Political Concepts in Ancient India /98

78
 
Political Concepts in Ancient India
 
(2) He is one of the eleven Ratnis, in the capacity

of the head of the Township or the village corpo-
ration, as mentioned in S
ration, as mentioned in Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa

and Taittiriīya Brāhmaṇa. (Vide Jayaswal,

Hindu Polity, p. 195). In Maitrāyaṇī Saṁhitā³
and S
and Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa etc. i.e., the Maitrāyaṇi edn of the Yajur Veda. Cf. vāiśyo vai grmaṇiḥ. the Gramani
ṇī is mentioned to be of the Vaisya caste.
 
śya caste.
(3) Altekar rightly observes that to be honoured

as one of the Ratnīs, the Grāmaṇī mentioned in

the list of Ratniīs (as given in the Śatapatha Brāh-
maṇa and other such sources) must have been
"the most prominent among the village headmen
of the kingdom, who might have been selected
to serve on the council of the ratnīs". Altekar, SataGAI, patha Brāh-
mana and other such sources) must have been
"the most prominent among the village headmen
of the kingdom, who might have been selected
to serve on the council of the ratnīs".. 1
 
62.
(4) According to Basham, in the Rgvedic age
Ṛgvedic age
the Gramaniāmaṇī was the chief of the sect, because

the term Grama in the Rgveda usually refers
āma in the Ṛgveda usually refers
to a group of kinsfolk and only in the later litera-

ture it means a regular village or a regular settle-
ment.
 

ment. Basham, The Wonder that was India, p. 34 f.
 
GRAĀMABHRṚTAKA--(1) Probably the village

headman and same as Grāmabhartr³ṛ or Grāma-

pati.
 
P. V. Kane, History of Dharmaśāstra, Vol. III (Index). Yājnavalkya, II. 271.
(2) In AS' III. 11 the witness given by a Grãā-

mabhṛtaka is said to be invalid. Hence, it may

be presumed that the term more probably means
 
8. i.e., the Maitrāyaṇi edn of the Yajur Veda.
 
9. Cf. väisyo vai grmaṇiḥ
 
1. Altekar, SGAI, p. 162.
 
2. Basham, The Wonder that was India, p. 34 f.
 
3. P. V. Kane, History of Dharmaśāstra, Vol. III (Index).
4. Yājnavalkya, II. 271.
 
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