Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s4.105

c9.s4.105

Further evidence for the existence of a small inner council within the republic, apart from the Pāli and Prākrit sources, comes from the Sanskrit works. *Sangha-mukhyas* and *gaṇa-mukhyas* are often mentioned not only by Kauṭilya,¹ but also in the *Śānti Parva*.² In the latter source, Bhīṣma, advising Yudhiṣṭhira the Just, says: “They that are the chiefs of the *gaṇa* should be especially honoured. The affairs of the kingdom, O King, depend to a great extent upon them.”³