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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 Satapatha Brāhmaṇa
and Taittiriya Brāhmaṇa. (Vide Jayaswal,
Hindu Polity, p. 195). In Maitrāyaṇī Saṁhitā³
and Satapatha Brāhmaṇa etc. the Gramani
is mentioned to be of the Vaisya caste.
(3) Altekar rightly observes that to be honoured
as one of the Ratnīs, the Grāmaṇī mentioned in
the list of Ratnis (as given in the Satapatha 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
(4) According to Basham, in the Rgvedic age
the Gramani was the chief of the sect, because
the term Grama in the Rgveda usually refers
to a group of kinsfolk and only in the later litera-
ture it means a regular village or a regular settle-
ment.
GRAMABHRTAKA-(1) Probably the village
headman and same as Grāmabhartr³ or Grāma-
pati.
(2) In AS' III. 11 the witness given by a Grã-
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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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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 Satapatha Brāhmaṇa
and Taittiriya Brāhmaṇa. (Vide Jayaswal,
Hindu Polity, p. 195). In Maitrāyaṇī Saṁhitā³
and Satapatha Brāhmaṇa etc. the Gramani
is mentioned to be of the Vaisya caste.
(3) Altekar rightly observes that to be honoured
as one of the Ratnīs, the Grāmaṇī mentioned in
the list of Ratnis (as given in the Satapatha 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
(4) According to Basham, in the Rgvedic age
the Gramani was the chief of the sect, because
the term Grama in the Rgveda usually refers
to a group of kinsfolk and only in the later litera-
ture it means a regular village or a regular settle-
ment.
GRAMABHRTAKA-(1) Probably the village
headman and same as Grāmabhartr³ or Grāma-
pati.
(2) In AS' III. 11 the witness given by a Grã-
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.
Digitized by
Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN