State and Government in Ancient India c13.84

c13.84

Sovereignty was vested in these large Central Assemblies, which were very jealous of their rights and powers. They elected not only the members of the executive, but also the military leaders. When reports reached about the impending invasion of Alexander the Great, the Ambashṭhas elected three generals renowned for their bravery and military skill to lead their armies. It seems that like the Roman Senate, the Assemblies of these republics elected their own generals for the different campaigns.¹ The election in the beginning at any rate was for a specific campaign; this was a precaution against a general seizing all the powers of the state. What was true of the Ambashṭhas of the 4th century B. C. was true also of the Yaudheyas of the 4th century A. D., for an inscription of the Gupta period refers to a general elected, *puraskṛita*, by the Yaudheya *gaṇa*.² Gradually these tended to become hereditary. The Mālava general, who regained the independence for his state in *c.* 225 A.D., belonged to a family which was entrusted with the military leadership for three generations.³ Its leaders, however, were not permitted to have any regal title like *rājā* or *mahārāja*.