Essay name: Samrajya Lakshmi Pithika (Study)
Author:
Artatrana Sarangi
Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University / Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages
This is a study in English of the Samrajya Lakshmi Pithika (written by Lolla Lakshmidhara) representing an encyclopedic manual for emperors. The Samrajyalaksmipithika encompasses about 3870 verses in addressing topics such as public festivals, governance, warfare (military strategy), and rituals associated with the Tantric worship for the deity Samrajya-Lakshmi.
Chapter 1 - Introduction
17 (of 56)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
16
Without contending either of these we may point out
here that if these are accepted as the sole import of the
title of SLP, we face difficulty in vindicating the presence
of a host of profane elements like royal hunting, four-fold
army, practices of a bow-man etc. in the text which have
no direct bearing on the goddess or her worship. On the
other hand, we observe that a correct ritual-propitiation
of goddess SL and knowledge of these secular elements
together, are stated to bestow a king with uninterrupted
glory, power and stability of a kingdom.
A sort of true correspondence between the title and
the contents of SLP is brought home, if we allow a wider
import to the title so as to enable it to encompass the
diverse topics it contains.
Thus, we feel that the title of SLP has far wider
spectrum of meaning than the ones recorded above. Besides,
the text is also intended to serve as a royal manual on
polity the knowledge of secrets of which endows power and
glory on a king.
Such difficulties are overcome, if the term Pithika
is allowed to suggest meanings like a 'back-ground of
royal glory', 'Fundamentals of Imperial Glory' etc. which we
feel, are the implicit imports of the title of SLP.
