Political Concepts in Ancient India /23

Introduction
 
political ideas and institutions. The Taittiriya

Brāhmaṇa, Satapatha Brahmana and the Aitareya

Brāhmaṇa contain details of the coronation cere-

mony, the Vajapeya ritual and the Aśvamedha

sacrifice. Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, I. 14, gives us the

earliest legend on the origin of Kingship. In the

same work we have the description of the royal

consecration under the title of Indra-mahābhiseka

(VIII.14 to VIII.19) which is a veritable feast for

the modern critical writers on ancient Indian polity

because of containing the very significant but

deluding terms like Bhaujya, Svārājya, Vairājya,

etc. From these more important Brāhmaṇas,

further informations can be gathered regarding the

topics like the relation between the ruler and the
ruled, the members of the royal family and their
position and the art of war in the contemporary

ruled, the members of the royal family and their
position and the art of war in the contemporary
society.¹ The vedic literature comprising the

Samhitas and the Brāhmaṇas may be placed bet-

ween 1500 and 1000 B.C. or the lower limit may be

brought down by two or three centuries more.³
 

 
The Early Smritis or Dharmasutras
 

 
The early Smritis or Dharmasūtras like those

of Gautama, Apastamba, Vasistha, Baudhayana

and Visņu, which belong to a period between 600

and 100 B.C., also occupy an important position in

the study of ancient Indian politics. These works

throw light on the political ideals of the day by

way of defining the duties and responsibilities of
 

 
1. Basu, IAB. PP. 115-130.
 

 
2.
 

 
Ghoshal, HIPI, p. xxi.
 

 
3. Basham, The Wonder That was India, p. 81.
 
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