ANCIENT INDIAN KINGSHIP FROM THE RELIGIOUS POINT OF VIEW (continued*) BY

J. GONDA Utrecht

. VIII.

The paraphernalia or emblems of royalty were supposed to represent the sovereign authority 255). The five ensigns of royalty were a white umbrella, fly-whisks, , turban 256), and throne (the pancakaku- dani: this term literally means: "the five summits": we shall see further on that the same term for "summit" is also given to the king himself). Besides, there was the sword of state. In other sources the five are: the sword, umbrella, crown, shoes and chowrie. The um- brella 257), i.e. the white sunshade of state, a residence of Laksmi (the goddess of fortune S8)) and the pair of fly-whisks were abso- lutely indispensable, constituting the emblens par excellence. The sun should never be allowed to shine directly on the sacred person of the ruler, that is to say to bring its power into contact with his power, otherwise the state of tejas or pratapa- "heat" of the ruler would be neutralized by contact with a power possessing excessive "heat". The shoes were to become representatives of the ruler himself; in old- Javanese paduka " or " was used in other expressions for "His or Your Majesty" 259). A remarkable statement is found in the

*) See for the first part of this article Numen III/1956, p. 36 ff. 255) A somewhat detailed description may be found in Bh. S. UPADHYAYA, India in K�lid�sa,Allahabad 1947, p. 77 f. 256) A turban of honour is e.g. mentioned in the Kath�sarits�gara12, 190 f. 257) After performing the V�japeya the king becomes "one who is entitled to the white umbrella": see e.g. Apastamba-�rautas�tra18, 7, 18.See also C. H. TAWNEY-N.M. PENZER,The Ocean of Story, London 1924 ff., II, p. 267 and V, p. 175. 258) Visnu-smrti 99, 12. She also resides in the royal consecration: Vi. Sm. 99, 16. 259) See GONDA, in Indonesia, Nagpur 1952, p. 333 f. 123

Mahabharata 2so) ; If a ruler be disregarded by his enemies all his subjects become unhappy. Therefore umbrellas, vehicles, garments, ornaments, palaces and all utensils for use and show should be accorded to the ruler. By such means he will better discharge his duties of protection and be irresistible. Here the outward splendour of kingship combines with the awe-inspiring nature of the paraphernalia to establish the ruler's prestige and reputation. Like the great gods, Indra, Agni, Soma, Rudra, and in , the Bodhisattva, a cakravartin or emperor is considered to be in the possession of seven treasures. These ratndni, which are mystic in nature, are: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the gem, the woman (queen), the minister of finance, and the adviser or general in chief. When a sovereign conducts himself aright they appear to him of their own accord 2s1). The wheel, as we shall see further on, denotes universality, the cakravartin being the hub or centre of the universe; the elephant, the ancient royal mount, and the -white horse, the sun-steed, carry the monarch on his world inspection; the magic jewel (ci?tam?ani- "thought-jewel") fulfills every desire the moment it is uttered; the perfect queen-consort is the ideal woman, the minister of finance, the perfect administrator who is never short of funds for purposes of lavish generosity. These power-bearers were, as ratnins `'possessors of ratnas", already known to the brahmans who described the rajasuya (consecration of a ruler) 262). In elucidation of this point reference may be made to the well-known fact that in India as well as elsewhere a great magic value is attached to gems and jewels. Whoever wears a wonderful stone is proof against all fear and danger; hunger and want, sickness and weapons, even gods, spirits and demons have no hold on him. Even gods are said to be in possession of such priceless objects: the syamantaka-jewel, for instance, which is worn by Krsna on his wrist, yields daily eight loads of gold and preserves the wearer from all dangers. So the kings' ratnas may be compared to the so- called royal ornaments (the so-called upacara 263)) or holy heirloom of

260) Mbh. 12, 67, 36 ff. 261) I refer to T. W. RHYS DAVIDS,Buddhist Suttas, III. p. 251 ff. 262) We shall have to return to this point. 263) The Jav. upacara "insignia of the royal dignity, regalia exerting a strengthening influence" comes from the Skt. upac�ra- in the sense of "or- nament or decoration". In the south of Celebes these objects were often considered to be the real bearers of the kingly power and authority.