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Lord Mahavira and His Times
lics. The early authentic literary works make only general statements about these republics, while the detailed information given by the Jātakas is also undependable unless confirmed by some other evidence. These ancient Indian republics possessed certain common features, though they reveal at the same time certain significant differences which were due to their needs and temperaments.
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DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY
When Varshākāra, the chancellor of the king of Magadha, wanted to know the opinion of the Buddha on behalf of his master, as to the advisability of invading the Vajjis-the Lichchhavis and the Videhas-the Buddha indicated to Ananda their seven points of excellence. These may be regarded as the directive principles of state policy. It is not improbable that similar directive principles might have been followed by other contemporary republic states. These principles are as follows:1
1. The Vajjians hold full and frequent public Asscmblies;
2. They meet together in concord and rise in concord and carry out Vajjian business in concord;
3. They enact nothing not already established, abrogate nothing that has been already enacted, and act in accordance with ancient institutions of the Vajjians as established in former days;
4. They honour and esteem and revere and support the Vajjian elders, and regard it as a point of duty to hearken to their words;
5. No women or girls belonging to their clans were detained among them by force or abduction;
6. They honour and esteem and revere and support the Vajjian shrines (chaityas) in town or country, and do not allow the proper offerings and rites, as formerly given and performed, to fall into desuctude;
and
1. Mehpariibbana-Suta, For Eng. tr. See SBE, 11, pp. 3-4 and Dia, 11, Pp. 70-50.
