Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s2.19

c9.s2.19

We have made a careful study of the *Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra* and have compared the Sanskrit and the Pāli texts. Our examination reveals that in the Pāli text they are referred to as Vajjis 78 times and Licchavis only 18 times. In the corresponding Sanskrit text they are referred to 82 times as Vṛjis and only 14 times as Licchavis. Moreover, the Sanskrit text refers in 6 instances to the wanderings of the Buddha near Vesālī as in *Vṛjiṣu janapadeṣu*,⁵ and reference is twice made to the *Vṛjibhūmi*⁶ and the *Vṛjigrāmakeṣu*⁷ in each case, and once to *Vṛjigrāmaka*.⁸