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Political Concepts in Ancient India / 21 Image 21 of 214 (Page 21)

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Introduction

samāno mantraḥ samitiḥ samānī
samānaṁ manaḥ saha cittam eṣām
(Rgveda, x.191.3a)

(Same be their counsel, same their assembly, same
their mind and same their heart....). This is an oft-
quoted prayer from the Rgveda where we have two
technical terms, viz., Mantra and Samiti, relevant to
the study of ancient Indian politics. The term Samiti
refers to a popular assembly and from the other
term Mantra we can gather that the said assembly
used to indulge in deliberations aiming at and
resulting in state policies. Some other lines of the
Rgveda, containing the term Samiti, are

(i) rājā na satyaḥ samitīriyānaḥ (IX.92.6)
(like a true king going to the Samiti)

(ii) Yatrauṣadhīḥ samagmata rājānaḥ samitāviva
(X.97.6) (where the herbs met like kings in
the Samiti).

In these two quotations we have another important
term Rājā (king), which should unequivocally imply
that there was the institution of Kingship in the
Vedic age. Another popular assembly, of a size
bigger than that of the Samiti, which also met with

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