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The ideal of the duties of a king (rajadhamma) was laid down by Usabha 4. The actual administrative duties of a king (naravatikajjani) 5 can be summed up as follows. The main objective of the king should be the welfare of the viz. subjects (payasuhe suham) 6. For this, he had to look after all the classes of society (savvavanna) 7 and a proper balance of the three persuits of life (tivaggaviroha) dharma, artha and kama on their part. For example, the king took himself to be responsible for the protection of the women folk of traders when the latter were on business tours 9. So also to run a stable government, the king always kept his treasury and the granary full to the brim (sampunna kosakotthagaravihavo). 10 1. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 2. 2. Ibid., 90. 3. Ibid., 189. 4. Ibid., 183. 5. Ibid., 217. 6. Ibid., 2. 7. Ibid., 299. 8. Ibid., 219. 9. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 233. 10. Ibid., 36.

39 47 The king also had to look after the welfare of went goes the monks 1. Prince Carucamda go to the hermitage of the tapasas, at their request, to protect the sacrifice 2 performed by them' The king was also expected to make ed grants to the hermits as a meritorious deed (dhamma). Samdilla and other tavasas demand Kamapadaka, who was a dancer, as a gift³. Promoting the welfare of monks was supposed to help accruing of merit for the king! One of the very important duties of the king was to keep law and order in the country by promoting justice (avarahi vineyavvo pahuna nayakari paleyavvo ) 5. The king, in the case of agriculturists, was also expected to help them keeping their boundaries undisturbed (majjaya rakkhaga) and punish those who violated these. Apart from his various duties the king did certain activities towards the welfare of the subjects with a view to acquire religious merit. King Sagara, when ill, constructed wells and ponds (vapi-pukkhara) to avert the evil 7. The king also encouraged persons skilled in various arts, with 1. Ibid., 299. 3. Ibid., 297. 2. Ibid., 293. 4. Ibid., 183-84. 5. Ibid., 107. 6. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 91. 7. Ibid., 198.

40 prizes and approbation. Agadadatta gave a performance of skill in warriorship before the king of Kosambi 1 The author of the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa 2 gives certain precepts for a king as to what qualities he should imbibe in himself to bring an efficient administration. been dealt with in the section on administration.