Kumārila’s Theory of Kingship and Its Background

In the Mīmāṃsāsūtra, there is a section that deals with the diśām-aveṣṭi, a series of offerings to be performed at the end of the Rājasūya, the Vedic royal consecration. The discussion in this section extends to a controversy over eligibility (adhikāra) for the Rājasūya and the grounds for kingship. Of the two parties in controversy, the opponent maintains that one who governs a country, no matter whether he is a Brahmin, a Kṣatriya, or a Vaiśya, is recognized as a king (rājan) eligible for the Rājasūya, whereas the proponent retorts that one who is eligible for the Rājasūya as a king must be a Kṣatriya who has inherited landlordship (kṣatra). The proponent denies kingship to a Brahmin or a Vaiśya even if he has achieved sovereign power (rājya) through political struggles. According to Kumārila, the opponent aims to enlarge the market of the Vedic sacrifice by entitling even non-Kṣatriya kings to royal consecration. The opponent seeks a high gain, and the proponent avoids a high risk. Investigating whether both strategies are found in the Vedic texts of royal consecration, the present paper reexamines the relationship between kings and Brahmin ritualists

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