Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.262

c7.262

There are at least 25 mentions of the *sabhā* and 19 references to the *samiti* in the *Ṛg Veda* and *Atharva Veda* alone. In the majority of the cases these occur in separate hymns. There is not a single instance of the *sabhā* and the *samiti* occurring together in the *Ṛg Veda Saṁhitā*, whereas they occur together in the hymns and verses in the Atharvan collection at least four times.⁴ The number of their joint occurrences is few indeed, but they are of considerable significance, if examined carefully. The significant fact of these joint references occurring only in the later layers of the Vedic hymns points to the relative chronology of the origin and development of the *sabhā* and *samiti* as political institutions.