Political Concepts in Ancient India /203

Glossary
 
SVARĀT--The president of a Svārājya type of

republican state, as explained by Jayaswal.

But it is better to understand the meaning

plainly as 'a sovereign ruler'. (See Svaraārājya).

 
SVĀMI --(1) The master or the ruler.
 
183
 

(2) The first of the seven mutually beneficial ele-
ments of the state.
ments of the state. U. N. Ghoshal (HIPI. p. 84) renders the term as 'the so-
vereign ruler' and Altekar (SGAI, p. 44) as 'the king'. (ASŚ. VI.1). See under

Prakrti.
 
ṛti.
 
SVĀMI-SAMPAT--The ideal qualities of the

master, i.e., the king.
 

 
SVĀRĀJYA--(1) As explained by Jayaswal it was

a peculiar type of republican government, which

according to Aitareya Brāhmaṇa VIII.14 pre-

vailed in western India, and the president of

such a republican state used to be called a

Svarāṭ.8
 
7. U. N. Ghoshal (HIPI. p. 84) renders the term as 'the so-
vereign ruler' and Altekar (SGAI, p. 44) as 'the king'.
 
8. Jayaswal, Hindu Polity, pp. 76 f.
 

Cf. etasyām praticyām diṁ pratīcyāṁ diśi ye ki ye ke ca nie ca nīcyānāṁ rājāna

ye'paācyānāṁ svārājyāyaiva te'bhisicyante svaṣicyante svāraḍ ityenān

abhişṣiklān aācakşṣato. . . . . . (Aitareya Brāhmaṇa VIII:14).

In this and the following passages of the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa,

up to VIII.19, we have references to terms like Bhaujya, Vairājya

and Svārājya, which are tried to be explained as various forms

of republics. But a careful examination of the passages shows

that these terms imply various degrees of the states of a king.

Indra had been consecrated in the various directions for various

degrees of supremacy as a king, called Bhaujya, Svārājya, etc.

Hence, the later kings of the respective regions also came to

be known by the respective terms like Bhaujya, Svārājya, etc.

By the plural number in the references to these practices (e.g.

te'bhisṣicyante) only the very many kings of the successive periods

or of the different kingdoms of the respective regions are referred

to. These terms do not seem to refer to anything of the sort of

a Gaṇarājya (q.v.) or Ganṇa-republic,
 
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