State and Government in Ancient India c13.138

c13.138

The consciousness of a clan origin seems to have played a great part in the formation of republics. Where it did not exist, such a state did not usually come into existence. It further appears that the political horizon and influence of these states could not usually extend to territories where their own clan was not in ascendancy. It is no doubt true that these states often formed federations to present a stronger front to a common enemy, but they could not expand into a strong and big state like the Mauryan or the Gupta Empire. Their horizon was limited to their homelands. If its freedom was threatened, they would die fighting for it, but it did not occur to them that they might found a big north-western federation embracing the Punjab, Rajputana and Sindh, which could stand as a bullwork against the foreign invader. The presence of the clan spirit in each state, the internal dissensions that often disfigured its politics and the love of freedom that characterised its inhabitants naturally did not favour the development of a strong central government, which must have necessitated the transfer of considerable power to its Central Executive.