Hindu Administrative Institutions c8.s4.t1.1

c8.s4.t1.1

Coming to the position that the *sabha* occupied in the Epics² it is interesting to see that the judicial character of it becomes increasingly dominant. We see that the king presided over this assembly invariably, but in his absence the prime minister presided over the meetings of the council. In the *Harṣacharita* we see that when Rājyavardhana died, it was the prime minister *Bhaṇḍi* who presided at the meeting convened for the purpose of selecting his successor.