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→Rule of succession: Adding content with reference - to be edited
The rule of succession prescribed as part of 'Raja Dharma' was Primogeniture. According to this, eldest son of a king alone was entitled to royal succession. This rule which has been in existence from the most ancient times has been incorporated in Sukraniti-I 684-688:-<blockquote>राजकुले तु बहवः पुरुषा यदि सन्ति हि | तेषु ज्येष्ठो भवेद्राजा शेषास्तत्कार्यसाधकाः ||</blockquote><blockquote>''rājakule tu bahavaḥ puruṣā yadi santi hi | teṣu jyeṣṭho bhavedrājā śeṣāstatkāryasādhakāḥ ||''</blockquote>Meaning: If a Raja has many sons male children (to a Raja), the eldest among them is to be the Raja (in succession); the others are to assist him.<blockquote>ज्येष्ठोऽपि बधिरः कुष्ठी मूकोऽन्धः षण्ड एव यः | स राज्यार्हो भवेन्नेव भ्राता तत्पुत्र एव हि ||</blockquote><blockquote>''jyeṣṭho'pi badhiraḥ kuṣṭhī mūko'ndhaḥ ṣaṇḍa eva yaḥ | sa rājyārho bhavenneva bhrātā tatputra eva hi ||''</blockquote>Meaning: If the eldest prince is deaf, dumb, blind, leprous or a eunuch, he is unfit to rule and, in such a case, the king's brother or grandson (the son of the eldest son) should succeed to the throne.
The rule of succession prescribed as part of 'Raja Dharma' was Primogeniture. According to this, eldest son of a king alone was entitled to royal succession. This rule which has been in existence from the most ancient times has been incorporated in Sukraniti-I 684-688:-<blockquote>राजकुले तु बहवः पुरुषा यदि सन्ति हि | तेषु ज्येष्ठो भवेद्राजा शेषास्तत्कार्यसाधकाः ||</blockquote><blockquote>''rājakule tu bahavaḥ puruṣā yadi santi hi | teṣu jyeṣṭho bhavedrājā śeṣāstatkāryasādhakāḥ ||''</blockquote>Meaning: If a Raja has many sons male children (to a Raja), the eldest among them is to be the Raja (in succession); the others are to assist him.<blockquote>ज्येष्ठोऽपि बधिरः कुष्ठी मूकोऽन्धः षण्ड एव यः | स राज्यार्हो भवेन्नेव भ्राता तत्पुत्र एव हि ||</blockquote><blockquote>''jyeṣṭho'pi badhiraḥ kuṣṭhī mūko'ndhaḥ ṣaṇḍa eva yaḥ | sa rājyārho bhavenneva bhrātā tatputra eva hi ||''</blockquote>Meaning: If the eldest prince is deaf, dumb, blind, leprous or a eunuch, he is unfit to rule and, in such a case, the king's brother or grandson (the son of the eldest son) should succeed to the throne.
Arthasastra of Kautilya which codified Raja Dharma around 300 BC, declared that except in exceptional cases of calamity, sovereignty falls on the eldest son, Whereas according to the law governing interstate succession to the property of an individual, the sons of the deceased persons were entitled to equal share in the property of the father, Sukraniti indicated the reason for the difference between the succession to the property of the father and kingship and said that in the case of the former as it was the property of the father, the sons became entitled to it in equal shares but the kingdom was not the property of the king. He was only a person entrusted with the power of ruling the State and there should be only one ruler and therefore the Rule of Primogeniture was evolved.
It is true that there was no constitutional court wherein usurpation of the power by anyone not entitled to succeed to kingship could be challenged. But in view of the implicit faith in and allegiance to Raja Dharma, the rule of primogeniture was being obeyed by all concerned and as a result there used to be smooth transfer of power. This Dharma abiding instinct in the rulers and the people was more powerful and effective than the power of the courts. This was the basis on which Bharata refused to be crowned even though he was requested by all to do so.
According to the story of the Ramayana, Sri Rama being the eldest son of Dasharatha was to be crowned as the king of Ayodhya in accordance with the Rule of Primogeniture incorporated in Raja Dharma. However, it so happened that on account of the demand made by Kaikeyi, the mother of Bharata, in terms of the promise to grant her whatever she asked for by the king Dasharata and the latter being firmly committed to keep up his words, had no other alternative but to cancel the coronation ceremony of Sri Rama and to ask him to go away to the forest for fourteen years and also to crown Bharata as the king of Ayodhya. Bharata had the golden opportunity of securing political power and becoming the king of Ayodhya by superseding the claim of Rama, once and for all, if allurement of power prevailed in his mind over Raja Dharma -constitutional convention. The general impression is that it was the intense love of Bharata towards his elder brother Sri Rama, which prevented Bharata from ascending the throne. It may be partly true, but the real reason for Bharata to refuse to ascend the throne was the Rule of Primogeniture laid down as part of Raja Dharma and his firm commitment not to transgress Raja Dharma. This is discernible from the firm stand taken by him when he was requested to become the king of Ayodhya.
After the return of Bharatha from Mithila, the Council of Ministers appraised Bharatha of the unfortunate events which had already taken place during his absence, which had led to the cancellation of the coronation of Rama and his exile to the forest and the death of Dasharatha and the proposal to crown Bharata as the King of Ayodhya. Bharata unaffected by the lure of office of kingship stated thus:<blockquote>ज्येष्ठस्य राजता नित्यम् उचिता हि कुलस्य नः । न एवम् भवन्तः माम् वक्तुम् अर्हन्ति कुशला जनाः ॥२-७९-७॥</blockquote><blockquote>रामः पूर्वो हि नो भ्राता भविष्यति मही पतिः । अहम् तु अरण्ये वत्स्यामि वर्षाणि नव पन्च च ॥२-७९-८॥<ref>Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%AD%E0%A5%AF Adhyaya 79].</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''jyeṣṭhasya rājatā nityam ucitā hi kulasya naḥ । na evam bhavantaḥ mām vaktum arhanti kuśalā janāḥ ॥2-79-7॥''</blockquote><blockquote>''rāmaḥ pūrvo hi no bhrātā bhaviṣyati mahī patiḥ । aham tu araṇye vatsyāmi varṣāṇi nava panca ca ॥2-79-8॥''</blockquote>Meaning: The convention that the eldest son of the king alone should succeed to the throne has been firmly established and has been regarded as a commendable rule of succession. Therefore, you, being well versed in the convention ought not to request me to ascend the throne. Sri Rama being the eldest son of the king, he alone shall be the ruler. I would rather reside in the forest for fourteen years (instead of Sri.Rama).
==Introduction==
==Introduction==