ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL INDIAN POLITICAL

THOUGHT

Priyanshu Badal
BA(HONS) POLITICAL SCIENCE

 What are sources of Indian Political thought? Write some cultural and
territorial conception of Indian thought that mostly acts the distinctive features
of it.

INTRODUCTION: Indian Political thought basically refers to the highly rich and
diversified intellectual tradition that has evolved in India over many centuries. It
cannot be wrong to say that it consists of various ideas and philosophies from the
Ancient Hindu concept of Dharma to the Modern-day principles of DEMOCRACY and
SECULARISM.
If we talk about the portions of the great epic MAHABHARATA were influenced by
Sankhya doctrine-perhaps the most important philosophical influence on the
development of early Hinduism-before the epic was revised to conform with Vedanta
teaching, a system more congenial to the priestly group. The most authoritative
statement of the orthodox tradition exists in the venerable RIG VEDA, which
provides the earliest historical record of the Indo-Aryan peoples who invaded
northwest India in the middle centuries of the second millennium BC.

SOURCES OF INDIAN POLITICAL THOUGHT:

Due to the paucity of authenticated literature or a particular book on the politics in the
ancient period, the only available sources are the monuments, religious works, epics
and political system that were practiced during those times.
The following is a brief descriptions of some of the important sources of political
thought in the ancient period:

 THE VEDAS: The Vedas are considered as the authentic works of the original
source of information though there was no direct mentioning about the
political system that existed ,yet information can be drawn from the concepts
like king, kinship, saints or Rishis, etc., and their roles towards the subjects. It
is worth mentioning that the current usage of the terms in institutions like
Sabha and Samiti that are prevalent even in the Vedic period. Although the
Vedas are seldom read or understood today, even by the devout, they no doubt
bedrock of the universal religion or “Sanatan Dharma” that all Hindus follow
as well. The Vedas have guided our religious direction for ages and will
continue to do so for generations to come. And they will forever remain the
most comprehensive and universal of all ancient scriptures.

 THE UPANISHADS: The Upanishads form the core of Indian philosophy.

They are an amazing collection of writings from original oral transmissions,
 which have been aptly described by Shri Aurobindo as “the supreme work of
the Indian mind”. It is here that we find all the fundamental teachings that
are central to Hinduism – the concept of Karma(action),
samsara(reincarnation), moksha(nirvana), the atman(soul) and the Brahman
(absolute almighty), They also set forth the prime Vedic doctrines of self-
realization, yoga and meditation. The Upanishads are summits of thought on
mankind and the universe, designed to push human ideas to their very limit
and beyond. They give us both spiritual vision and philosophical argument
and it is by a strictly personal effort that one can reach the truth.

 SUTRA: Sutra literally means a thread or line that holds things together and
more metamorphically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula) or a
collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual. It is derived from the verbal
root meaning to sew as does the medical term “suture”. In Hinduism sutra
denotes a distinct type of literary composition, based on short aphoristic
statements generally using various technical terms. This literary form was
designed for concision, as the texts were intended to be memorized by
students in some of the formal methods of scriptural and scientific study.
Since each line is highly condensed, another literacy form arose in which
commentaries on the sutras were added, to clarify and explain them.
In Brahmin lineage, each family is supposed to have one Gotra, and
one sutra, meaning that a certain Veda is treasured by this family in a way of
leaning by heart.

 EPICS: India is the land of famous mythologies and folklores. Some of the
greatest work of ancient classical literature are found here. The two famous
works that are synonymous to epic literature of India are RAMAYANA and
MAHABHARATA. These two classical epics of India are written in ancient
Sanskrit and present the most common ideals of human civilization that seem
to have gone down the drain in the modern times.
The value of truth, the importance of self-sacrifice, etc. that make an
able individual are explained in much detail over here. The Indian epics are
full of moral teachings and sacred discourses that are relevant in today’s life
also. Sage Valmiki wrote the Ramayana centuries ago. It tells the story of Lord
Rama, who was sent to an exile of 14 years along with his brother and wife.
He fights a battle with the demon king Ravana of Lanka who had abducted his
wife Sita.
The epic is full of morals and thought provoking lines that make you
realize the importance of being truthful always and never deter from the
path of good. The devotion of each and of every character in this epics is
commendable and we all have something to learn from this. Our section on
Ramayana shall provide you with more information about this epic. The
Mahabharata is another famous Indian epic that is treasure in the Indian
epics literature. Written by the famous sage, Ved Vyasa, this epics talks about
the importance of following one’s assigned duties in life. It talks of deceit, lies
and other vices and yet tells how the good always emerges triumphant over
the evil. The Mahabharata is a brilliant portrayal of ancient politics and shows
 the extent to which people can let go off their principles to gain some selfish
desires.
 PURANAS: The holy Puranas are vast treasure of literacy and spiritual
knowledge that throw light on past, present and future. It is said that the
Puranas are richest collection of mythological information in this world. In
totality, the 18 Puranas contain information about ancient myths and folklores
that pertain to some form of spiritual knowledge.
Each of these Puranas is a book of hymns, stories, knowledge and instructions
regarding sacred rituals and the way life should be led. It contains cosmic
knowledge and how the universe affects our living. Traditionally, there are
supposed to be 19 major Puranas.

They are listed below:

 AGNI
 BHAGAVATA
 BHAVISHYA
 BRAHMA
 BRAHMANDA
 BRAHMAVAIVRATA
 GARUDA
 HARIVAMSA
 KURMA
 LINGA
 MARKANDYA
 MATSYA
 NARADA
 PADMA
 SHIVA
 SKANDA
 VAMANA
 VAYU
 VISHNU

 CLASSICAL SANSKRIT LITERATURE: Sanskrit literature came into

being with the making of Vedas and left a rich legacy of literacy knowledge
for the times to come. However, the language of the Vedas differs from the
language used in poetry and drama. Classical Sanskrit literature is found to be
in vogue when it comes to writing poetry and dance dramas.
This form of classic literature in Sanskrit is a huge contribution in the
Field of literary knowledge. Sanskrit poetry is different from Vedic poetry.

 THE ARTHASHASHTRA: Kautilya’s Arthashashtra is a masterpiece on

polity. According to Prof. Alterkar, it is mainly concerned with the practical
problems of governance and describes its machinery and functions both in
times of war and peace. It also highlights issues like taxation, diplomacy,
war strategies and revolution. It is a handbook of administration for the
kings or rulers.
  WORKS OF THINKERS: The other major sources of the political thought
of ancient India are the Smrithis, Kamandakeya Neethisaara,
Sukraneetisaara and the like. Smrithis advocated that a king was the servant
of the subjects and that it was not wrong to kill a tyrant. A king was expected
to be virtuous, gracious and helpful. Similarly, Kamandakeya Neethisaara was
also a source of ancient Indian political thought. It was, in fact, a summary of
Kautilya’s Arthashashtra.

 POLITICAL THINKERS:

 RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY: Known as the ‘Father of Modern India’ and
‘Father of Indian Renaissance’, Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a significant
social reformer and the originator of Brahmo Samaj. His presence brought
ample reforms and he attempted to create a link between traditions and
modernity. His premier aim was to create a modern society with sympathy,
tolerance, and reason to establish equality, liberty and fraternity for all. He
fought for the abolishment of Sati in 1829 an act for the same was passed
by Lord William Bentick, uprooting this ugly practice. As religious
reforms, he supported monotheism and criticized Hindu idol-worshipping.
He spoke the principle of ‘UNITY OF GODS’. Roy advocated for several
women’s rights, criticized the caste system and brought numerous
educational reforms along with the introduction of western education.

 M.N.ROY: Manabendra Nath Roy is known as ‘father of Indian

Communism’. He firmly advocated the idea of communism against the
exploitation of peasants and workers and believed that communism is not
the end in itself but a means towards Liberalism. But after re-examining
various notions of Marxism, he put forth ‘New Humanism’ as his new
ideology. Here, he supported the idea of Democracy as a source
sovereignty and individual freedom. Challenging the power of State, he
proposed many sociological, scientific and philosophical grounds of
Humanism. During this period, he had disagreements with Marxism and
gave the concept of materialism as the most accomplished theory
explaining human nature.

 BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR: He had gained of the different

constitutions was crucial in the framing of the Indian Constitution. He was
the chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly. He
had faith in the principles of democracy. He believed in achieving the goal
of social justice before any other issue. To prevent atrocities on the lower
caste, social emancipation must precede political emancipation. The idea
that economic progress leads to social justice is flawed as Casteism is an
expression of oppression.

 AUROBINDO GHOSH: As a critique of Bentham’s Utilitarianism and

modern capitalism, Aurobindo Ghosh spoke for the rights of minorities
and vulnerable communities. He was not a supporter of Socialism but he
advocated some of its principles like promoting equal opportunity and
 guaranteeing minimal social and economic status to all. These things prove
a deep influence of Western thoughts on him.

 COMPARATIVE STUDY:
Ancient Indian writers concentrated more on spirituality and Vedanta than on
mere politics and administration. They made no distinction between religion
and politics. They were concerned with the totality of life and considered
politics as a part of whole life. They ere more concerned about mundane
worldly matters.
Aurobindo states that the Indian political thought consists of the spiritual
outlook, stupendous vitality and strong intellectuality by elaborating all life
into a science and an art. The ancient Indian political thought is known as
Rajya Sastra (science of state), Dandaneeti ( science of force), Raja dharma
(Ethics of state), Kshatriya Vidya ( Science of Rulership), Nripa Sastra
(Science of Kings), etc. The following are the main features of ancient Indian
political thought:

 WHOLE LIFE: While ancient Greeks were concerned with the

relation between city-state and man, ancient Indians were concerned
with the relation between the man and universe. Indian thought is not
concerned with particular aspect of life, but with its totality. So
politics became a part of life and religion.
 PRE-EMINENTLY ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL: In ancient
India, politics was not Independent of religion and ethics. Religion
and politics went together. The priests and the kings worked
coherently and thus the state was not theoratic. Religion and politics
worked together and were never at cross purpose. There was a lot of
intermingling of theology and polity.
 INTIMATE RELATION TO SOCIAL ORGANISATION:
Politics has intimate relation to social organization. It regards the
state as all embracing. Indian thought was concerned with synthesis
than with analysis.
 EMPHASIS ON PRACTICE: The ancient Indian political thought
was more an art of government rather than a theory of the State. The
ancient Indian thought was confined to the practical problems faced
by the monarch whereas the Western political thought was concerned
with the theory of the State.
 SECRET DIPLOMACY: Indian political thought advocated power
politics, cunning and secret diplomacy. In matters of territorial
expansion, ends were more important than means. There was no place
for ethics in such political matters.

MEDIEVAL POLITICAL THOUGHT:

There is an important feature to be noted with reference to the main
Streams of the medieval Indian political thought. It is true that the
Creativism of the middle ages in India was mainly in the scholastic
and theological domains. Scholars like Anandagiri, Govindananda and
Appaya Dikshita were not original philosophical thinkers. Vachaspati,
Sriharsha, Nagesha Bhatta and Bhattoji Dikshita did, however, produce some original works.
But it appears mysterious that to the realm of social and political thought there was no major
important contribution.

During the medieval period, people of different racial structure and cultural background came
into dynamic conflict. The rulers of the slave, the Khilzi, the Tughlaq and the Saiyyad
dynasties were Turks. The Lodis and Shershah were Afghans. Babar had inherited Turkish
blood from his father’s side and Mongol blood from his mother’s. After Akbar, most of the
rulers had also Hindu blood in them. Along with the adventures there came also a large
number of other people belonging to the same racial stock and similar cultural background.
Hence problems of racial and social accommodation became very acute and some liberal
intellectuals and mystics pleaded for extended tolerance and fraternity in view of the
acceptance of an all pervasive divine immanence.

Some important works of the Hindu religion and philosophy like the Atharva Veda and the
Ramayana were translated into Persian but the translations are unavailable. Only the
translation of the Upanishads made in the time of Dara Shikoh, which was again later on
translated from the Persian into Latin had influence on modern thought. But it appears that no
attempt was made to evolve a political philosophy based on the perennial tradition of natural
law or eternal law, in this period. In the context of the sovereignty of God, it could have been
possible to evolve a political philosophy which enunciated the superiority of eternal and
natural laws to the existing structure of authority of the political or legal superior.

 CONCLUSION
Most of the above mentioned sources being religious in nature, it is very difficult to
isolate the facts of politics from it. Dharmasutras give an idealized picture of society
and politics which hardly reflect the reality. Most of the scholars who have Indian
political thought have taken the authority of these sources for granted although its
time, place and authenticity are riddled with uncertainties.

Yet another difficulty is that most of the works on Indian political traditions were
written during the nationalist movement with a purpose to counter has imperialist
ideology of the Western scholars. The imperialist ideology was developed by some
Western scholars who made an attempt to study the ancient Indian history. Their
understanding of Indian history was based to assumptions. They are:

The main intellectual preoccupation of ancient Indians was philosophy and it lacked
in political or material speculations. The Indians never knew the feeling of nationality.

 REFERENCE:
Mohapatra, Suman.: Ancient and Medieval Indian Political Thought. Pp.18-26

INDIAN POLITICAL THOUGHT school of politics and public administration,

TAMIL NADU OPEN UNIVERSITY. Unit 1 and 4.