Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s5.138

c9.s5.138

A liberal and strong republican confederacy like that of the Vajjians, in close proximity, was not only a great obstacle to his ambition of empire-building, but also constituted a real threat to the security of his own state. Assessing all the circumstances, he attempted to undermine his rivals and finally broke upon them with the full power of his arms and vengeful policy. This brings to mind Sparta’s resentment of Athens’ greater freedom of thought and military strength. The ruthless massacre of the Sakyas by Viḍūḍabha,¹ and the utter ruin of the Vajjis by Ajātasattu has, in our opinion, deep psychological and philosophical factors among its causes, apart from the purely political or diplomatic reasons and material gains.