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ADMINISTRATION AND STATECRAFT
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The duty of a buddhisaciva, according to Dr. Pratipāla Bhatia, was to give advice to the king. From this she says it may be inferred that the Paramāra kings adopted the old methods of appointing two categories of ministers viz. the buddhisaciva or Matisaciva or dhīsaciva i.e. ministers whose duty it was to give counsel to the king on state matters and the Karma saciva i.e. minister whose duty it was to assist the king in execution of the state policy.? The same Buddhisaciva of Vikramabāhu Sākyabuddhih by name has been styled 'Mahāmantrin' also styled as 'Pradhānamantri', Pradhānasaciva' in case of Meghavāhana and Candraketu respectively. He easily coincides with the Mahāpradhāna (Chief Minister)3 of the Paramāra inscriptions, who was the highest officer of the state who held charge of the royal seal and exercised general supervision over all the departments, especially the revenue. Generally he was the most trusted and influential member of the ministry. In the expression "सकलदर्शनार्थपरिभावनालव्धप्रकर्षाः महर्षयः श्रोत्रियाः प्रधानमन्त्रिणोऽमात्यवृद्धाः मूर्धाभिषिक्तनृपतयो महासामन्ताः ज्ञातयः सुहृदः समग्रनगरलोकाग्रेसराश्च पौरा: 16
evidently discerns a distinction between a ‘mantrin' and an amātya, a Pradhānamantrin and a mantrin.
Amātya according to Sukra was to take out the statistics of towns, villages, forests, cultivated land, the amount of revenue obtained therefrom. He was also to find out the parts of the land that remained uncultivated. He was also to calculate the customs and duties levied on the produce of the soil and resultant revenue obtained therefrom. He was also to find out the amount of fine obtained by way of punishment in civil and criminal cases,
etc.?
A Mantrī was to manage the promulgation of the Şādgunya i.e. Sandhi, Vigraha, Yāna, Asana, Dvaidhībhāva and Samsraya or Samāśrays or to promulgate the dicta of sāma, dāma, bheda and danda. This entitles a
1. The Paramāras p. 209. 2. Ibid. pp 209-210. 3. Styled as Mahāmātya Rudrāditya of Vākpatirāja Muñja in Prabandhacintāmanl of
Merutungācārya, p. 22 4. Ibid. pp 210. 5. Ibid. pp 210. 6. TM Vol. I p. 157 7. Śukranītih --II 104-107. P. 72. 8. 474 GT a 2a Cus: 731 72741
कर्त्तव्यः किं फलं तेभ्यो बहुमध्यम् तथाऽल्पकम् एवत्संचिन्त्य निश्चित्य मन्त्री सर्वे निवेदयेत्।।
