Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s2.24

c9.s2.24

The first passage of the Pāli text resembles word for word the Sanskrit one, and both use the word *Vajji* (Sanskrit *Vṛji*). In the second paragraph the Pāli text contains Ajātasattu's soliloquy—"I will strike at these Vajjians, mighty and powerful though they be, I will root out these Vajjians, I will destroy these Vajjians, I will bring these Vajjians to utter ruin".⁹ The corresponding Sanskrit passage has inserted *pariṣadi vācam* (*bhāṣate*) and continues almost as in the Pāli passage but with a significant difference. The Sanskrit passage uses *Vṛjīn* only once, whereas the Pāli text has *Vajjī* four times. The omission in the Sanskrit version may be intended for literary effect but the Pāli passage better fits the situation presented. Here Ajātasattu's bitterness speaks aloud in the Pāli version and we think it is more authentic than the Sanskrit one. On the first page of the text *Vajjī* occurs 5 times in the Pāli version and only twice in its Sanskrit counterpart.¹⁰ The Sanskrit phrase *Vṛjiṣu* *Janapadeṣu*, which occurs at least six times in the text, however, has no Pāli equivalent.¹