Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.191

c7.191

An examination of all the occurrences reveals that the mentions of the *sabhā* as a "council" are slightly fewer than the references to the *sabhya* or *sabhyāḥ*, *sabhācara* and *sabhāga* (members of the council or councillors), *sabhāsads* and the *sabhāpati*. There are a few references which indicate that the word *sabhā* might refer to the "council-hall,"⁸ which was also a centre for playing dice.⁹ Thus, the Vedic *sabhā* was to a large extent the forerunner of the *saṇthāgāra* of the republics of the Buddhist texts.¹⁰ The term was used in a sense similar to the later *darbār*, implying both the council and the council-hall. But the Mughal *darbār* was composed of the courtiers who advised the emperor when he chose to consult with them, whereas the Vedic *sabhā*, in this type of republic, was the supreme political authority of the tribe.