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Vedic Polity

The document summarizes the political organization in the Vedic period of ancient India. It discusses the tribal structures of the early Aryans and the development of tribal principalities. The basic social units were kin-based groups like gotras and vratas. Larger social units included gramas, janass, and vis. Administrative bodies included village assemblies like vidathas and tribal councils like sabhas and samitis that advised the king. Over time, as settlements formed, the tribal states took on more territorial characteristics and the foundations for later Vedic states developed.

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612 views9 pages

Vedic Polity

The document summarizes the political organization in the Vedic period of ancient India. It discusses the tribal structures of the early Aryans and the development of tribal principalities. The basic social units were kin-based groups like gotras and vratas. Larger social units included gramas, janass, and vis. Administrative bodies included village assemblies like vidathas and tribal councils like sabhas and samitis that advised the king. Over time, as settlements formed, the tribal states took on more territorial characteristics and the foundations for later Vedic states developed.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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VEDIC POLITY

TRIBAL POLITY IN RIG VEDA


THE EARLY ARYANS COULD NOT DEVELOP
STABLE KINGDOMS AS THEY WERE SEMI
NOMADIC PEOPLE .THE RESULT WAS THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRIBAL
PRINCIPALITIES.
TO GET AN IDEA OF THE POLITICAL
ORGANISATION OF RIG VEDA ,IT IS
NECESSARY TO STUDY THE SOCIAL LIFE OF
THE VEDIC ARYANS

THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE RIG-VEDA


WAS BASED ON THE KINGSHIP.THE TERM
GOTRA A ND VRATA OCCURRED IN THE RIGVEDA AT MANY PLACES.THE PEOPLE WHO
LIVED IN THE SAME COWSHED BELONG TO
THE SAME GOTRA.
VRATA(HOARD OR TROOPOR ASSEMBLAGE)
ALSO A KIN BASED GROUP FUNCTIONED
UNDER A HEAD CALLED VRATPATI.

GRAMA MAENT SIMPLY A COLLECTION OF RELATED FAMILIES


(KIN-BASED) THAT WAS THE BASIC ELEMENT OF THE SOCIAL
STRUCTURE .IT CAME TO DENOTE A VILLAGE WHEN ITS
MEMBERS TOOK TO AGRICULTURE AND SEDENTARY LIFE.
IT ALSO FORMED THE SMALLEST POLITICAL UNIT.
JANA WAS THE HIGHEST SOCIAL UNIT BASED ON THE
PATRIARCHIAL KINSHIP.SOME THINK IT CORRESPOND WITH
THE TRIBE WHOSE CHIEF IS KNOWN AS THE JANAPATI
JANASYA GOPTA PR KING(RAJA)
VIS WAS THE SUB-DIVISION OF THE JANA OR TRIBE WHOSE
HEAD WAS CALLED THE VISPATI.THE VIS WERE CLOSELY
KNIT TOGETHER AND ON THE BATTLEFIELDS,BATTALIONS
WERE OFTEN ARRANGED AS PER VIS FROM WHICH THEY
HAVE BEEN RECRUITED.

CONCLUSION
THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF THE STATE LIKE THE FIXED
TERRITORY,A REGULAR SOURCE OF INCOME AND
THE STANDING ARMY WAS ABSENT IN THE VEDIC
PERIOD.
THE PEOPLE WERE MORE ATTACHED TO THE KIN
RATHER THAN TO ANY TERRITORY.
THE TRIBUTES WHICH THE VICTORIOUS KING
RECEIVED FROM THE VANQUISHED,WERE
OBLIGATORY BUT NOT REGULAR.
THIS IS ALSO TRUE OF THE ARMY WHICH SEEMS TO
BE AN IMPOVERISHED ONE MOBILISED OUT OF THE
TRIBESMEN,WHENEVER THE NEED AROSE.
BUT THE PROCESS WHICH GAVE RISE TO THE STATE
ORGANS HAVE ALREADY BEGIN IN THIS PERIOD.

TRIBAL ASSEMBLIES
VIDATHA..
IT WAS THE EARLIEST VILLAGE FOLK ASSEMBLY
ATTENDED BY MEN AND WOMEN ,PERFORMING ALL
KINDS OF
FUNCTIONS,ECONOMIC,MILITARY,RELIGIOUS AND
SOCIAL.
IT ANSWERED THE NEED OF THE PRIMITIVE WHICH
HARDLY KNEW THE DIVISION OF LABOUR OR
DOMINATION OF MALE OVER THE FEMALE .
THE KEYSTONE OF THE VIDATH SYSTEM WAS THE
CO-OPERATION.
IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE TAKEN ACTIVE
PART IN THE ADMINISTRATION.

SABHA
SABHA A ND SAMITI ARE REGARDED AS THE TWIN DAUGHTERS OF THE LORD PRAJAPATI.
THE SABHA AT FIRST WAS THE ASSOCIATION OF THE KINSFOLK,BUT LATER BACAME
ALSO AN ASSOCIATION OF MEN BOUND TOGETHER EITHER BY TIES OF BLOOD OR LOCAL
CONTIGUITY.
IT WAS A CENTRAL ARISTOCRATIC GATHERING ASSOCIATED WITH THE KING AND CAN BE
LABELLED AS THE POLITICAL COUNCIL.
IT WAS A TRIBAL ASSEMBLY WHERETHE MEMBERS DEBATED OVER THE DOMESTICATION
OF CATTLE,PLAYED DICE AND OFFERED PRAYERS AND SACRIFICES.IN THE LATER VEDIC
TIMES WOMEN ALSO ATTENTED THE SABHA BUT IT WAS DISCONTINUED LATER IN THE
VEDIC TIMES.
THIS ASSEMBLY CAME TO ASSUME A PATRIARCHIAL AND ARISTOCRATIC CHARACTER IN
THE LATER VEDIC PERIOD.
ALTHOUGH IT WAS COMPOSED OF THE MEMBERS OF HIGH CHARACTER AND
INTEGRITY ,LEARNING AND BEARING------IN OTHER WORDS MEN OF DISTINCTION AND
HIGH SOCIAL STATUS.
THE SABHA TRANSACTED BOTH POLITICAL AND NON-POLITICAL BUSINESS.IT
DELIBERATED OVER THE PASTORAL AFFAIRS AND MATTERS CONCERNING RELIGION.IT
ALSO FUNCTION AS THE NATIONAL JUDICATURE.
THE SABHA CONDUCTED ITS BUSINESS BY DEBATE AND DISCUSSIONS.FREE AND FRANK
DISCUSSIONS WERE HELD BEFORE ARRIVING AT UNANIMOUS DECISIONS.THE DECISION
OF THE SABHA WERE BINDING ON ALL.THE KING ATTENDED THE MEETING OF THE
SABHA AND CONIDERED ITS ADVISE TO BE OF SUPREME IMPORTANCE.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE SABHA WAS CALLED SABHAPATI.

SAMITI
IT IS SOMETHING LIKE A LOWER HOUSE ,A MORE COMPREHENSIVE BODY
CONSISTING OF ALL THE COMMON PEOPLE ---THE BRAHAMANS AND THE
LOWER AND RICH PATRONS
IN OTHER WORDS ,IT WAS AN AUGUST ASSEMBLY OF A LARGER GROUP OF
PEOPLE FOR THE DISCHARGE OF TRIBAL BUSINESS AND WAS PRESIDED
OVER BY THE KING.
AMONGST ITS FUNCTIONS MENTIONS MUST BE MADE OF THE THE
ELECTIONS OF THE KING.IT COULD EVEN RE-ELECT THE KING WHO HAD
BEEN BANISHED.
ALL THE MATTERS OF THE STATE ,MILITARY AND EXECUTIVE AFFAIRS WERE
DISCUSSED AND DECIDED BY THE SAMITI.
QUESTIONS WHICH WERE NON-POLITICAL IN CHARACTER WERE ALSO
DISCUSSED BY THE SAMITI .AS A NATIONAL ACADEMY ,IT TESTED THE
KNOWLEDGE OF EDUCATED PERSONS.
AS A DELIBERATIVE BODY,THE PROCEEDING OF THE SAMITI WERE
CONDUCTED BY DEBATES AND DISCUSSIONS WITH A VIEW TO ACHIEVING
CONCORD.
EMPHASIS WAS LAID ON THE CONCORD BETWEEN THE KING AND THE
ASSEMBLY AND ON THE SPIRIT OF THE HARMONY AMONG ITS MEMBERS.

LATER VEDIC PERIOD


THE TRIBAL STATE OF THE VEDIC PERIOD TENDS TO ASSUME THE
TERRITORIAL CHARACTER IN THE LATER VEDIC PERIOD.THIS WAS
INDEED THE RESULT OF THE SETTLED LIFE.
THE COMMUNITY TOOK TO THE AGRICULTURAL LIFE AND THIS
FACILITATED THE REGULAR PAYMENT OF THE TRIBUTE TO THE
CHIEF OR TO THE RAJA.
THE PRIESTS INVENTED THE RITUALS TO SECURE THE RELUCTANT
TRIBAL PEASANTRYS PERMANENT SUBORDINATION TO THE RAJA.
THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE MATERIAL SITUATION ,PARTICULARLY IN
THE MIDDLE GANGA PLAINS ,IN THE POST-VEDIC PERIOD BROUGHT
TO THE FORE THE NEED FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE PRIVATE
PROPERTY AND PATRIARCHIAL FAMILY,WHICH IN TURN
OCCASSIONED THE RISE OF THE STATE
AROUND THE 500 B.C THERE WAS INCREASED AVAILIBILITY OF THE
SURPLUS AND THE MACHINERY FOR ITS MOBILISATION HAD COME
INTO BEING.THESE DEVELOPMENTS COMPLETED THE PROCESS OF
STATE FORMATION.

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