Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.11

c6.11

There were democratic institutions in Vedic age, i.e. *sabhā* and *samiti* (like perhaps the lower and upper houses of parliament today), where discussions and debates could materialize. While *Yajurveda* simply mentions *sabhā*,⁹ *Atharvaveda* presents a glorified picture of *sabhā* and *samiti*, calling them the two daughters of *prajāpati*. It was expected that the people gathered in a *sabhā* or *samiti* will maintain decorum and will make suitable remarks only. The *sabhā* is called *nariṣṭhā* — attended by best of men, and the members of a *sabhā* are called *sabhāsadas*. They are expected to bear good will for each other.¹⁰