Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.90

c7.90

Zimmer’s main argument for the election theory is based on *tā īṁ viśo na rājānaṁ vṛṇānā*, which he translates as “wie die Gaue sich den König küren.”¹ We agree with Zimmer that here the allusion might be to “the people (viśo) electing (*vṛṇānā*) their king,” but in no single passage quoted above is there mention of a particular rival for the same post. In fact, throughout the vast range of Vedic literature there is no allusion to another candidate. Therefore, the verb *vṛṇānā* here, in the historical context, will mean merely “to choose” or “to select,” though the verse can be rendered for literary purposes also as, “like the people electing their king.” However, to look for an actual political election in this verse would be stretching the imagination too far. The passage, like the others mentioned above, only indicates that the king owed his position to the consent of the important members of the political community, and not to the entire adult population.