Vedic Ideals of Sovereignty and the Poetics of Power

This monograph examines a number of motifs central to the expression of the ideal of sovereignty as it is articulated in Vedic liturgical poetry. It argues that, because the qualities and privileges of a sovereign leader were coveted even by those for whom there was no possibility of attaining royal station, the language proper to the domain of kingship was gradually generalised and used to express aspirations towards a freedom and self-determination that became progressively more mystical in nature.