Chakravartin (cakravartin)

A chakravartin is a universal sovereign, a king whose chariot wheel rolls unopposed to the horizons and to whom other kings pay tribute. The claim is made by ritual rather than announcement, which is why the Rajasuya and the Ashvamedha exist, and Yudhishthira makes it twice, once in triumph and once in atonement. The Mahabharata is sceptical of the whole ambition, since the empire won at Indraprastha lasts only until the next throw of the dice.