State and Government in Ancient India c13.48

c13.48

¹ Our chief sources of information abcut the republics of ancient India are the Greek writers for the north-western zone and the Buddhist works for the north-eastern one. Very valuable evidence is also obtained from grammarians like Pāṇini, and Patañjali, which has been lucidly utilised by Dr. V. S. Agrawala in his work, *India as known to Pāṇini*, Chap. VII. The *Mahābhārata* has two valuable chapters, written from a sympathetic point of view, directly describing some aspects of the working of the constitution of these states (XII. 81 and 107). The *Arthaśāstra*, Bk. XI, is mainly interested in describing measures to break the power of the *gaṇas* and *saṁghas*, but while doing so, it gives us some glimpses of the working of their consitution.