Heera Singh

Student Id-20185072

Examination of Political Institutions: According to Manu

Introduction
Manu {मनु } term comes with various definitions in Hinduism. More
precisely it used for 'human' mānava means 'of Manu' or 'children of
Manu'. Manu is also used as the title or name of fourteen mystical
Kshatriya rulers of the earth and the heads of mythical reigns that
begin with each cyclic kalpa (aeon) when the universe is born anew.
The very important text of Manu, the Manusmriti uses this term as a
prefix but refers to the first Manu – Svayambhuva, the spiritual son
of Brahma. In Puranas we also found the use of Manu.
Manu was one of the most original thinkers of ancient Indian
political thought. Most of the scholars who worked on ancient Indian
thought agree that Manu belongs to the fourth century B.C.
Manusmriti is like a hub of information on the social, judicial, and
political life of that period. It contains information about the social
commitments and duties of a variety of castes of individuals in
different stages of life. The Manusmriti is the most influential work
on Hindu Law and it shed light on Hindu society and civilization. So
the importance of Manu lies in his conclusions about the socio-
political institutions of the land and he also has given us the first
code of civilian and criminal law.
Manusmruti
The Manusmṛiti {मनु स्मृ ति} an ancient legal text amongst the many
Dharmaśāstras of Hinduism.
The Manusmriitit dated back to the 2nd century BCE to 3rd century
CE. The text tells that it does not only contain thoughts of Manu but
it also contains the views of Svayambhuva and Bhrigu on dharma
topics such as duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues, and others. The
text itself tells us about geography around this time. It also
influenced the Buddhistic law of Myanmar and Thailand and Hindu
kingdoms in Cambodia and Indonesia Manusmriti is also known as
the Mānava-Dharmaśāstra or Laws of Manu.
The Conception of State According to Manu
Manu gives us the theological and mystical origin of the state, before the
state, there were mere abbas and quase. According to Manusmriti that
people approached Lord Brahma, the creator, he gave them a king to
maintain law and order and punish the wicked. Thus, according to Manu,
the state is not an institution that developed progressively, but was a
precipitous creation.
Apart from the state's divine origin, Manu believed that the state's
need was not due to economic needs, but to evil intentions and
uncontrollable human habits. It somehow upholds the state 's theory of
divine origin.
According to Manu, God created an entity called king to save a
region's people. Thus, kingship is of divine origin, and it is this position of
the king that made the people express their obedience to it. Manu said
that although king appears in human form, he possesses God's qualities.
According to Manu, the king had certain qualities as Indra (God of
War), Vaayu (God of Wind), Yama (God of Death), Ravi (God of Sun), Agni
(God of Fire), Chandra or Moon, and Wealth. The king was described as
an embodiment of eight earth guardians. Therefore, the king was a divine
creation promoting social harmony , peace and welfare.
Manusmriti used the term Rastra, which denotes the kingdom.
Harmful King's application of punishments. "Let him who holds the royal
sway do the horse-sacrifice, for whoever does the horse-sacrifice without
having power is actually swept away." Satapatha-Brahmana,
Punarabhisheka is another ceremony mentioned in the Aitareya
Brahmana. Kings also offered Satapath-Brahmana 's Royal-Sustaining
Oblations. Rastra's been afflicted. Rastra depended on the King. King's
four expedients should be used for the kingdom 's prosperity. As the
weeder plucks weeds and preserves corns, the king should protect his
kingdom and destroy his opponents. An oppressor is deprived of his life
and kingdom. Only by protecting his dominions increased the king's own
happiness. State conception arose along with kingdom evolution.
Qualities of a King
According to Manu, the Lord created the King to ward off fear of
anarchy among the people. The King was formed by the Lord from the
eternal particles of eight guardian deities named Indra, Vayu, Yama,
Surya, Agni, Varuna, Chandra, and Kubera, thus pure and glorifying all
mortals. The King was not God's incarnation, but his divinity sprang from
chief god synthesis. Thus Manu envisaged King's divine origin. He didn't
even refer to any alternative theory of kingdom origin. Prof. Verma said,
"Manu had in mind the development of the human king by God from the
infinite particles of the eight gods. He did not solve the logical difficulty of
the notion of particles. If the particles of the gods were not physical, the
physical human being could not be created from them. If the particles of
the gods were physical, they would cease to be gods and become very
human”.
Manu believed King is next best to God, and he must have
complete control over himself and his senses. A king was expected to
control his anger, satisfy people, and govern the state with their consent
instead of using force. The king must display those qualities that naturally
make citizens obey him, and he must function by pleasing manners and
intelligence. EOLBREAK He must overcome the six vices: Kama (Lust),
Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed), Moha (Attachment), Mada (Pride) and
Mastcharya (Jealousy). If these six evils or vices are kept under con-trol,
society's welfare, Manu said, is certain. There are other duties mentioned
by Manu like King’s residence, King’s consort, Executive duties
Administrative duties,Revenue-duties,Enlightened Duties,Legislative
Duties,Ecclesiastical Duties,Military Duties,Judicial Duties,Daily Routine
and Recreations
Council of Ministers:
Manu believed the ministers council is like the king's arms, eyes,
and ears. He said a king without ministers council is like driving a
wheelless chariot. He believed that an ideal number of councils of
ministers should not be more than seven to eight to assist and advise the
king, collectively and individually, in the daily fulfillment of his duties.
Besides mere creation, Manu also stressed that the minister council must
have certain qualities.
The ministers were expected to have high learning skills, birth-by-
birth people from high caste, strong warriors with a sharp understanding
of various warfare techniques, and proper understanding of the state
system.
Manu claimed that the appointment of ministers must be by
hereditary tradition, but a contender's skills and qualities must also be
tested. Or the king must follow his trusted friends and relatives ' advice
when naming ministers, or may select his own friends or relatives. Manu,
however, warned that noble individuals must be named to hold key
positions. Manu made it very clear that Shudras is not in the ministers
council. The minister was the state's second important element. Words
like mantri, amatya, and saciva often occur in Manusmriti. In post-
Mauryan times, amatyas were called sacivas. Rudra Daman's well-known
inscription used Matisaciva and Karmasaciva. Thus amatyas formed a
general cadre of officers, among whom high officials were recruited.
Manu used Saciva for minister, and Amatya for other state officials.
According to Manu, even an easy undertaking in itself was sometimes
hard to accomplish by a single man , especially if he had no assistant to
govern a kingdom that yielded great revenue. He had to hire minister to
support him in state affairs. A king's appointment of ministers was seven
or eight. Manu added that with the most distinguished among them, a
learned brahmin, let the king give his important advice on royal programs
and policies. The king should have complete confidence in him, always
entrusting all business to him. He should act after his final resolution.This
Brahmin could be taken as the prime minister. Manu stipulated that
when tired, the king should entrust his prime minister with the inspection
work. The Prime Minister 's qualifications must be familiar with the law,
cautious, self-controlled and descended from a noble family.
Legal Issues and Justice
According to Manu legal suits were of eighteen types, below is the table
of them.
(1) recovery of debts
(2) deposit and pledge
(3) sale without ownership
(4) concerns among partners
(5) resumption of gifts
(6) non-payment of wages
(7)non-performance of
agreements
(8) rescission of sale and purchase
(9) disputes between owners of
cattle and herdsmen
(10) disputes regarding boundaries
(11) assault
(12) defamation
(13) theft
(14) robbery and violence
(15) adultery
(16) duties of man and wife

Conclusion
Preserving peace and protecting people, he says, is the King's most
important duty. His ideas on administration seem like modern welfare
state ideals. Manu's administration system explicitly divided labor. At
Manu's time , the company consisted of various units interlinked and
interlinked, aiming at the overall development of society. He created a
well-organized administration without much corruption. Its legal, judicial,
and administrative framework was based on society's culture. Manu 's
governance ideas aren't confined to any country.
They're relevant worldwide. Some Asian countries like Burma, Siam,
Malaya, Indonesia, Indochina, Bali and others follow Manu's ideas even in
modern times by incorporating some of his teachings into their
administrative structure. The modern knowledge and experience of
Manu's fundamental teachings require a fresh statement. India, which
was the custodian of his teachings and the radiating center from which
they went to different parts of the world, has a special duty to resurrect
Manu's spirit and vision.