State and Government in Ancient India c14.19

c14.19

also in the Brāhmaṇa literature.¹ It would thus appear that the *sabhā* was primarily the village social club, but the few items of the simple village government of the age were also transacted there by its members, when it was necessary to dispose of them. These probably included steps for the communal safety and decisions in the matters of the village disputes. For, the member of a *sabhā* is associated with the sacred law in the Purushamedha sacrifice.