Question

Write a short note on the position of King in Vedic Polity and Society.​

Answer 1

Instruction:

• Write briefly about the position of the king in Vedic polity and society.
• State the responsibilities of the kings
• Describe how his position changed over the years.

Solution:

• The king was known as Rajan. He was the head of Jana (tribe). And he was also known as Janasyagopa (guardian of the people). There were several tribal assemblies namely Vidhata, Sabha, Samiti and Gana, which assisted the King. The oldest among the assemblies was the Vidhata.
• The most important responsibility of the king was to protect the tribe. He also appointed the chief priest or the purohit to assist him. He was also assisted by the Senani, who was the army chief in matters involving politics, economics and the military.
• After the Aryans moved towards the Ganges-Yamuna Doab, several early settlements were replaced by territorial kingdoms. Now the king became more powerful and a system of hereditary kingship began. Janas started to form Janapadas or Rashtra. The importance of Samithi and Sabha was reduced, and Vidhata the oldest of the associations completely disappeared. Bali, which was originally a voluntary donation became a tax, which had to be paid to the king regularly.