardhana, father of Harṣavardhana as—

“A lion to the hūṇa deer, a burning fever to the king of the Indus land, a troublers of the sleep of Gurjaras, a bilious plague to that scent-elephant the lord of gāndhāra, a looter to the lawlessness of the Lātas, an axe to the creepers of Mālwa’s glory.”^[15]

But we cannot call all these states, named in the above passage were, actually annexed by Prabhākaravardhana. We further learn about Harṣa that “having pounded the king of Sindu made his wealth his own.”^[16]

From these descriptions, it is seen that the political structure of ancient India, monarchy was the only system of public administration.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

[a] svalpaireva cāhobhiḥ narmaṇaḥ prabhāvasya ca parāṃ kotimānīyat narendreṇeti, Harṣacarita,II. p.37
[b] atidakṣiṇaḥ khalu devo harṣo yadevamanekabālcaritcāplocita……….api manasā sṛhyatyeva mayi…, Ibid.
[c] dhanau’smi, yadevamanugrāhyaṃ māṃ devo manyate, Ibid.,II.p.28

[2]:

Manusaṃhitā, IX.294

[3]:

batsau, prathamaṃ rājyaṅgaṃ durlabhāḥ sadbhṛtyaḥ, Harṣacarita, IV.p.66

[4]:

citra id rājā rajakā idanyake yake sarasvatīmanu, Ṛgveda,8.21.18

[5]:

[a].….yatra ca rājā puṣpabhūtiriti nāmnā babhūva, Harṣacarita,III.p.43-44
[b] api ca ….atiguṇavati rājanyanyathā cānyathā ca cintayantam, Ibid., II.p.37
[c] sakalādirājacaritajayajyestḥamallo devaḥ parameśvaro harṣaḥ, Ibid.,II.p.35
[d] yathājñāpayati devaḥ…., Ibid.,II.p.36
[e] svalpaireva cāhobhiḥ paramaprītena prasādajanmano mānasya……narmaṇaḥ prabhāvasya ca parāṃ kotimānīyat narendreṇeti, Ibid., II.p.37
[f] bhūpatirapi ‘avamasmābhiḥ śrutam’…..abhavat, Ibid., II.p.36
[g].…nṛttanirbhahasitanarapatiḥ…, Ibid.,IV.p.62

[6]:

[a] rājyaṃ roga iti…, Ibid.,V.p.89
[b] rājye viṣa iva……viraktaṃ cakṣuḥ, Ibid.,V.p.94
[c] prathamam rājyaṅgam…, Ibid., IV.p.66
[d] sukhaṃ ca rājyaṃ ca tvayi me stitāḥ, Ibid.,IV.p.79

[7]:

…sahasrādāruṇe rājatantrerasminamahāmohakāriṇi ca…., Kādambarī,p.179

[8]:

Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol.III.p.212

[9]:

Harṣacarita, VI.p.106

[10]:

Manusaṃhitā, IX.201

[11]:

Ibid.,VII.2

[12]:

[a] asti ….śrikaṇṭho nāma janapadaḥ. …..nāmabhihāra iva kubera nagarasya, sthāṇvīśvarākhyo janapadaviśeṣaḥ. ….yatra ca rājā puṣpabhūtiriti nāmnā babhūva, Harṣacarita,III.p.43-44 [b] devena hi puṣpabhūtivaṃśasaṃbhūta………, Ibid.,VI.p.105

[13]:

Epigraphica Indica, IV.p. 208

[14]:

Ibid., I. pp. 67-75

[15]:

hūṇahariṇakeśarī sindhurājajvaro gurjaraprajāgaro gāndhāradhipagandhadvipakūṭapākalo lāṭapāṭavapātaccaro mālabhalakṣmīlatāparaśuḥ… prabhākaravardhano nāma rājādhirājaḥ, Harṣacarita,IV.p.56

[16]:

atta puruṣottamena sindurājaṃ pramyathya lakṣmīḥ ātmīkṛtā, Ibid., III.p.40