Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s5.6

c9.s5.6

Turnour only comments in this connection on the phrase *aṭṭhakulika*, translating it as "the eight castes or tribes". Then he adds, "I can obtain no satisfactory explanation of the nature of the office held by these functionaries. It is inferred to be a judicial institution composed of judges from all the eight castes."² The study of Sanskrit and Pāli was still in its early stages in Turnour's time and he did not always fully understand the exact connotation of even well-known words. Most modern and standard Pāli, Prākrit, and Sanskrit lexicons do not warrant the interpretation of *kula* as meaning "caste" or "tribe". Literally it means "family" and may be used in the sense of a "clan" (*vaṁśa*). Hence it is most unlikely that the "judicial institution" of the *aṭṭhakulikas* was "composed of judges from all the eight castes." This term has already been discussed in detail³ and, to our knowledge, it is not found elsewhere in any Sanskrit, Pāli or Prākrit text.