Division of power, scale-free feudalism

Consider the list of individual heroes involved in politics and war. Thence we learn the following. Where ever kShatriyas tasked with protecting their land (as if it were their wife) and subjects (as if they were their children) fell, others rose to take their place (eg: harihara and bukka, chandragupta maurya, shivAji, reDDi chieftains). They were guided and inspired by learned men and sages (eg: tukArAm, vidyAraNya, chANakya). Further, their efforts were financed often by taxation, but also sometimes by donations from merchants. This division of power (in the form of occupation specific jAti-s) lent to the civilization the character of a multi-headed snake - chop one head off, another takes its place.

the sAmanta-maNDala system, far from being a form of feudalism that undid the Indians, provided them with an intrinsic robustness that allowed them to counter the Moslems once the top layers of the scale-free structure had been knocked out." panchAyata of a village → sAmanta in a nagara -> mahAsAmanta → king. - MT here