Jaina Political Thought

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 99

war and diplomacy, constitute the principal aspects of political activity.
A person possessing thirty-six qualities alone may be regarded as a king in reality. Some of these refer to physical features. The king must not be physically crippled or handicapped. He should have all the signs appropriate to the king and his physical aspect should be well-formed. The significance of these remarksis two-fold. It was an ancient rule that a person was not regarded to be fit for succession if he suffered from a severe physical handicap, such as blindness. Similarly it was an ancient belief that the universal emperors possessed certain distinctive physical marks. It was also a popular belief that in some ways ones destiny is writ large in one's physiognomy. In any case, even from a rational point of view, the possession of all faculties and the possession of an impressive personality are an initial boost to one who would exercise sovereignty.
Though physically well-endowed, the king should be free from vanity. His personality should be forceful, winning the admiration of all. At the same time he should be compassionate by nature. He should be well educated in different arts as well as the science of peace and war. With all these endowments of body and mind and the benefits of education and training, he should also belong to a pure royal family. He should listen to the elders, love the people, and delight in instructing them. He should possess the three powers of authority, counsel, and morale. He should pursue the three human values without excess in any direc treasury should be full. He should himself be honest, well-informed through his spies, taking farsighted counsel, industrious and indefatigable, just in his punishments and favours, acquiring sovereignty through proper means, magnanimous, victorious, devoted to justice and well-versed in its principles, eradicating the reasons leading to the perversion of the constituents of the state, energetic, and irrepressible, severe, catholic, ingeneous, quickly appeared by submission and of a noble nature.
Some of these qualities are personal and native, some depend an application and some relate to the manner in which the state is run. It is obviously an ideal description but it shows popular expectations.The mere fact that one belonged to the royal family and obtained kingship through hereditary title, did not ensure any security in holding that position, nor did it ensure popular esteem or support. There is no trace here of any theory of divine right. The people are not advised to acquiesce in merely legitimacy. Wars of succession were indeed common and Hemacandra's own patron, Kumarapala had to fight for the throne. Indeed, Jaya Simha Siddha Rajawas not convinced of the title of Kumara Pala Thus although, the sovereign is conceived as a monarch and monarchy was
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