Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c10.s3.32

c10.s3.32

These interpretations "having a splendid body," "wise," and "bodiless" are evidently all popular etymologies connected with *deha*, "body" or *vid*, "to know," and can hardly be the correct derivation of the term. The first is an adjective and, as we have seen, does not precisely apply to a place name.⁹ The connection of the word with "wisdom" is also as dubious as with "body." In fact Videha is probably just a prakritism for Videgha, as we suggest Licchavi is for *Ṛkṣavin*. The connection with knowledge might have arisen as a "popular etymology" after Janaka's encouragement of Upaniṣadic wisdom, but it is certainly not correct. The *Purāṇa* writer took the word at its face value, a negative compound *vi* ("without") *deha* ("body"), and in order to justify his ignorance he invented or refurbished the story of Vasiṣṭha's cursing Nimi. No trust can be placed in the story of the Purohita's curse or the king being named in this way. It too stands with Buddhaghosa's derivation of the word Licchavi.