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154
Political Concepts in Ancient India
form of government. After being anointed the
people are called Virat.
(4) According to Altekar this term denotes "a
republic, a state which had no king.'
9⁹6
(5) Jayaswal takes the term to mean literally
"the king less constitution"."
(6) Thus this term implies a form of republic
where there is no king and the political power
is vested in the people at large.
(7) Vairājya, with the meaning given above,
may be distinguished from Ganarajya by
assuming that the former is a 'government by
the people as a whole', while the latter is a
government by a group or Gana'.
(8) In Arthaśāstra this term seems to have a
different meaning. In AS VIII. 2 Kautilya
discusses the superiority of Dvairajya (q.v.)
to Vairājya. There he seems to take the term
Vairājya in the sense of a "foreign rule, which
comes into existence by seizing the country
5. ....tasmād etasyām udīcyaṁ diśi ye ke ca pareṇa himavan-
tam janapadā uttarakurava uttaramadrā iti vairājyāyaiva tebhişi-
cyante virädityanenābhisiktān acakşata......
6. Altekar, SGAI, p. 38.
7. Jayaswal, Hindu Polity, p. 78.
8. Martin Haug (Aitaraya Brāhmaṇa, Vol. II, p. 518 n),
referred to by Jayaswal (Ibid., p. 78), also takes the people as a
whole to have been anointed for assuming the political autho-
rity. of."....for here are the Janapadāḥ, i.e., people in oppo-
sition to the king mentioned as abhishikta, i.e., anointed...,"
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Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Political Concepts in Ancient India
form of government. After being anointed the
people are called Virat.
(4) According to Altekar this term denotes "a
republic, a state which had no king.'
9⁹6
(5) Jayaswal takes the term to mean literally
"the king less constitution"."
(6) Thus this term implies a form of republic
where there is no king and the political power
is vested in the people at large.
(7) Vairājya, with the meaning given above,
may be distinguished from Ganarajya by
assuming that the former is a 'government by
the people as a whole', while the latter is a
government by a group or Gana'.
(8) In Arthaśāstra this term seems to have a
different meaning. In AS VIII. 2 Kautilya
discusses the superiority of Dvairajya (q.v.)
to Vairājya. There he seems to take the term
Vairājya in the sense of a "foreign rule, which
comes into existence by seizing the country
5. ....tasmād etasyām udīcyaṁ diśi ye ke ca pareṇa himavan-
tam janapadā uttarakurava uttaramadrā iti vairājyāyaiva tebhişi-
cyante virädityanenābhisiktān acakşata......
6. Altekar, SGAI, p. 38.
7. Jayaswal, Hindu Polity, p. 78.
8. Martin Haug (Aitaraya Brāhmaṇa, Vol. II, p. 518 n),
referred to by Jayaswal (Ibid., p. 78), also takes the people as a
whole to have been anointed for assuming the political autho-
rity. of."....for here are the Janapadāḥ, i.e., people in oppo-
sition to the king mentioned as abhishikta, i.e., anointed...,"
Digitized by
Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN