The Gupta PolityThis book on Gupta Polity is a companion volume to the author`s earlier work The Mauryan Polity. The sources of information for a study of the subject are not as many as in the case of the later book. The author firmly believes that Kalidasa was not a protege of the Gupta Court but lived in second century b.c. and so his prolific works cannot be taken to throw any light on the Gupta empire. One has therefore to depend mainly on the Kamandakiya Nitisastra, the inscriptions and coins of the Gupta rulers and the accounts of the Chinese traveller Fa-hien for a knowledge of the Gupta Polity. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
according Allahabad Pillar Inscription ancient army Asvaghosa Asvamedha belonged bhukti Brahmana Bṛhaspati Buddhist Candragupta II Vikramaditya century A.D. chief conquering conquest Corpus Council court cult Dharma digvijaya district duty early Gupta enemy evidence Fa-hien fact Fleet governor grant Gupta dynasty Gupta emperors Gupta empire Gupta inscriptions Gupta kings Gupta monarchs Gupta period GUPTA POLITY Hindu History of India Ibid Imperial Guptas important Jayaswal Kālidāsa Kalyāṇavarman Kamandaka Kamandakiya Kauṭalya kingdom Kumāra Kumāragupta Kumārāmātya land legend Licchavis Line Magadha Mahārāja Mahārājādhirāja mandala Mathura Mauryan means mentioned military minister Nāgas Narada Nitisāra officer perhaps poet political prince provinces Purāņas Raghuvamsa rāja Rāmagupta reference reign religion religious royal rule ruler Sabha sacrifice Saka Samudra Samudragupta seals shows Sikhara Siva Skandagupta stone inscription Sunga temple term throne tion type of coins Ujjain Uparika Vākāṭaka Vedic verse Vikramaditya village visaya Visņu Yasodharman
Popular passages
Page 381 - Brahmana's endowment of (the temple of) the Sun (is) the perpetual property of the guild of oilmen, of which Jivanta is the head, residing at the town of Indrapura, as long as it continues in complete unity, (even) in moving away from this settlement."2 Several interesting points are to be noted in this short reference to a guild.
Page 393 - ... earth, and has gone to the other world, moving in (bodily) form to the land (of paradise) won by (the merit of his) actions, (but) remaining on (this) earth by (the memory of his) fame; — (L.
Page 394 - ... by him, the king, — who attained sole supreme sovereignty in the world, acquired by his own arm, and (enjoyed) for a very long time ; (and) who, having the name of Chandra, carried a beauty of countenance like (the beauty of...
Page 393 - He on whose arm fame was inscribed by the sword, when in battle in the Vanga countries he kneaded (and turned) back with (his) breast the enemies who, uniting together, came against (him) ; he, by whom, having crossed in warfare the seven mouths of the (river) Sindhu, the "Vahlikas were conquered...
Page 188 - The king in his administration uses no corporal punishments; criminals are merely fined according to the gravity of their offences. Even for a second attempt at rebellion the punishment is only the loss of the right hand. The men of the king's bodyguard have all fixed salaries. Throughout the country no one kills any living thing, nor drinks wine, nor eats onions or garlic; but chandalas are segregated. Chandala is their name for foul men [lepers].
Page 366 - The victory has been achieved,' betook himself to (his) mother, whose eyes were full of tears from joy, just as Krishna, when he had slain (his) enemies, betook himself to (his mother) Devaki...
Page 342 - King of poets' by various poetical compositions that were fit to be the means of subsistence of learned people...
Page 347 - J. (Line 1.) — (Who was the exterminator of all kings; who had no antagonist (of equal power) in the world; (whose fame was) tasted (by the waters of the four oceans) ; who was equal to (the gods) (Dhanada...
Page 356 - ... the son of the son's son of the great king the illustrious Ghatotkaca, and son of the high king of kings, the glorious Candragupta'. Then we come to Skandagupta, and the text passes into verse : Skandagupta who possesses great glory . . . whose fame is spread far and wide, who is amply...
Page 361 - ... the son of the son's son of the Mahdrdja, the illustrious Gupta; who was the son's son of the Maharaja, the illustrious Ghatotkacha...