The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c11.35

c11.35

The clans sometimes formed alliances and even loose temporary confederations. The Licchavis once federated with the Mallas and, together, both set up an executive of eighteen members, drawn in equal numbers from either group.⁵ Elsewhere we read that when Ajâtaśatru attacked his grandfather’s dominion of Vesâlî, he was encountered by nine Licchavi and nine Malla confederate chiefs, though in vain.¹ At another time the Licchavis federated with the Videhas and other clans. The confederates as a whole were called Saṃvajjians. It was to the federated Vajjian clans that Gautama Buddha addressed a few precepts. He seems to give a dose of conservatism to those who might be inclined to rush headlong into innovations. He insists that time-honoured customs and usages must be maintained. Nothing that was not already established should be enacted. Nothing that had been enacted should be abrogated. The elders must be honoured, esteemed, revered and supported. It should be a point of duty to hearken to their words. Justice and fairness should always be followed. Women or girls should never be detained by force or abducted. The spiritual interests should not be neglected. The Arhantas should be defended, protected and supported. The Caityas, sacred temples, must be revered and maintained. Turning to constitutional affairs, the Buddha wanted the clansmen to hold full and frequent assemblies. They should “meet together in concord and rise in concord and carry out Vajjian business in concord.” So long as these wholesome rules were observed, “so long may the Vajjians be expected not to decline but to prosper.”²