Shishupala-vadha (Study)

by Shila Chakraborty | 2018 | 112,267 words

This page relates ‘Tax in the Shishupalavadha’ of the study on the Shishupala-vadha (in English) in the light of Manusamhita (law and religious duties) and Arthashastra (science of politics and warfare). The Shishupalavadha is an epic poem (Mahakavya) written by Magha in the 7th century AD. It consists of 1800 Sanskrit verses spread over twenty chapters and narrates the details of the king of the Chedis.

Tax in the Śiśupālavadha

King should collect tax from his subjects for the improvement of his kingdom and to save himself from enemy So, it is very important matter to a vijigīṣu king. The vijigīṣu kings compel other kings to pay tax. This is the speciality of them.

Taxpayer kings are karadā ṣasṭḥabhāgapradā. Taking the example of Yudhiṣhira from the Mahābhārata. Māgha elaborated this concept.

Poet Māgha had very much clear conception of tax. We come to know his knowledge about tax from the word karadīkṛta. It seems that he gathered sufficient knowledge of tax policy through his study of ancient scripture,

The verse is—

“karadīkṛtabhūpālo bhrātṛbhirjitvarairdiśām |
vināpyasmadalambhūṣṇurijyāyai tapasaḥ sutaḥ ||” 2.9 ||[1]

Means,

“The son of Dharma (i.e. Yudhiṣṭhira) with all the kings made tributary to him by his brithers who are the conquerors of the quarters, will be able to perform the sacrifice even without us.”[2]

The vijigīṣu kings compell other kings to pay tax. This is the speciality of them.

Yudhiṣṭhira’s mighty brothers’ are indomitable champions who have extended their conquests over the entire arena of this wide-wide universe. There by they have brought all the rulers, great and small under Yudhiṣṭhiras complete control. With much powerful brothers and assisted by the whole host of earthly kings, the strong pious monarch is competent enough to bring the sacrifice to a successful termination, inspite of our abstention from participation in the ceremony.

So, collecting tax from the other kings the vijigīṣu king should turn the king of all kings. Poet Māgha is well versed about it.

In the eightyninth verse of the second conto we get the word kara or tax in the context of Government power based on ardour power.

karapraceyāmuttuṅgaḥ prabhuśaktiṃ prathīyasīm |
prajñāvalavṛhammūlaḥ phalatyutsāhapādapaḥ || 2.89 ||[3]

The tall tree of energy, with the strength of counsel for a stout root, bears the mighty fruit of forces and funds that can be reached with the collecting taxes.

It has been discussed before that ardour is the main pillar of the Government power. Here it is repeated again. Ardour power is like a tree. This power enriched with the collecting taxes. The root of that tree is counsel power. Ardor power is augmented by counsel. That tree is very high. Government power comes from the ardor power like tree. A tree is bent down easily for the heaviness of its fruits. So, a person can take the fruits from this tree easily without climbing on it. So, at first counsel, after that preparation for action should take place. Otherwise it is in futile. All these are possible with the collecting taxes.

To control the kings administration tax is an important thing. In the Śiśupālabadha tax came in the context of the vijigīṣu king. By the tex collection economy of a country becomes strong. Here the poet established his conception of tax basing the Manusaṃhitā and the Arthaśāstra. The word kara is used by him. Manu also used this word. Kauṭilya used the word śulka in this sense.

The Śiśupalabadha of poet Māgha is also well known like Bhāravi’s Kirātarjunīya. Śiśupālabadha is an epic, not a political scripture. It is not expected from an epic the detailed description of politics. Māgha had also no such intension. We come to know that Māgha had vast political knowledge basing on which he composed the epic Śiśupālabadha. He gathered this political knowledge from the political scriptures.

In the present discussion it is similarly applicable about tax. The poet mentioned relevantly the importance and utility of tax. Māgha mainly wanted to compose his epic basing on political facts and stories which is related with Śrīkṛṣṇa of the Mahābhārata.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Haridas Siddhantavagisha, (Ed.): Śiśupālavadha, p. 50.

[2]:

Sitanath Kavyaratna & Madhab Dass Sankhyatirtha: Op.cit., p. 27.

[3]:

Haridas Siddhantavagisha: Op. cit., p.89.

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