________________ 68 Homage to Vaisali to be the most fair, procedure. All the 700 Bhiksus then appointed a sub-committee of eight, 4 from the East and 4 from the West. This subcommittee then carefully considered the pros and cons of the different views and arrived at mature conclusions, which were recommended to and accepted by the main body of the Council considering of 700 Bhiksus. In the working of the modern Indian republican constitution both at the centre and in the states, occasions will certainly arise, when the decision of a question by mere majority, though perfectly legal, may appear as inequitable. On such occasions, we shall have to leave the matter for the decision by a representative committee of trusted and experienced elders. Their decision should be normally accepted by the Parliament. PROBLEMS OF FEDERATION Ancient Indian tradition is well aquainted with the working of republican constitutions. But ancient republics were small; compared to them the modern Indian Republic is a gigantic one in size and population. It is a Federation of seventeen Republican States which must live in harmony with one another if the Federation is to be a success. Here again ancient Vaisali will serve as the beacon light. When confronted with the danger of invasion from imperialistic quarters, Vaisali formed a confederation of the Mallas, the Videbas and the Vajjians, in order to present a powerful front. We, in modern India, have done the same by forming a federation of Republican States. We should however, never forget that federation presupposes a willingness to sacrifice a part of our liberty for the welfare of the composite state. Federating units must have a large heart, banishing mutual jealousies and rivalries, otherwise no Federation can work successfully. Above all, we must avoid the drawbacks that brought about the down-fall of ancient Indian repubiics. The Licchavi republic fell primarily because its foreign affairs were in incompetent hands; the men at the helm of the affairs could not detect, that Vassakara, the Minister of Ajatasatru, who had come as a refugee, was really a spy. It must be confessed that our foreign policy has been all along a week one; Hindu states did not try to understand the resources of the Muslim invaders and neither the Hindu nor the Muslim states of medieval times took the preliminary steps of sending their spies and ambassadors abroad to London, Paris or Lisbon to form a correct estimate of the strength of the European powers which were contending for supremacy in India. We are now sending our embassies
