________________
158 POLITICAL HISTORY OF ANCIENT INDIA.
Several scholars assert that Vairūjya means a kingless state. But in the Aitareya Brāhmana' a king consecrated with Indra's great unction is called Virāț and worthy of Vairājya. When a king consecrated with the Punarabhisheka (renewed anointment) ascends his Āsandi or throne, he prays for attaining Vairājya as well as other kinds of royal dignity. Sāyaṇa takes the word Vairājyam to mean pre-eminence among kings, itarebhyo bhupatibhyo vaišishtyam. This is virtually the sense of the word that Dr. Keith accepts in bis translation.
The sukranīti, too, understands Virāț to denote a superior kind of monarch. In the Mahābhārata Krishna is lauded as Samrūt, Virāt, Svarāt and Sura-rāja. If the Uttara-Kurus and the Uttara-Madras are to be regarded as republican, it is not because of the use of the term Vairājya, but because in their case it is not the rājan but the janapada which is said to be anointed for sovereignty. It should, however, be remembered that already in the Brāhmaṇa period Uttara-Kuru has become a devalshetra which the arms of a mortal could not reach.
It is not easy to decide whether all the terms Sāmrūjya, Bhaujya, Svārājya, Vairājya and Rājya referred to essentially different forms of royal authority in the Brāhmaṇic period. But two terms at least, namely, Sāmrājya and Rājya are clearly distinguished by the Satapatha Brāhmaṇa.
1 VIII. 17. 2 B. K. Sarkar's Translation, p. 24; Kautilya (VIII.2), however, takes
Vairājya to mean a system of government which comes into existence by forcible seizure of a country from the legitimate ruler for purposes of exploi
tation. 3 XII. 43. 11; cf. 68.54.
4 Ait. Br. viii. 23. The existence of Ganas and of Ganajyeshthas are hinted at Rig. V. I. 23. 8;.11. 23. 1; X. 34, 12; 112. 9; Sat. Br. XIII. 2. 8. 4. etc.
5 V. 1.1. 12-13 ; cf. Kātyāyana Srauta Sūtra, XV. 1.1, 2.
