Rig Vedic Culture: Polity and Administration

Polity and Administration

• The polity of the Rig Vedic period was that of a tribal society.
• The chief of the tribe was the main political head and he was called rajan.
• The kings lived in multipillared palaces.
• They offered gifts of cattle, chariots and horse ornaments and gold to the priests.
• Rajan was a hereditary chief.
• He was perhaps elected by the assembly called samiti.
• The main duty of the king was to protect the tribe.
• He protected wealth, fought wars, and offered prayers on behalf of gods.
• The king had authority over the territory and people.
• Vedic society was militaristic.
• Bows, daggers, axes and lances were the main weapons of war.
• Tributes and booty collected from war were redistributed by the king.
• There are also references to gift of dasas or slaves.
• The king Trasadasyu, the chief of the Purus, gave away 50 women as a gift.
• The chief was known as gopa or gopati which means, chief of cattle.
• The assemblies called sabha, samiti, vidhata and gana are mentioned in the Rig Veda.
• Sabha was the assembly of elders or the elites, samiti was an assembly of people, and vidhata was the assembly of tribe.
• They performed military and religious functions.
• Women attended the sabhas and vidhatas.
• The king sought the support of the samiti and sabha for his activities.
• There are debates about the exact nature of these assemblies and functions.
• Most of our understanding of the conditions of Vedic society depends upon the interpretations of various terms.
• Sometimes it is hard to reconstruct the original meaning.
• The purohita or priest offered advice to the king.
• Vedic priests advised the kings, inspired them and praised their deeds. In turn they received rewards for their services.
• Senani was the chief of army.
• There is no evidence of tax collecting officers.
• Perhaps people made voluntary contribution called bali to the king.
• Some scholars say that bali was an imposed tax, and not voluntary.
• There is no reference to the administration of justice.
• The officer who controlled the territory was called Vrajapati.
• He helped the kulapas or heads of fighting groups called gramini.
• Gramini was the head of the village and fighting unit.