Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.536

c7.536

Sharma further says that the main military function of the *vidatha* may have been to "conduct the tribal war against hostile tribes."³ Altekar rightly criticizes this view which, he says, "is untenable, nor did it (the *vidatha*) do every distributive work".⁴ The passage that Sharma cites in support of the military function of the *vidatha* is not conclusive. The passage in question is *bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ*,⁵ which Sharma translates as "with brave sons (or heroes) in the assembly (*vidatha*) may we speak aloud"; closely following Griffith, who also takes *suvīrāḥ* to mean "brave men."⁶ On the other hand, Geldner translates the *pāda* as "*wir möchten das grosse Wort führen als Meister in der weisen Rede.*"⁷ Geldner emphasizes the point of wisdom in the word *suvīra*, and here apparently interprets *vidatha* as "wise counsel". However, *suvīra* has the definite connotation of "hero", and should be translated as "with good heroes may we speak high (or boast) in the congregation." It is a prayer to the gods and expresses the wish of the singers that they might have good heroes in their settlement.