Question of the Vidátha in Vedic India

7/30/2019 Question of the Vidtha in Vedic India

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The Question of the Vidtha in Vedic IndiaAuthor(s): Jagdish Prasad Sharma and H. W. BaileySource: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, No. 1/2 (Apr.,1965), pp. 43-56

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THE QUESTION OF THE VIDATHA IN VEDIC INDIABy Jagdish Prasad Sharma

There are more views and opinions about the nature and character of the viddtha thanthe number of scholars who have worked on the subject. That the sources are open todifferent interpretations is obvious from the divergent views held about the origin, development and functions of the sabhd (council) and sdmiti (assembly), the chief politicalinstitutions of Vedic India. The Vedic literature provides numerous vague references to theviddtha. In the Rg Veda alone at least 97 verses refer to it,while the Atharva Veda mentionsit in about 20 hymns. The Vdjasaneyi Samhitd, the Brahmanas and the Taittiriya Aranyakaalso contain references to the viddtha. Most of the evidence, however, is provided by theRg Vedic hymns, and references to this institution are fewer in the later compositions ofVedic literature.To substantiate our interpretation we quote below some of themost important versesfrom the Rg and Atharva Vedas which refer explicitly to the viddtha and reveal its characterand composition and the role it played in the Vedic period.1

1. "To him who worships, Soma gives the milch-cow, a fleet steed, and a man ofactive knowledge;Skilled in home duties, meet for the viddtha, for council meet (sabhe'yam), a gloryto his father."22. "May the most sapient Maruts, with protection, with best boons brought from

lofty heaven, approach us;Now when their team of the most noble horses speeds even on the sea's extremestlimit.3Well-grasped, bright, decked with gold, like a spear carried rearward;Like a young woman or bride of a man going out secretly (with another man);Like refined speech in the viddtha."*

3. "Upon their car the young men set the Maiden (Rodasl-Lightning) wedded toglory, mighty in the viddtha;When your song, Maruts, arose, and, with oblation, the Somapourer sang his

hymn in worship."54. "O Brahmanaspati, be thou controller of this our hymn, and prosper thou ourchildren;All that theGods regard with love is blessed. Lord may we speak, with heroes, inthe viddtha."*1 The versions are those of Griffith with occasional emendation (Hymns of the $g Veda, 2 vols.,Benares, 1896-97).a #Vtl, 91, 20, sddanyam vidathydm sabhiyampitr-frdvanamyd dddaiadasmai.8 Ibid., 167, 2.4 Ibid., 167, 3, guha cdrantl mdnuso nd ydsd sabhdvatl vidathyeva sdm v&k.5 Ibid., 167, 6, dsthapayanta yuvatlm yuvanah iubhi nlmi&ldm viddthesu pajrdm/arkd ydd vo marutohavtsmdn gayadg&thdm sutd-somo duvasydn.Ibid., II, 24, 16, vl&vaw tdd bhadrdm ydd dvanti devd brhdd vadema viddthe suvirab; (the sabhd occursin verse 13); AV, XVIII, 3, 25.

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44 THEQUESTIONOF THEVIDATHAIN VEDIC INDIA5. "Yea (Dawn), even this blessed Morning, rich in store of food, splendid withheavenly lustre, hath shone out for man;Since they, as was thewish of yearning gods, brought forth that yearning Agni for

the viddtha as priest."16. "Let PQsan take thy (Surya's) hand and hence conduct thee; may the two ASvins

on their car transport thee.Go to the house to be the householder's mistress, and speak as lady to thyviddtha.2

Happy be thou and prosper with thy children here: be vigilant to manage thyhousehold in this home.Closely unite thy body with thisman, thy lord;So shall ye, full of years, speak to the viddtha."z

7. "We, band on band and troop following troop (gandm-ganam), entreat with fairlands Agni's splendour and theMaruts' might.With spotted deer for steeds, with wealth that never fails, they (the gods), wiseones, come to the sacrifice (yajndm) at our viddtha."*8. "The pleasant priest (Agni) has come into the viddtha, true, skilled in sacrifice, the

most wise ordainer.Agni, the son of strength, whose car is lightning, whose hair is flame, has shown

his lustre on earth."69. "Agni, thou art king Varuna whose laws stand fast; as Mitra wonder-worker, thoumust be implored.

Aryaman, heroes' Lord, art thou, enriching all, and liberal ArnSa in the viddtha,O thou god."6

10. "At JStavedas' viddtha Iwill speak aloud the conquering might of the swift red-huedsteer.

A pure and fresher hymn flows to VaiSvanara, even so for Agni lovely Soma ismade pure."7

11. "The princely worshippers who send to those who sing thy praise, O Agni, guerdonor reward graced with kine and steeds?Lead thou both these and us forward to higher bliss, with brave men or heroes inthe viddtha, may we speak aloud."8

12. "May Indra come to us for our protection; here be the hero praised, our feastcompanion;

1 Ibid., X, 11,3, yddlm uSdntam uiatdm dnu krdtumagnltn hdtdram viddth&ya jfjanan. The sdmitioccursin verse 8, ydd agna esd sdmitir bhdvdti; cf. AV, XVIII, 1, 20.2 Ibid., 85, 26, grhdn gaccha gfhdpatnl ydthdso vailril tvdm viddtham d vaddsi; cf. AV, XIV, 1, 20.3 Ibid., 85, 27, end pdtyd tanvdm sdm srjasvddhd jlvrl viddtham d vaddthab; cf. AV, XIV, 1, 21.4 Ibid., Ill, 26, 6, vrdtam-vrdtam gandm-ganam suiastibhir agnir bhdmam marutSm dja Imahe prsadaivaso anavabhrd-r&dhaso gdntSro yajhdm viddthesu dhfrQh.* Ibid., 14, 1, d hdta mandrd viddthUny asthSt sat yd ydjvd kavltamah sd vedhdb.6 Ibid., II, 1, 4, tvdm agne rdjd vdruno dhrtd-vratas... tvdm dmio viddthe deva bhdjayub7 Ibid., VI, 8, \,prksdsya vfaqo arusdsya nd sdhah prd n& vocam viddthS jdtdvedasah.8 Ibid., II, 1, 16, brhdd vadema viddthe suvfrdh; 23 hymns in this mana'ala conclude with this pdda.



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THE QUESTION OF THE VIDATHA IN VEDIC INDIA 45

May he whose powers are many, waxen mighty, cherish, like Dyaus (the Asura)his own supreme dominion.Here magnify his (Indra's) great heroic exploits, most glorious one, enriching menwith bounties;Whose will is like a sovereign (samrdf) in the viddtha, invocation to thetriumphant, all surpassing."1

13. "Agni, the Hotar-priest, the accomplisher of the viddtha, waker of knowledge,chief controller of the thought?Him, yea, none other than thyself, does man elect at sacrificial offerings, great andsmall alike."2Here Agni, the arrangers, those attached to thee, elect thee as their priest in theviddtha.When men with strewn clipped grass and sacrificial gifts offer thee entertainment,piously inclined."314. "The glorious Agni, have I praised with the sacred food.

May Agni deck the gods for us.Between both viddthas he goes on his embassy, the wise;May all the others die away."415. "The Maruts watch theman who sings their praises, promoters of the thought ofhim who worships.Seat you on sacred grass in our viddthas, this day, with friendly minds, to share

the bouquet."616. "This Soma here, the wise, the all-obtainer, flows on his way as kings of allexistence.

Driving the drops at our viddthas, Indu completely traverses the fleecy filter."817. "How shall I serve thee,Maghavan, though knowing fully well what heroic deedsthat thou hast accomplished?And the fresh deeds which thou wilt do, mighty! these too, will we declare in the

viddthas"118. "As itwere some goodly treasureMStariSvan brought, as a gift the glorious priestto Bhrgu;Banner of the viddtha, the good protector, child of two births, the swiftly moving

envoy (Agni)."819. "Slight us not Varuna, Aryman, or Mitra, Rbhuksan, Indra, Ayu or theMaruts,When we declare amid the viddtha the virtues of the strong-steed, god-descended."91 Ibid., IV, 21,2, ydsya krdtur vldathyb nd samrdfsdhvdn tdrutro abhy dsttkrsfib*Ibid., X, 91, 8, medhdkdrdm viddthasya prasddhanam agnim hdtdramparibhatamam matlm.8 Ibid., 91, 9, tvdm Iddtra vrnate tvdydvo hdtdram agne viddthesu vedhdsah.4 Ibid., VHI, 39,1, agnlr devdm anaktu na ubhi hi viddthe kavlr antdi cdrati dutydm ndbhantdm anyakisame.

Ibid., VII, 57, 2, asmdkam adyd viddthesu barhlr d vltdye saaata pipriydrtdb.4 Ibid., IX, 97, 56, sdmo vl&vasya bhuvanasya rdjd drapsdm Irdyan viddthesv Induh.7 Ibid., V, 29, 13, yd co na ndvya krndvah iavisfha prid u td te viddthesu bravdma.9 Ibid., I, 60, 1, vdhnim yaidsam viddthasya ketum suprdvydm dutdm sadyd-artham; cf. %V, III, 3, 3.Ibid., 162,1, ydd vdjlno devd-jdtasya sdptefypravaksydmo viddthe vlry&ni.



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46 THE QUESTION OF THE VIDATHA IN VEDIC INDIA20. "I, in remembrance of thine ancient favor, have sung my hymns in this our thirdviddtha (of the day).0 Agni, give us wealth with store of heroes andmighty strength in food and noble

offspring."121. "The fair-tongued Savitar, the golden-handed, comes thrice (for daily sacrifices)from heaven in our viddtha.

Bear to the gods this song of praise, and send us, then, Savitar, complete andperfect safety."2

22. "Streams! The wise gods (vihedevas) have thrice three habitations.Child of threemothers (? three seasons), he is Lord in the viddthas.Three are the holy ladies of the waters (IIS, Sarasvati, Bharati), thrice (at threedaily sacrifices) here from heaven supreme in our viddtha."3

23. "The viddtha, inwhich the gods rejoice, seated in Vivasvat's (the sun's) dwelling(sddane).Has given the Moon his beams, the sun his splendor; the two unweariedlymaintain their brightness."4

24. "At the great viddthawill I laud thy (Indra's) two bay steeds;1 prize the sweet strong drink of thee, the warrior god.His who pours lovely oil as itwere with yellow drops. Let my songs enter theewhose form hath holden tints."625. "Of Indra is themight celestial nobly formed; the singer in the house (grhe?kavih)isAgni, the prudent sage;And he is the sacrifice (yajndh) in the viddtha, fair,most near.We ask for freedom and complete felicity."626. "This world's imperial kings, O Mitra-Varuna, ye rule in the viddtha, looking onthe light.We pray for rain, your boon, and immortality; through heaven and over earththe thunderers (roaring winds) take their way."727. "To the eastern sacrifice (prdhcam yajhdrh) have we turned; may the hymn aid it;with wood and worship shall they (the priests) honour Agni.From heaven the viddthas of the wise have learned it; even for the quick and

strong they seek advancement."828. "Within the house (duroni) sat the king immortal of mortals (Agni), theaccomplisher of the viddtha.Bedewed with holy oil he shines widely, Agni, the knower of all secret wisdom."9

1 Ibid., II, 4, 8, nd te pdrvasydvaso ddhltau trttye viddthe mdnma iamsi.Ibid., Ill, 54,11, hlranya-pdnih savitd sujihvds trlr d divd viddthe pdtyamdnafr.8 Ibid., 56, 5, trf sadhdsthd sindhavas trlb kavlndm utd trimdtd viddthesu samrdf/rtdvarlr ydsanas tisrddpyds trir d divd viddthe pdtyamandh; see also verse 8.4 Ibid., X, 12, 7, ydsmin devd viddthe mdddyante vivdsvatafr sddane dhdrdyante; AV, XVIII, 1, 35.6 Ibid., 96, 1,prd te mahi viddthe iamsisam hdrlprd te vanve vanuso haryatdm mdaam; AV, XX, 30,1.Ibid., 100, 6, yajHdi ca bhQd viddthe carur dntama d sarvdtdtim dditim vrnlmahe.7 Ibid., V, 63, 2, samrdjOv asyd bhuvanasya rdjatho mltrd-varund viddthe svar-dfi&.8 Ibid., Ill, 1, 2, divdh iaidsur viddtha kavlndm gftsdya cit tavdse gilt Am Isub', cf. Sayana and Ludwig'scomments.Ibid., 1,18, ni durone* amfto mdrtyandm rdjdsasdda viddthdni sddhan.



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THEQUESTIONOF THBVIDATHAIN VEDIC INDIA 4729. "Immortal sacrificer, god (Agni) with wonderous power, he leads the way

urging the great viddthas on."130. "We have beheld the brightness of her (Dawn's) shining; it spreads and drives away

the darksome monster.Like tints that deck the post at the viddthas, heaven's daughter has attained herwondrous splendour."2

31. "Bring ye (ViSvedevas) the great Aramati (? personification of religious worship)before you, and Pusan as the hero of the viddtha,Bhaga who looks upon this hymn with favor, and, as our strength, the bountiful

Purandhi."332. "In every age bestow upon the singers wealth, worthy of the viddtha, glorious,

ever new.

King (Agni) undecaying, as itwere with sharpened bolt, smite down the sinnerlike a tree with lightning-flash."433. "Like babes in arms reposing on their mothers, let the gods (the Visvedevas) sit

upon the grass's summit.Let general fire make bright the flame of worship: scorn us not Agni, in the gods'viddtha."*

34. "Thou (Lightning) whom ail the gods created, the bold ones (the gods) making allanew for hurling?do thou be sung in the viddtha, bemerciful to us;To thee as such be homage, O Goddess."835. "What of you is joyous, O Fathers, and delectable (somyd), there will be at hand,for you are of (your) own splendour;

Do you, rapid poets, listen, invoked at the viddtha"136. "Come you (Agni) obstructing the track of death, assuming furthermore a longerlifetime;

Sitting in your station (sadhdsthe), thrust you (away) death;Then may we, living, speak to the viddtha."*

37. "Thou (sun) goest about Trta (?), thou goest about the fountain of a thousandstreams, the heaven-gaining viddtha.Thine of Indra, are heroisms manifold; do thou fill us with cattle of all forms, set

me in comfort in the highest firmament."91 Ibid., Ill, 27, 7, hdtd devd dmartyab purdstdd eti mdydyd vtddthdntpracoddyan.* Ibid., I, 92, 5, svdrum na pe"io viddthesv afiidfi citrdm divd duhitd bhdnum airet.9 Ibid., VII, 36, 8, prd vo mahtm ardmatim krnudhvam prd pusdnam vidathydm nd vlrdm; Sayana takesmahim ardmatim as "the never-resting Earth"; cf. Muir, O.S. Texts, IV, p. 317; Griffith, Hymns of theW, II, P. 21, n. 8.4 Ibid., VI, 8, 5, yugi-yuge vidathyam grnddbhyd %gnerayim yaidsam dhehi ndvyaslm.9 Ibid., VII, 43, 3, d vt&vacl vldathydm anaktv dgne md no devdtdtd mfdhas kab.4AV, 1,13,4, sa no mraa viddthe grndnd tdsyai te ndmo astu devi. The versions are those of Bloomfieldwith occasional alterations. The texts is from S. D. Satavalekar's edition, 3rd impression, Pardi, 1957.7 Ibid., XVIII, 3, 19, te1armnah kavaya a irnota suviddtrd viddthe huydmdndb.9 Ibid., XII, 2,30, dslnd mrtytim nudatd sadhdsthi 'thajlvdso viddtham a vadema.Ibid., XVII, 1,15, tvdm trtdm tvdm pdryesy utsam sahdsra-dhdram viddtham svar-vldam tdved visno

bahudhd vlry&ni.



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48 THEQUESTIONOF THEVIDAtHA IN VEDIC INDIA38. "The offered ghee, themilk, which is in the ruddy (kine), that is your portion here,ye A$vins; come,

Ye sweet ones, maintainers of the viddtha,Lords of the good, drink ye the heated ghee or oblation (gharmd)1 in the shiningspace of the sky."2

39. "Where the eagles in the viddtha sound incessantly (anime$dm) unto the drought ofamfta?thus the shepherd of all existence (yUvasya bMvanasya gopdh) he(dtmd) the wise one entered there intome that am simple."340. "The (two) invokers of the gods, first, well-voiced, shaping the sacrifice (yajndm)for man (mdnufo) to sacrifice (ydjadhyai); urging forward at the viddthas, the

(two) singers (kdrfi) pointing out the ancient light through the fore-regions."4According to Roth, the sense of viddtha isprimarily "order", then "the concrete body

which gives the orders", then the "assembly" for secularor

religious endsor for war.6 This

interpretation is vague and so far as we know viddtha is never used in the sense of "order"or giver of orders.6 Oldenberg once thought that the main idea of the viddtha was"ordinance" (from vi-dhd, dispose, ordain) and thence "sacrifice".7 There are various viewsabout the derivation of theword, and its origin from vid, to know, ismost probable, but ithas been taken to stand for sacrifice in some passages of the Rg Veda8 and the AtharvaVeda.9 Ludwig thought that the root idea of the viddtha was an "assembly", especially oftheMagadhans and the Brahmanas.10 In some of the verses the word occurs in the sense ofa mere gathering or assemblage of people, and has no political connotation.11 Geldner heldthat the word primarily meant "knowledge", "wisdom", "priestly-lore", then "sacrifice"and "spiritual authority".12 This view also appears to be only partially right, though moreconvincing than the others. However, there is not much evidence to show that only thelearned and the wise were concerned with the viddtha and that itmeant spiritual authority.Bloomfield, on the other hand, insisted that the viddtha referred to a "house" in the firstplace (from vid, acquire) and then to the "sacrifice" as connected with the house.13 In theopinion of Keith and Macdonell "this ... appears to suit all the passages".14 We do notagree with this interpretation entirely, although in some cases the viddtha stands for sacrifice.Its connection with house ismisleading. Bloomfield's derivation of the word from vid, toacquire, is doubtful. This connotation may have been given to the word at a later period.

1Cf. M. Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary, s.v. gharma.8 AV, VII, 73,4, mddhvl dhartdrd vidathasya satpatl taptdm gharmdm pibantam rocane' divdb.9 Ibid., IX, 9, 22, ydtrd suparnd amftasya bhaksdm dnimesam viddthdbhdsvdranti.4 Ibid., V, 12, 7, aalvyd hdt&rd prathamd suvdcd mlmdnd yajHdm tndnuso ydjadhyai/pracoddyantdviddthesu kdrd prdcfnam jydtify pradlid diidntd.9R. Roth, Skt.-Wdrt., St. Petersburg, s.v. viddtha, based on RV, I, 31, 6; 117, 25; III, 1, 18; AV, IV,25, 1; V, 20,12; %V, II, 1, 4; III, 38, 5-6; 1,166,2; V., 59, 2, etc.6 For further details see our interpretation below, p. 49 ff.7 Sacred Books of the East, V, 46, p. 26 ff.; cf. Macdonell, Vedic Grammar, p. 23, n. 10.9 RV, X, 11, 3; 1,60,1; X, 92,2; 91, 8; V. 33, 9; III, 38, 5; etc.; cf. below, p. 52 ff.A V, VII, 77, 4; > VIII, 1,20; XX, 30,1; etc.; cf. below.>?Tr. of the $g Veda, III, p. 259 ff.? AV, IX, 14,22.? Vedische Studien, I, p. 147; RVGlossen, p. 161." JAOS., XIX, 25, p. 12 ff.

14 Vedic Index, London, 1912, II, pp. 296-7.



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THEQUESTIONOF THEVIDATHAIN VEDIC INDIA 49In Vedic literature the root vid has primarily the connotation of knowledge, and not ofacquisition.1Zimmer held the view that the viddtha sometimes meant a "smaller assembly" than thesdmiti.2This view has been rightly criticized by thewriters of the Vedic Index who say that"we have no ground to be certain that such smaller assemblies ever existed at an early datein India or elsewhere among the Aryan peoples".3 In Jayaswal's opinion religious lifewasorganized through the "viddtha assembly, which had existed even earlier than the sdmiti"."It seems," he writes, "to have been the parent folk-assembly from which the sabhd, sdmitiand sind differentiated, for we find the viddtha associated with civil, military and religiousfunctions."4 This, however, is too adventurous a view and cannot be substantiated by oursources.6 Thieme, somewhat following Oldenberg, attempted yet another etymology andderived it from vi-dhd, primarily meaning "verteilen, zuteilen", and also "order" in thesecondary sense.6 In Thieme's view these meanings can fit almost all the contexts.7 We do notsupport his hypothesis because in our opinion this interpretation of viddtha seems to bevalid only for a few occurrences of the word.8Altekar derived theword from the root vid, to know, and suggested that it indicated areligious or sacrificial gathering, the rituals at which required the highest knowledge. In hisopinion, "it was a big assembly, probably representing the entire tribe, because there arereferences to people being arranged there by groups, and singing and dancing."9 His view,like that of Jayaswal and others, that iswas a big assembly of the entire tribe, is unwarrantedby the sources. A local settlement canwell provide enough people to be arranged ingroups ofsingers and dancers.In recent years Professor R. S. Sharma has strongly pleaded the case for the viddtha,as a political assembly following the pattern of Jayaswal.10 In his opinion as well, "theviddthawas the earliest folk-assembly of the Indo-Aryans attended both bymen and women,performing all kinds of functions, economic, military, religious and social."11 This view,like the earlier ones, needs careful scrutiny, and we shall examine his arguments first, oneby one.

Following Roth, Jayaswal had suggested that the viddtha seemed to have been "theparent folk-assembly from which the sabhd, sdmiti and sind differentiated". ProfessorSharma does not support this view outright, but impliesmore or less the same thing whenhe states that "although there is no direct evidence to establish the institutional connectionbetween the viddtha on the one hand, and the sabhd and sdmiti on the other, an examinationof the mass of the occurrences of the word in different contexts would show prominent

1M. Williams, op. cit., s.v. vid and vidatha.9 Altindlsches Leben, Berlin, 1879, p. 177.? Vedic Index, II, p. 297.4Hindu Polity, 3rd Edn., Bangalore, 1954, p. 20. Based on Roth and RV, in, 38, 5; II, 1,4; III, 1,4.6 For further discussion see below, p. 10 ft.4Cf. P. Thicme, Untersuchungen zur Wortkunde und Auslegung des Rigveda, Vidatha, Haale/Saale,1949, pp. 35-7.7 Ibid., pp. 37-49.9Cf. below, p. 53 ff.9 State and Government, inAncient India, 3rd edn., Patna, 1958, p. 141.10Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions, Patna, 1959, pp. 63-80; JBRS., 1952, p. 429 ff.11Ibid., p. 79; cf. Prof K. P. Mukerji, Ancient Political Experiences, Colombo, 1961, pp. 85-6.JRAS. APRIL. 1965. 4



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50 THE QUESTION OF THE VIDATHA IN VEDIC INDIAtraces of the earliest folk-assembly in the viddtha".1 In order to strengthen his case, Sharmaseeks parallels from some anthropological studies of later tribal peoples, and furthercompares the viddtha, "in particular, to the religious functions of the early assemblies of theIndo-European peoples." Then he appears to compare the viddtha not with the Romancomitia, but with "each of the thirty curiae,... (which) had its peculiar worship andchapel".2The viddtha cannot be compared with the Roman comitia because the latter was apolitical institution like the sdmiti of theVedic aristocracies. The comitia centuriata was the"assembly of the curiae or wards at Rome".8 Such wards were not only unknown to VedicIndians, but also even to the later republics of the Buddhist period. The comitia also dealt

with "election to certain priesthoods, and other religious matters",4 whereas there is noevidence to show that the viddtha did so on the tribal level. In fact, the latter cannot becompared with the former in any respect. Moreover, Sharma seems to be contradictinghimself in comparing the viddtha with each of the thirty Roman curiae. In that case headmits that the viddtha was a local body, and even then the analogy cannot go furtherbecause the curia was a political constituency, which the viddtha was not. Hence Sharma'scomparison is unsuitable.Another significant claim of Professor Sharma is that "women attended themeetingsof the viddtha and took part in its deliberations" and that itwas "a sort of assembly".He further says that in some cases "the viddthameans a family council", which he comparesto the council of the Iroquois, which generally served as the "democratic assembly of alladult male and female members of the gens, all with equal voice".6 "In this respect,"Sharma continues, "the viddtha was completely different from the earliest known Greek,Roman and German popular assemblies, in which woman did not find any place."6 Heinfers the antiquity of the viddtha by noticing the right of women to take part in popularassemblies according to the old Welsh laws of "not later than the eleventh century a.d.".7These institutions of a civilized medieval people can hardly be accepted as evidence ofwomen's rights among the earliest Indo-European peoples, except by one who is fullyconvinced of the absolute accuracy of theMarxist hypothesis that matriarchy invariablypreceded patriarchy.There are a number of weaknesses in the line of argument which Professor Sharma hasfollowed. We think that themere association of women with the viddtha does not necessarilymake it "a sort of assembly". We do not deny that thewomen took part in the viddtha andits ceremonies, but this only shows that in this respect itwas unlike the political institutionsof the sabhd and sdmiti. In no early assemblies of the ancient Indo-European republicanpeoples, except perhaps the Germans,8 do we find the association of women and the fact

1 Ibid., p. 64.8 Ibid., p. 73.8Harvey, The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, Oxford, 1937, p. 117 ff.4 Ibid., p. 118.* Op. cit., p. 65; cites F. Engels, Origin of the Fat tily, Private Property and the State, p. 126, as basis.Ibid., pp. 65-6.7 Ibid., p. 66; Engels, op. cit, p. 188.8We believe that Sharma is wrong, at least in the case of the early Germans who "conceived that inwoman was a certain uncanny and prophetic sense; they neither scorned to consult them nor slighted theiranswers"; cf. Tacitus, De Germania, Loeb Classical Library, London, 1932, p. 277.



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THEQUESTIONOF THEVIDATHAIN VEDIC INDIA 51that they participated in the viddtha isa strong argument in favour of the conclusion that itwas not a political assembly at all but amere gathering of a settlement for the performanceof religious ceremonies. In all Hindu sacrifices and religious ceremonies women areparticipants with men. Hence their association with the viddtha points to its non-politicalnature, and its local as opposed to tribal character.

Sharma's acceptance of the viddtha as a "family council" in certain contexts, and hiscomparison of itwith the "democratic assembly" of the Iroquois gens show that the analogyis not accurate. The family council consists of the members, male and female, of onefamily?grandparents, their sons and daughters-in-law and their grandsons and granddaughters-in-law?, whereas gens are formed of a number of such families. Therefore,Sharma's comparison of the viddtha "family council" with the "democratic assembly" ofthe Iroqouis gens is erroneous. Moreover, even if he means a gens-council by the term"family council", we have no evidence to show that the women attended such councils inVedic times. In both cases the analogy is false.Moreover, Sharma's comparison of the "earliest known Greek, Roman and Germanpopular assemblies" is not suitable, because they were political institutions. A moreapproximate comparison of these popular assemblies would be with the Vedic sdmiti.Sharma admits that, unlike the sabhd and the sdmiti, there is "no direct evidence of its(the viddtha*s) tribal character",1 but he tries to show that "the association of the ganawith the viddthamay be taken as indirect evidence" of this.2 The term gand here3 simplymeans a group of people, and not "tribal groups", as Sharma interprets it. Other referencesto the gand in the passages he uses are in connection with theMaruts. Thus, the argumentsfor the viddthas tribal character produced by Professor Sharma are weak and inconclusive.

Then Professor Sharma talks of the "function of debate" being exercised by the "Vedicassemblies, e.g. the vidathd, the sabhd and sdmiti", which, in his opinion, "is not to befound in the early popular assemblies of the other Indo-European peoples."4 He forgetsthat the Roman patres-famillas elected the rex before the foundation of the republic, andthat later the comitia centuriata, the assembly of the Roman Republic, elected the chiefmagistrates and heard appeals in capital cases.6 The Athenian ecclesia had the absolutepower of the republic; itdebated on the questions of war and peace and itwas the membersof the ecclesia who tried Socrates.6 Itwas the community of the early Germans which chosechiefs, conducted trials and decided larger questions.7 Moreover, we also notice the rolethat the Vikings played in the election of their chiefs.8 Hence, it is a wrong assertion that"the early popular assemblies of the other Indo-European peoples" had no debating

1Op. cit., p. 66.? Ibid., p. 67.* Ibid., p. 66, RV, III, 26, 6, vrdtam-vrdtam gandm-ganam suiasttbhir agnir bhdmam marutdm djaImahe/pfsad-as'vdso anavabhrd-rddhaso gdntdro yajffdm viddthesu vlrdb. Cf. gartdb inM. Williams, SanskritEnglish Dictionary; St. Petersburg Worterbuch; M. Mayrhofer, Etymological Dictionary, s.v. gartdb,Schar, Reihe, Menge.4 Ibid., p. 67.9Harvey, op. cit., p. 117; cf. Heitland, The Roman Republic, Cambridge, 1909,1, p. 40 ff.4A. H. J. Greenidge, A Handbook of Greek Constitutional History, London, 1896, p. 211 ff; L. Whibley,Greek Oligarchies, their Character and Organization, London, 1896, p. 165 ff.; Plato, The Apology.7Tacitus, De Germania, p. 277 ff.Cf. Chambers* Encyclopaedia; Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v., Iceland; A. J. Peaslee, Constitutionsof Nations, II, pp. 179-88.



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52 THE QUESTION OF THE VIDAtHA IN VEDIC INDIAfunction. Sharma further ingeniously suggests, on very meagre grounds, that the viddthaas an assembly "made laws and ordinances for the regulation of the affairs of the tribe".1We have no evidence of even the sabhd and the sdmitimaking laws and ordinances.On the authority of Oldenberg,2 Sharma says that the viddtha distributed among its

members whatever they procured as food, because in one hymn members are summonedin the viddtha on the occasion of the distribution of whatever is produced daily by Savitr,3and because Agni is described as the liberal distributor of produce in the viddtha.He pointsout that in this respect the viddtha stood in sharp contrast to the sabhd and the sdmiti.* Thefact of the distribution of produce by Savitr and Agni's being called a liberal distributordo not prove that the viddtha performed such a function. The sabhd and sdmiti are alludedto as distributing the spoils of war among theirmembers.6Sharma further says that themain military function of the viddthamay have been to"conduct the tribal war against hostile tribes".6 Altekar rightly criticizes this view which,he says, "is untenable, nor did it (the viddtha) do every distributive work."7 The passage thatSharma cites in support of the military function of the viddtha is not conclusive. Thepassage in question is "bfhdd vadema viddthe suvtrdh"* which Sharma translates as "withbrave sons (or heroes) in the assembly (viddtha) may we speak aloud"; closely followingGriffith, who takes suvtrdh to mean "brave men".9 On the other hand, Geldner translatesthe pada as "wir mdchten das grosse Wort fiihren als Meister in der weisen Rede".10Geldner emphasizes the point of wisdom in the word viddthe and takes suvtrdh to mean"masters". However, the word has a definite connotation of "hero" and should betranslated as "with good heroes may we speak high (or boast) in the congregation". It isa prayer to the gods, and expresses the wish of the singers that they might have goodheroes in their settlement.We have examined the six central mang*alas (ii to vii) of the Rg Veda in order to see howvarious hymns are concluded by the fsi-poets who composed them. After an analysis of the620 hymns which comprise these six mandalas, we come to the conclusion that themannerof ending the hymn is a matter of individual style and no implicit faith can be put in suchrepetitions. The second mantfala contains as many as 23 hymns which end with the padaquoted above.11 On the third man4ala, 12 out of 62 hymns end in "who slays the Vftrds,wins and gathers riches",12 and seven end with yet another stock formula, while theremainder have individual final pddas. In the fourth, at least eight hymns end ina set style.13The fifth and sixth books also have hymns ending in the same words, and in the seventh

1Op cit., p. 67.2 Sacred Books of the East, XLVI, p. 26.9 RV,VU,AO,U4 Op. cit., pp. 67-8.* CLRV,X, 11,8.4Op. cit., p. 69.7A. S. Altekar, op. cit., p. 141, n. 1.9RV, II, 1, 16.*Griffith translates it as "with brave men in the assembly may we speak aloud*10His translation of RV, II, 1,16.11RV,ll, 1,16; 2,13; 11, 21; 12,15; 13,15; 14,12; 15,10; 16,9; 17,9; 18,9; 19, 9; 20, 9; 23, 19;24,16; 27,17; 28,11; 29, 7; 33,15; 39, 8; also 1,117, 25. Sharma pointed only 21 such verses.? RV, III, 30-2; 34-6, 38, 39, 43, 48-50 (hymn nos.)." Ibid., IV, hymns 16,17, 19-24.



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THE QUESTION OF THE VIDATHA IN VEDIC INDIA 53

mandala we find as many as 65 hymns ending with the same pdda, "Ye gods, preserve usevermore with blessings."1In the light of this it seems that the endings of these hymns merely indicate theindividual style of the poet. The 23 hymns ending with the wish of the singers to be able toboast with heroes in the congregation show the desire of the people for strong warriors inthe congregation of the settlement. The viddtha had no military function as such, but might,likemedieval bards, have prayed for the success of the tribal army (sind), which was distinctfrom the viddtha, and was associated with the sabhd and sdmiti.Professor Sharma continues, in presenting his argument, that the "people gathered inthis assembly (viddtha), fought together, sang together, prayed together, played togetherand deliberated together without any discrimination of sex".2 We have examined theevidence with regard to the viddtha and do not fully agree with this statement. At the villagecongregations people might have sung together without discrimination of sex, but there isno evidence to show that they fought together, deliberated together and played together inthe viddtha. The sabhd and the sdmitimight have done all these things, but there isno groundfor attributing all these activities to the viddtha.We have quoted, at the beginning of this section, fairly representative passagesrepresenting about one-third of the total of 117which refer to the institution of the viddthain the two Vedas. They include most of the passages used by Professor Sharma in hisargument that the viddthawas the "earliest folk-assembly of the Indo-Aryans". It is evidentthat the viddtha was a popular institution of the Vedic Indians, but its occurrences areindependent of, and comparatively fewer than, those of jdna and vis, denoting tribe orpeople, which occur 275 and 271 times respectively.8 If the viddthawas a tribal organization,as Professor Sharma gives us to understand, one would expect it to be associated either withjdna or vii. But in fact there is not a single hymn in the entire Rg collection which associatesthe viddtha with these two words. Hence, it can be fairly concluded that the viddtha, unlikethe sabhd and the sdmiti, did not have a tribal connotation.In order to show the viddtha's tribal character, Sharma depends entirely on itsassociation with gand,A the termwhich hemistakenly interprets to a be a "technical word forthe republic" in theRg Veda. His evidence of the tribal character of the viddtha and the ganacomes from a later source which gives 63 as the number of the gand of Maruts.5 This is thelargest number of theMaruts' gand thatwe have from the Vedic sources. The word gand, inthe sense of amere collection of men or troops, does occur in the Rg Veda, but has no tribalor political implication, though it received this sense in later times. Thus, the dissociation ofthe viddtha from themost common terms for the tribe, jdna and vis, and the largest numberof members of a gand being too small even to form a settlement, forbid all attempts atmaking the viddtha a tribal folk-assembly of the Vedic people.According to our interpretation of the sources, the sdmiti alone was the popularinstitution of the Vedic period. That it originated and developed from the heads of families

* Ibid., VII, hymns 1, 3, 4, 7-9, 11-14,19-30, 34-7, 39-43, 45-8, 51, 53-4, 56-8, 60-5, 67-73, 75-80,84-8,90-3,95,97-101.*Op. cit., pp. 79-80.8 Sharma, op. cit., p. 77.4 Ibid., p. 66; based on $ V, III, 26, 6.*Ibid., p. 82; Satapatha Brahmana, II, 5, 1, 12; Tdndya Mahdbrahmana, XIX, 14, 2.



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54 THE QUESTION OF THE VIDATHA IN VEDIC INDIAof the vii, who chose the king and represented the earliest stage of political development inthe non-monarchical political communities, ismost likely.What evidence there is for theearliest folk-assembly of the Vedic people is connected with the sdmiti. If the viddtha wasthe earliest folk-assembly, it would be expected that it participated in some importanttribal functions, such as the election of a king. We know of no verse in the Rg Veda andAtharva Veda which associates the viddtha with the establishment of a man to kingship.Out of about 100 references to the viddtha, it occurs in the Rg Veda only twice inconnection with the sabhd,1 and once in the same hymn as the sabhd,2 and only once does itappear in the same hymn as the sdmiti,3where it stands for "one worthy of the congregation"(vidathyam); "congregation" (vidathyb) and "sacrifice" (viddtha). These rare occurrencesof viddtha with sabhd and sdmiti indicate that there is little institutional connection betweenthem. Moreover, all of about twenty mentions of viddtha in the Atharvan hymns areabsolutely independent of these two well-known political institutions. Furthermore, thereis no allusion either to the viddtha taking part in the choice of the king, or to the politicaldeliberations of the tribe taking place in it. There is no reference in the whole range ofVedic literature which points to its (the viddtha*s) tribal character, and the fact that it is notassociated with political institutions and political activities strongly weakens the case forits being interpreted as the "parent folk-assembly" or the "earliest folk-assembly of theIndo-Aryans". On the other hand, it appears to be a local body without any politicalconnotation and to have performed no political functions.All the four references to the viddtha in the Rg Veda in connection with the sabhdand the sdmiti have religious connotations. In fact, most of the 97 verses which refer tothe viddtha have a religious fervour about them. In not a single hymn is viddtha disassociatedfrom the gods?Soma, the Maruts, U$as Agni, Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Indra, Pusan,Savitr, Aramati, Bhaga, Rodasi, Surya, Candra, Rbhuksan, theASvins, and theViSvedevasare the heroes and the heroines of the viddtha. Indra,Mitra and Varuna are the emperors(samrdfs) of the viddtha.Agni is the viddtha*s immortal Hotr, and in an Atharvan hymn theviddtha is described as "heaven-gaining viddtha".4A number of hymns associate the viddthawith the house6 and the above quotations clearly show the relations of the viddtha, thecongregation, and the yajHd, or sacrifice.That the word sometimes stood for the sacrifice as such is also indicated by somehymns.6 A number of passages connect the viddtha with three daily sacrifices,7 thusemphasizing its religious and local character. Some passages also allude to the sacred grass,soma-pouring, feast, wood, ghee and milk oblations and inviting the gods to sit on thesacred grass, in connection with the viddtha. Thus, they clearly link this institution withthe sacrifice and religious rites. Agni is the banner (ketuh) and the accomplisher of the

1RV, I, 91, 20; 167, 3.* Ibid., II, 24, 13 (sabhd), 16 (viddthe). The order of the words is also significant; sddanydm?belongsto the house; sabhiyam to the "tribal council"; vidathydm occurring between them must refer to a village orsettlement, as the Vedic society had no other territorial divisions.8 Ibid., X, 11, 3 (viddtha), 8 (sdmiti).4 AV,XVlll, 1, 15.9RV, X, 85, 26, 27; 1,12, 7; X, 100, 6; III, 1, 18; AV, XVIII, 1, 20, 21, etc.4 RV, X, 11, 3; 91, 8; 97, 56; I, 60,1; X, 96,1; III, 1, 18; 1, 92, 5; AV, XVIII, I, 20; 3, 19; XVII, 1,15; VII, 77, 4; etc.7 RV, I, 92, 5; II, 4, 8; III, 1, 2; 54, 11; 56, 5; X, 11, 3; AV, V. 12, 7; VIII, 77, 4.



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THEQUESTIONOF THEVIDATHAIN VEDIC INDIA 55sacrifice (viddtha),1 and the Asvins are itsmaintainers.2 In rare cases viddtha simply meansa mere collection.8

Numerous occurrences of the viddtha in the Rg Veda and Atharva Veda and its closeassociation with the sacrifice, worship, and all gods, together with its not being a tribalbody, all point to the fact that the viddthawas a local congregation of the Vedic settlements,concerned primarily with religious rites and ceremonies. Our consultations with classicalhistorians show that in early societies inGreece and Rome there were no special religiousorganizations on a tribal basis. The political assemblies, sdmiti, ecclesia and comitia,performed religious rites as well as their main political functions.The references to vidathyh, "one worthy of the congregation," indicate that somequalification was necessary for one to be called a vidathyh, and not all those who attendedthe synod were called by this designation.4 One hymn refers to two laud-singer Brahmanasin the viddtha* and a Rg and an Atharvan hymn refer to poets (kavdyah) in the viddtha.*Later, we find proper names of the Brahmanas, such as Vidathin1 and Vidathakrtin* and thelexicons interpret the word vidathyh as a "saint" or an "ascetic".9 It is then a temptingconclusion that only those Brahmans who had learned the sacrificial lore and performedthe actual sacrifice, or assisted in the performance of one, were designated as vidathyhs.The Brahmanas and the poets singing in the viddtha support this conclusion, which isfurther confirmed by Brahmanas versed in sacrificial lore being called vidathyh.Usually inthe Vedic hymns, viddtha has the connotation of a congregation or synod.10 The evidenceshows that local congregational meetings were held at which gods were worshipped and theBrahmanas sang hymns in praise of the gods, asking for good luck and prosperity for thesettlement.

There is yet another context in which the social aspect of the viddtha is revealed. In along Rg Vedic hymn the viddtha is connection with the welcoming of a bride, and anAtharvan hymn also mentions the viddtha in the same context.11 Here the viddtha can hardlymean more than amere gathering of kith and kin who have come to attend the weddingceremony which was, as it is today, a socio-religious rite.Thus, the Vedic literature provides no valid evidence for the viddtha's tribal characteror its political connotation. The sabhd and sdmiti are generally recognized as politicalinstitutions, and, the vii may also have been in its constitutional aspect, a Vedic assembly.This surely leaves little scope for any more political assemblies existing among the simplefarming and cattle-breeding communities of the Vedic Aryans. By comparing the Vedicgand with the Roman assemblies, Professor Sharma implies that the gand was also the same

*K,X,91,8;III, 1,18.5F,X,85,26;^F,III,77,4.8 J?K,IX,9,22.J?K, 1,91, 20; 167, 3; III, 54,1; IV, 21, 2; VI, 8, 5; VII, 36, 8; 40,1; 43, 3; X, 41, 1, etc.Ibid., II, 39, 1, brahmdneva viddtha uktha-sdsd.Ibid., VIII, 39, V,AV, XVII, 3,19.' Panini, VI, 4,165.Sayana on J?F, V, 33,9.Cf. M. Williams, op. cit., s.v., viddtha.? BK 1,91,20; 162,1; 167, 3, 6; II, 1,4,16; 24,16; III, 1, 2; 14,1; 26,6; 27, 7; 54,11; 56, 5; IV, 21,1,2; V, 29, 13; 63, 2; VI, 81, 5; VII, 36, 8; 43, 3; 57, 2; VIII, 39, 1; X, 85, 27; 91, 9; 100, 6, etc.; AV, 1,13,4;V, 12, 7; XII, 2, 30, etc.11 $V, X, 85, 26, 27; AV, XIV, 1, 20, 21.



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56 THE QUESTION OF THE VIDATHA IN VEDIC INDIAkind of assembly, thusmaking a total of five assemblies operating during theVedic period.This was not the case.

The evidence produced and discussed above would show that the viddtha had no tribalor national basis and performed no religious or social or political functions for the entirepolitical community. On the contrary, Vedic literature shows that the viddtha sometimesprayed in bardic fashion for the victory of the tribe; women participated in its religiousceremonies and rites; it took part in socio-religious rituals such asweddings in the settlement;gods were its heroes, and it craved for heroes. In short, the viddthawas a local congregationwhich was largely responsible for the performance of religious ceremonies, and perhaps thatis the reason that most writers on the political institutions of ancient India have eitherignored the viddtha completely1 or have just mentioned it in passing.2

VfdAthaIt should not pass unnoticed that the most recent translation of the Rgveda byL. Renou (Etudes vidiques et pdniniennes I-XIII, 1955-1964, in progress) knows nothing ofviddtha- as "congregation", nor indeed of sabhd and sdmiti- in a political sense. Eachtranslator tends to read into the obscure texts his own theories. As to a connexion of the

isolated word viddtha- a comparison of RV 6.42.2 stutd viddthe ddti vdjam and 9.90.2vi ratnadhd dayate vdrydni indicates (as briefly noted in Transactions of the PhilologicalSociety, 1960, 68, fn. 1) that viddtha- is likely to be the nominal derivative to the verbal ofv/with the base of ddti, ddyate.H. W. Bailey.

1U. N. Ghoshal, History of Indian Political Ideas, Oxford, 1959; Majumdar, Corporate Life inAncientIndia, 2nd Edn. Calcutta, 1924; Shama Sastri, Evolution of Indian Polity, Calcutta, 1920; K. M. Munshi, ed.History and Culture of the Indian People, I, London, 1951 ff.* Jayaswal, Hindu Polity, p. 20; Altekar, State and Government, p. 141; Ghoshal, History of HinduPublic Life, Calcutta, 1945, pt. I, p. 28; R. S. Sharma, op. cit., p. 63 ff (gives a fuller treatment); K. P.Mukerji, op. cit., pp. 85, 86.

Question of the Vidátha in Vedic India

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