Ratnins
or King's Councillors
The
exaltation of the monarch from mortal to divine was arguably the result
of needing to explain the power accorded to one individual. Only in
the later Samhitas is the office of King imbued with divinity
: the ruler as the earthly representative of Lord Prajapati,
the god Savitr the chief witness at the coronation (the coronation
believed to be at his request), and Lord Indra's power manifesting
in the King! Early Vedic writings do not exalt the King thus. On one
occasion, King Purukutsa is referred to as ardha-deva (demi-god)
because according to popular legend, he was gifted to his widowed
mother by the Lords Indra and Varuna. In another instance,
the Atharva-Veda speaks of King Parikshit as a divinity
on earth, but this can be seen in the light of subjectivity. These
are rare instances - Kings are described and praised, but not deified.
RATNINS OR KING'S COUNCILLORS
A council of able councillors assisted in the administrative and
military duties of the King. Later Vedic
texts refer to these individuals as ratnins and their council
is the predecessor to the council of ministers of a later date. Comprising
this selective circle were the senani (commander-in-chief),
purohit (priest), sangrahitr (treasurer), suta
(charioteer), bhagadhuk (tax-collector), gramani (village
head), ksattr (chamberlain), aksavapa (game companion),
and amazingly, the mahisi (the crowned queen).
A small kingdom required no provincial or district government; the
village head (gramani) and his Sabha (village assembly)
were well-equipped to administer to all defence and legal needs at
the village level. There was no concerted effort at writing, thereby
precluding the existence of a Secretariat.
