History · Negotiating the Sources
UGC NET June 2024 History (Re-Exam Shift-I)
Passage
The next important concept about the king was that he was a servant of the people. An early Dharmasutra writer remarked that the king was essentially a servant, and that the sixteen per cent tax was his remuneration. Kautilya mentions how the king was equivalent to his soldiers, both receiving different remuneration and entitled to share the nation's wealth. Narada also considers taxation as the king's salary for protecting the people. Since the people pay the king a fair remuneration, the king must serve them. Sukra describes the king as both master and servant of the people.
The above passage is about which of the following?
AThe divinity of the king
BThe king as the keeper of the moral order
CThe king as a trustee
DThe king as a public servant ✓ Correct
Correct answer: (D) The king as a public servant — The passage is about the king as a public servant.
Explanation
★The passage is about the king as a public servant.
★The key belief was that the king was the servant of the people.
★Nearly all the writers and Dharmasutras of ancient India refer to the king as a servant.
★An early Dharmasutra writer said the king was essentially a servant.
★The tax he received was regarded as his remuneration for protecting the people.
★So the passage centres on the king as a public servant.
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