Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.83

c7.83

Jayaswal is not only a keen supporter of the election theory, but also insists that the *samiti* elected the king. He says that "the king was elected by the people assembled in the *samiti*. The people assembled are said to elect him to rulership unanimously. The *samiti* appoints him. He is asked to hold the state."⁴ Out of the nine passages employed in support of his statement, only one has *dhruvāya te samitiḥ kalpatāmiha*, which he renders "and for firmness the assembly here creates (appoints) you".⁵ The word *viś*, in connection with a word for choosing or desiring (*vṛṇānā* and *vāñchantu*), is found as many as six times in the same passages.⁶ In fact, there is hardly any hymn quoted above which does not refer to the *viś* as either wanting the king or choosing him. Even in the hymn in which the *samiti* occurs, we also have the term *viś* in the opening verse.⁷ On this basis we firmly reject the role of the *samiti* in establishing a man in kingship.