The correct option is Human choice and social contract.
Explanation
The Sutta Pitaka, one of the three baskets (Tripitaka) of the Pali Canon, contains the Agganna Sutta (found within the Digha Nikaya). This text provides the Buddhist account of the origin of the world and the social order, offering a counter-narrative to the Brahmanical theory of divine origin.
Detailed Analysis:
- Divine right ordained by the gods is incorrect: The theory of divine right, where the king is ordained by gods or created from the essence of deities (as seen in texts like the Manusmriti), is rejected in early Buddhist political thought.
- Human choice and social contract is correct: The Agganna Sutta describes a primordial state where human beings lived in peace until greed and private property (hoarding of rice) led to theft and chaos. To restore order, the people gathered and decided to select one person to maintain justice, punish wrongdoers, and protect the fields. In return, the people agreed to give him a share of their produce. This leader was titled Mahasammata ("the Great Elect"). This narrative explicitly grounds the institution of kingship in human choice and a social contract rather than divine will.
- The physical strength of the warrior class is incorrect: While the Kshatriya class is associated with warriors, the origin of the institution itself in Buddhist texts is not attributed merely to physical strength but to the collective will of the people to ensure social order.
- Hereditary succession from the first man is incorrect: The text emphasizes the election of the most capable individual (the Great Elect) rather than automatic hereditary succession from a mythical first man.
Key Takeaway:
The Buddhist theory of kingship, as outlined in the Agganna Sutta, is based on the concept of Mahasammata (the Great Elect), representing a quasi-contractual theory where the king's authority is derived from the consent of the governed to maintain social order.