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Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c15.s4.t1: Name and Early History

Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c15.s4.t1

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Name and Early History

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The Kālāmas of Kesaputta are the least documented of the republican communities that flourished at the time of the Buddha and Mahāvīra. The striking similarity of the name of their town to the Keśins of the *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa* ¹ has led historians to connect these peoples with the Keśins of the Brāhmaṇic period. Kesaputta (Sanskrit *Keśaputra*) and Keśin both are connected with the Sanskrit word *keśa*, meaning hair or mane. The connection between the two seems phonetically and linguistically obvious, but a discussion of the sources is necessary before deciding the issue.

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¹ *Śat. Br.*, xi, 8, 4, 6; *cf.* Pāṇini, v, 2, 109; vi, 4, 165.

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Keśin, as the name of a people, occurs in the *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa*, where their king is mentioned as learning from Khaṇḍika the atonement for a bad omen at the time of performing a sacrifice.² A Keśin Dārbhya or Dālbhya is a somewhat enigmatic figure.³ According to the *Jaiminīya Brāhmaṇa* this inexplicable person was the son of king Uccaiḥśrava's sister.⁴ His people, according to the *Kāṭhaka Saṁhitā*, were the Pāñcālas, of whom the Keśins were one of the three branches.⁵ Dālbhya was a contemporary of a fellow sage Keśin Śātyakāmi by name.⁶

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² *Śat. Br.*, xi, 8, 4, 6ff; cf. Eggeling, *SBE*, 44, pp. 131-4; *Vedic Index* i, p. 187.

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³ *Śat. Br.*, xi, 8, 4, 1ff.

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⁴ *Jaim. Br.*, iii, 21, 1ff.

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⁵ *Kāṭh. Saṁ.*, xxx, 2; *cf. Vedic Index* i, p. 187.

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⁶ *Mait. Saṁ.*, i, 6, 5; *Tait. Saṁ.*, ii, 6, 2, 3.

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Keith and Macdonell say that in view of the fact that the early literature mentions Dārbhya as a sage, it seems doubtful whether the commentator is correct in thinking that the *Śatapatha* refers to a king and a people. A sage alone may well be meant, while the *Jaiminīya Upaniṣad Brāhmaṇa*, which refers to him as a prince, is of no great authority.⁷ They further suggest that the "later work may have assumed that the reference in the *Kāṭhaka Saṁhitā* to the Keśin people signifies kingship, but this is hardly necessary".⁸ Keith and Macdonell may be right in doubting the accuracy of the commentator about the Keśin king and a Keśin sage. But in our opinion they are over-cautious when they dismiss the *Jaiminīya Upaniṣad Brāhmaṇa* as "of no great authority," simply because it is somewhat later than the more famous *Brāhmaṇas*. Even if generally accepted as unauthentic and known to be late, the text may contain some historical information, as for example do Buddhaghosa's commentaries and the *Jātakas*.

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⁷ *Vedic Index*, i, p. 187.

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⁸ *Ibid.*, p. 187.

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We cannot say definitely in the face of the controversy discussed above, whether the Keśin of the *Śatapatha* refers to a king of the Keśins or to a sage who was a Keśin. If the text is to be believed, there were Keśin people and the question whether Dārbhya was king or sage is of no relevance for our present purpose. According to the *Kāṭhaka Saṁhitā*, as we have noticed above, the Keśins belonged to the Pāñcālas.¹ It is most likely that the Keśins were related to the Kālāmas of Kesaputta,² as were the Moriyas of Pipphalivana to the Mauryan dynasty of Magadha. We have seen that most of the republican peoples of northeast India appear to have been descended from Aryan pioneers who followed the example of Videgha Māthava³ in their eastward march. It would be quite in harmony with the texts if we suggest that some Keśins of Pāñcāla also established a settlement in the northeast, designating it after their tribal name Keśaputra or Kesaputta of the Pāli texts.

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¹ *Kāṭh. Saṁ.*, xxx, 2ff; *cf.* above, p. 231.

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² *Cf. PHAI*, pp. 99, 193.

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³ *Cf.* above, pp. 60ff.

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We are not certain about the derivation of the name Kālāma, but Kālāma is a student of the Kalāma or Kālāpa grammar in Pāṇini,⁴ and the school of Kalāpin is often mentioned with that of the Kaṭhas.⁵ Whether Kālāma has any connection with the Sanskrit word *kāla*, dark or blue-back, is not certain.

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⁴ Pāṇini, iv, 3, 104; *Mbh.*, ii, 113; *cf. Vedic Index*, i p. 187.

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⁵ Monier Williams, *Skt. -Eng. Dic., s.v. kālāpa, kālāpaka.*

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