Ministers (Amātya)

Vijigīṣu king should appoint some ministers to run his kingdom easily.

In this context Manu said about the quality and number of ministers.

“maulān śāstravidaḥ śūrān labdhalakṣyān kulodgatān |
sacivān sapta cāṭau vā prakurvīta parīkṣitān ||”7.54 ||^[1]

“Let him appoint seven or eight ministers whose ancestors have been royal servants, who are versed in the science heroes skilled in the use of weapons and descended from (noble) families and who have been tried”.^[2]

“anyānapi prakurvīta śucīn prajñānavasthitān |
samyagarthasamāhartṛ_namātyan suparīkṣitān ||”7.60 ||^[3]

“He must also appoint other ministers (men) of integrily (who are) wise firm, well able to collect money, and are well tried”.^[4]

It has been said before that the number of ministers should be seven or eight; but the number may be increased.

Kullūka points out that these additional minister are executive ministers, they are to be appointed for the purpose of doing additional work.—

anyānapi arthadānādinā śucīn prajñāśalinaḥ samyag dhanārjanaśīlān dharmādinā parīkṣitān karmasacivān kuryāt |

Manu in verse no 62 mentions some of the works to be done by these additional ministers”.^[5]

“nivartetāsya yāvadbhiritikartavyatā nṛbhiḥ |
tāvato'tandratān dakṣān prakurvīta vicakṣaṇān ||” 7.61 ||^[6]

“As many persons as the due performance of his business requires, So many skilful and clever (men) free from sloth, let him appoint”.^[7]

“teṣāmarthe niyuñjīta śūrān dakṣān kulodgatān |
śūcīnākarakarmānte bhīrunantarniveśane ||” 7.62 ||^[8]

“Among them let him employ the brave the skilful, the high born, and the honest in (office for the collection of) revenue, e.g, in mines, manufactures and store houses, but the timid in the interior of his palace”.^[9]

Kauṭilya has given a detailed list of the qualities in a minister—

“jānapado'bhijātaḥ svavagrahaḥ kṛtaśilpaścakṣuṣmān prājño dhārayiṣṇurdakṣo vāgmī pragalbhaḥ pratipattimānutsāhaprabhāvayukkaḥ kaleśasahaḥ śucirmaitro dṛḍhabhaktiḥ śīlabalārogya sattvayukkaḥ stambhacāpalyavarjitaḥ saṃpriyo vairāṇāmakartetyamātyasampat | ataḥ pādārdhaguṇahīnau madhyamāvarau |”(1.9 1-2).^[10]

“A native of the country of noble birth easy to hold in cheek, trained in the arts, possessed of the eye (of science) intelligent, persevering, dexterous, eloquent, bold, possessed of a ready wit, endowed with energy and power able to bear troubles, upright, friendly, firmly devoted, endowed with character, strength health and spirit, devoid of stiffness and fickleness, amiable (and) not given to creating animosities, these are the excellences of a minister. One lacking in a quarter and a half of these qualities in the middling and the lowest (type, respectively)”.^[11]

“teṣāṃ janapadamavagrahaṃ cāptataḥ parīkṣeta, samānavidyebhyaḥ śilpaṃ śāstracakṣuṣmattāṃ ca, karmārambheṣu prajñāṃ dhārāyiṣṇutāṃ dākṣyaṃ ca, kathāyogeṣu vāgmitvaṃ prāgalbhyaṃ pratibhā navattvaṃ ca, āpadi utasāhaprabhāvau kleśasahatvaṃ ca, saṃvyavahārācchaucaṃ maitratāṃ dṛḍhabhaktitvaṃ ca, saṃvāsibhyaḥ śīlavalārogyasattvayogam astambham acāpalyaṃ ca pratyakṣataḥ saṃpriyatvamavairatvaṃ ca |”(1.9.3).^[12]

“Of these (qualities), he should make inquiries about nationality, nobility of birth and tractability from (his) kinsmen, test his (training in) arts and possession of the eye of dcience through those learned in the same science learn about his intelligence, perseverance and dexterity from his handling of undertakings, test his eloquence, boldness and presence of mind on occasions of conversation, his energy and power as well as ability to bear troubles during a calamity, his uprightness, friendliness and firmness of devotion from his dealings with others, learn about his character strength, halth and spirit as well as about freedom from stiffness and fickleness from those living with him, (and) about his amiability and absence of a disposition to animosity by personal observation”.^[13]

“pratyakṣaparokṣanumeyā hi rājavṛttiḥ svayaṃ ddaṣṭaṃ pratyakṣam, paropadiṣṭaṃ parokṣam, karmasu, kṛtenākṛtāvekṣaṇam anumeyam | yaugapadyāttu karmaṇāmanekatvādanekasthatvācca deśakālātyayo mā bhūditi parokṣamamātyaiḥ kārayet | ityamamātyakarma | |”(1.9.4-8).^[14]

“For the affairs of a king are (of three kinds viz.,) directly perceived, unperceived and inferred. what is seen by (the king) himself is derectly perceived. What is communicated by others is unperceived (by him). Forming an idea of what has not been done from that is done in respect of undertakings is inferred. But, because of the simultaneity of undertakings their manifoldness and their having to be carried out in many different places, he should cause them to be carried out by ministers, unperceived (by him), So that there may be no loss of place and time. So far the work of (Appointing) Ministers”.^[15]

According to Kauṭilya ministers are of three kinds, best middling and inferior, of which the first must be endowed with all the qualities mentioned above and the other two are deficient by one quarter and a half respectively.

Perhaps the Brāhmiṇ ministers mentioned by Manu are the best (uttama) according to Kauṭilya. The additional ministers are Kauṭilya’s middling and timid ministers are inferior.

According to Manu the number of ministers are seven ore eight, He did not mention the number of additional ministers. He mentioned, as many persons as the due performance of his business requires, so many skilful and clever (men) free from sloth, let him appoint.

Yet there is contradiction about the number of ministers among the masters of Kauṭilya in the Arthaśāstra.—

“tathā sāmartham iti kauṭilyaḥ”

But according to Kauṭilya according to capacity vijigīṣu king should appoint ministers in a council.

King should test the purity of the ministers through dharmopadhā, bhayopadhā, arthopadhā and kamopadhā.

“mantripurohitasakhaḥ sāmanyeṣvadhikaraṇeṣu sthapayitvā'mātyanupadhibhiḥ śaucayet | ”(1.10.1)^[16]

“After appointing ministers to ordinary offices in consultation with the councillors and the chaplain, he should test their integrity by means of secret tests.”^[17]

“trivargabhayasaṃśuddhānamātyan sveṣu karmasu |
adhikuryād yathāśaucamityacāryā vyavasthitāḥ ||
na tveva kuryādātmānaṃ devīṃ vā lakṣyamīkharaḥ |
śauca hetoramātyanāmetat kauṭilyadarśanam ||”1.10.16-17 ||^[18]

“He should appoint ministers, who have been cleared by the (tests of the) group of three (goals of life) and fear; to duties appropriate to them in accordance with their integrity thus have the (ancient) teachers laid down”.

However, under no circumstances must the king make himself or the queen the target for the sake of ascertaining the probity of ministers; this is the opinion of Kauṭilya.”^[19]

“tasmādvādyamadhiṣṭānaṃ kṛtvā cārye caturvidhe |
śaucāśaucamamātyanāṃ rājā mārgeta satribhiḥ |” 1.10.20 ||^[20]

It means,

“Therefore, the king should make an outsider the object of reference in the fourfold work (of testing) and (thus) investigate through secret agents the integrity or otherwise of ministers”.^[21]

Manu did not Mention about the test of a ministers through upadha but in the commentary of fifty fourth verse of the seventhe chap. of the Manusaṃhitā commentator Medhātithi mentioned about these upadhās by which ministers are tested.

Poet Māgha is well versed about this political side. Following verse proves this.

“guṇānāmāyathātathyādarthaṃ viṇlāvayanti ye |
amātyavyañjanā rājñāṃ dūṣyāste śatrusaṃjñitāḥ ||”2.56 ||^[22]

Means,

“Those who spoil the cause on account of the unfit application of the policies are merely in the garb of ministers and designated as enemy and should be ensured by the king”.^[23]

Unskilled minister is actually enemy in the guise of a minister. He does not apply the measure which is applicable among the six fold measures. Such unskilled and ignorant persons are not the friend of the vijigīṣu king, but they stay with the king like his ministers. The vijigīṣu king should not follow his suggestion.

So, Mallinātha says—

‘ataḥ stokaṃ na pratiroddhavyam iti bhāvaḥ’ |

Pleasant words cause anger of the angry person. So, application of repression is appropriate for hostile Śiśupāla. With the apprehension that the ministers like Uddhava may oppose this comment Balarāma chanted this verse. Such persons deserve contempt. Those persons in the guise of ministers are really enemies. They should be given up by the king, as they are upsetters of the king’s job. They are enemy of the king in guise of friend. They are upsetters of the king’s job without applying the six fold policy like alliance and war. Where alliance in needed they apply there war or march towards enemy. So, sure success comes to failure. Balarāma says the king should not pay heed to the words of such persons. The king should pay heed to his words. He must not oppose him.

So Vāmana says—

‘vastutastu śatruriti saṃñjā eṣāṃ sañjātā śatrusaṃjñitā śattavaḥ eva te kūṭamanttiṇāṃ rājñāṃ dūṣayitumarhā dūṣyā garhyāḥ tyajyāḥ iti yāvat | ataḥ stokaṃ na pratiroddhavyam iti bhāvaḥ ||’

So vijigīṣu king should avoid those ministers who are harmful to the king and his administration.

In this verse poet Māgha used the word amātya which is used by both Manu and Kauṭilya bearing the same meaning.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Manabendu Bandyopadhaya: Op.cit., p. 655.

[2]:

Ashokanath Shastri: Op.cit., p. 67.

[3]:

Manabendu Bandyopadhaya: Op.cit., p. 659.

[4]:

Ashokanath Shastri: Op.cit., p.74.

[5]:

loc.cit.

[6]:

Manabendu Bandyopadhaya: Op.cit., p. 659.

[7]:

Ashokanath Shastri: Op.cit., p.75.

[8]:

Manabendu Bandyopadhaya: Op.cit., p. 659.

[9]:

Ashokanath Shastri: Op.cit., p.76.

[10]:

R.P. Kangle: Op.cit., part-I, p.10.

[11]:

ibid., part-II, p.17.

[12]:

ibid., part-I, p. 10.

[13]:

ibid., part-II, p.17.

[14]:

ibid., part-I, p.11.

[15]:

ibid., part-II, pp.17-18.

[16]:

ibid., part-I, p.11.

[17]:

ibid., part-II, p.18.

[18]:

ibid., part-I, p. 12.

[19]:

ibid., part-II, p. 20.

[20]:

ibid., part-I, p. 12.

[21]:

ibid., part-II, p. 21.

[22]:

Haridas Siddhantavagisha: Op.cit., p. 73.

[23]:

Sitanath Kavyaratna & Madhab Dass Sankhyatirtha: Op.cit., p. 159.