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( 30 ) the country or a part of it. Yādva-Jana and BhārataJana respectively mean Yadu country and Bhārata country. Those who were citizens of the particular were also known by the name of the country. The citizens of Yădva-Jana were Yadus and that of Bhārata-Jana Bharatās. Jana here means the people of the country. These Five Peoples (Pañchajanāh) inhabited the Five Territories (Pañchakşitînām). These Peoples' Territories may rightly be called Jana-republics.
The executive organ of the Jana-republic was Parişada. Indra destroyed the Parişada of the Asuras. These Parişadas
possessed great riches. Big granaries at Parişada
Harappa and Mohenjodaro testify the fact that Bhāratīya peasants also produced for the community. The large surplus belonged to the community. The community carried on international trade which brought it untold riches. This wealth belonged to the Republic which was managed by the Parişada. The Brahmāryans desired to own these permanent riches of the Parişadas.48 The Parişada managed the functions of the society. As seen earlier, each self-organised and self-sufficing villages and towns managed their own affairs. This shows that Parişada was responsible to the general body which constituted of adult people. It was in all probability elected or selected by the people.
The supreme authority of the Jana-republic was known as Rājan. This word is formed of the word 'Jan' with
prefix 'ra'. "Rā' is used in the sense of Rajan-the highest Executive of * yield or surrender.“7 The person who Republic
surrendered or renounced his life in the service of the Jana was called Rājan. This word may also be traced to v Rāj to shine's in the sense of anything the chief or best of its kind. One definition given to this word is
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