Table of contents : Abbreviations I. Introduction 1. The question of the Indian state 2. The geopolitical setting 3. Our sources II. The king and his court 1. The royal family 2. The king’s charisma 3. The king’s potency 4. The world ruler as ideal 5. Legitimacy and succession 6. Deposition 7. Security 8. Royal titles 9. The consecration of a king 10. The divinity of kings 11. Priests, ascetics, temples 12. The purohita 13. The queen III. State administration 1. The Vedic period 2. The pre-classical period 3. The classical period 4. State bureaucracy 5. The secret services 6. The cities IV. The armed forces 1. Heroism as duty 2. The field army a) elephants b) chariots c) cavalry d) infantry 3. Forts V. Policy 1. Foreign affairs 2. The goals of statesmanship a) Brahminical and Buddhists positions b) The king as upholder of dharma VI. A synthetic view of the development of the state in India Select bibliography Primary Sources Vedic Texts Texts on dharma and artha Classical Sanskrit Literature Text of Various Indian sastras Inscriptions Buddhist and Jaina Texts Epics and Purânas Texts in Dravidian Languages Indo-Persian Texts Other Primary Sources Secondary Literature Indices Authors Texts Indian Terms Topical Index