Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.144

c7.144

From the above discussion it is apparent that all heads of families did not necessarily participate in the choice of the king though they may have been theoretically authorized to do so. Secondly, numerous important men represented the *viś* of the tribe and wielded the real authority. It was no doubt they who delegated the ruling power to one of their leaders. Moreover, there are five passages in the *Atharva Veda*, one of which has been already pointed out by Jayaswal,² which indicate that the ruler in such political communities was “appointed for life.” The speaker of the following citations is a king: