About the Book:
The world had been told for a pretty long time that India taught the West the mystery of life and death yet she had not known herself how to live an organized life, socially and politically. In the first half of the present century distinguished scholars like Dr. K.P. Jayaswal, Bhandarkar, N.N. Law and other alone with few western Indologist like Oldenberg and Rhys-Davids stepped forward to prove that this country had seen not only great monarchies and empires but had experienced various types of non-monarchical states as well.
The present work is a venture towards clarification of some of the earlier opinions expressed in a nationalistic fervor. With the aid of scriptural, literary, historical and numismatic evidences it has been proved by the authors that very advanced forms of republics and many of its variations functioned here. Contrary to the common belief that they were all democratic-republics or oligarchies, it has been successfully established that they were mainly aristocratic-republics, with their special features. Besides, republican trends featured prominently in the education system, trade guilds and even in the rural life with its agricultural problems. This book is a critical analysis and evaluation of the political institutions of about one thousand years of our glorious past. It opens a new window to look into Hindu Polity in its historical perspective. The easy, analytical approach to the problem of determining the nature of the republican states from 6th Century B.C. to the middle of the 4th Century AD makes it an interesting reading for the scholars of ancient India history and polity as well.
Contents
Foreword
Preface
The Concept of Republican State
The essentials of a republican state
Montesquieu's concept
Modern application
Concept of republic in ancient India
Theory and practice of the republican polity in Greece and India during the later ages
Causes of the fall of the republics
Evidence for the Existence of the Republics
Republics described in Panini's Astadhyayi
Republics in the Buddhist and Jain literature
Republics in the Mahabharata
Varieties of republics in Kautilya's Arthasastra
Trade guilds and corporations
Republics mentioned in the Greek accounts
Special types of kingships
Republics under the Mauryas
Asokan inscriptions
Numismatic evidences
Kinds of Repulics
Panini's theory of the classification of states
Kautilya's classification
Republics mentioned in the Kasika
Religious Samghas described in the Buddhist literature
Republics During the Buddha's Time (7th-6th c. B.C.)
The rise of the Buddhist movement and its significance
The Sakyan Republic
The Federal Republic of the Licchavis and the Videhas
The Mallas
The Koliyas
The Videhas
The village Republics and their success
Post Buddha Period (C. 500-2nd c. B.C.)
The age of Panini, The Ayudhajivins. The Parsavadi ganas
The yaudheyadi group
The Trigarta Sastha
The Pugas
The Srenis, The Vratas
Indian republics in the Greek accounts
Other smaller communities
Republics during the time of Kautilya
Republics During the Epic and Post Mauryan Age (2nd c. B.C. to the middle of 4th c. A.D.)
The States conquered by Nakula
The States conquered by Karna
Bhisma's views on the ganas
The Adhaka Vrsni League
Fate of some major and doubtful entities during and after Mauryan empire
The Arjunayanas
The Malavas
The Yaudheyas
The Sibis
The Kunindas
The Audumbaras
The Vrsnis
Republican Trends in the Non-political Organizations
The organization of the Buddhist Samgha
The process of accession and the principle of hegemony in Jainism
Seals and Sealings of the Buddhist Samgha
Republican trends in the trade guilds
The importance and status of the Setthis
Srenis in South India
Republican trends in educational institutions
The Parisads
Strength and Drawbacks of the Republics of India
Synthetic organization of the republics
Longevity of the republics
Moral assets
Ultra-democratic methods of administration
Advanced methods of legislation
Methods of Voting
Freedom of opinion
Common customs and law courts
Love for constitutionality
Material prosperity
Military strength
Drawbacks of the ganas
Internal dissentions
Extreme decentralization
Foreign policy of the republics
The Disappearance of the Republics
Effect of the Buddha's teachings
The effect of universal religion on society
The growing power of the kings
Revival of old religious ideals and rise of Arthasastra school
Effect of Greek invasion
Disunity of the republics
The rise of the Gupta Empire
Legacy of the Republics of Ancient India
Sovereignty of Dharma and Law
Independent village Pancas
The legacy of the trade guild's tradition
Unity in the essential
Bibliography
Index
Books
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