About the Book: Political Thought in Ancient India
Ancient Indians were a highly organized polity, with awell-established worldview
of the Rajya (the State). And also ofits seven distinct organs: svamin (the
king), amatyas (theministers), janapada/rashtra (the territory and the
people),durgas/pura (the forts/capital), kosha (the treasury), danda/bala(the
army), and mitra tatha niti (the allies and inter-staterelations). In their
togetherness, these components of the stateled political ideologues to advance
the Theory of Saptanga: theseven limbs - each of which admitted varying emphases
with ancientscholars, according to the changing political situations or theirown
predilections. Besides traditional/semi-historical writings,the Saptanga Theory
of State finds recurring allusions in KautilyasArthashastra which, written
sometime about the fourth