Kingship caste and class
Contents
*Introduction
*The critical edition of Mahabharata
*Kings and marriage ,rules and practices
*Social differences within the beyond the framework of cast
*Beyond birth resources and status
*Explaining social differences a social contract
The period from c600 bce to 600 CE is a 5 pivotal time for the codification and complexity of India's social structures. For instance , the extension of agriculture into forested areas transform the lives of forest dwellers ,craft specialists often emerged as distinct social groups ; the unequal distribution of wealth starnet social differences.
By studying ancient text like Mahabharata, Dharmsutra ,Buddhist writings, historians understand how family ties, ties and social class shaped societal rules and behaviours . These factors set up the social order and influenced everyday interactions ,marriages and how wealth and power were passed down.
Mahabharata:-
* In focusing on the Mahabharata ,a colossal Epic running in its present form into over 100,000 versus with depictions of a wide range of social categories and situations.
* It was composed over a period of about 1000 years, starting around 500 BCE and some of the stories it contains many have been in circulation even earlier.
* Central story is about two seeds of warring cousins Pandavas and Kauravas.
*The text also contains sections laying down norms of behaviour for various source and groups.
The critical edition of the Mahabharata
The critical addition of Mahabharata is the result of a 47 years long project started in 1919 under the leadership of V.S. sukthankar who collected and compare various Sanskrit manuscript to identify common versus than polish them.
* The final multi volume publication landmark in indology contains over 13000 pages
* The ambitious project begin in 1919 with the goal of producing the definitely critical version of the Mahabharata epic
* V.S. sukthankar a renowned sanskritist led the project which involved a team of dozens of scholarship.
* Scholars collected Sanskrit manuscript from across the Indian subcontinent and developed a method to compare versus from different versions .
* Sanskrit manuscript of the Mahabharata written in various script were gathered from different regions of India.
* Systematic approach was used to compare the verses found in these manuscript.
* Footnotes and appendices highlight how major tradition and local customs interacted
KINGSHIP AND MARRIAGES:MANY RULES AND VARIED PRACTICES
Finding about the families
In early societies kingship or family structure varied Widely across reason and group setting social rules and daily life
Families offen shared resources, live together and perform rituals as a group but what counted as "family "diferred .
For example some communities saw cousin as closed relative, while other did not.
Historians study these family ties to understand how people thought and behave as these ideas likely influenced social actions.
It is easier to find information about elite families but figuring out the family lives of ordinary people is much harder
THE IDEAL OF PATRILINY
*PATRILINY:- Tracing property or decent from father to son, grandson and so on.
*Matriliny:- dacent is traced through mother.
*Mahabharata describes a fued over land and power between two groups of cousins Pandavas and Kauravas .
* They belonged to a single ruling family kurus.
*Kurus was a lineage dominating one of the janapadas.
* The conflict ended in a battle, in which Pandav emerged victorious .
*After that that patrilineal succession was proclaimed .
*while patrilineal had existed prior to the composition of the Epic the central the story of the Mahabharata reinforced the idea that it was valuable .
*under patriliny ,sons could claim the resources (including the throne in the case of kings )of their father when the letter died.
*Mast rolling dynasty C6 century BC onward claim to follow the system all though there the reason in practice
*Sometimes there were no sons ,in some situation brother succeeded one another ,
*sometime other kingsman claim the throne .
* In very exceptional circumstances women such as Padmavati exercised power.
*The concern patriliny was not unique to ruling families.
*It is evident in mantras in rigveda.
Rules of marriage
Types of marriages:-
ENDOGAMY - it refers to marriage within a unit this could be kin group cast or a group living in the same locality
EXOGAMY --refers to marriages outside the unit
POLYGYNY -is the practice of a man having several wives.
POLYANDRY :- is the practice of a woman having several husband.
*In the society ,sons important for the continuity of the patrilineage .
* Daughters were viewed rather differently within this framework.
* Daughter had no claims to the resources of households.
* At the same time, marrying them into families outside the kin was considered desirable. This system is called exogamy.
* The lives of young girls and women belonging to families that claimed high status were often carefully regulated to ensure that they were married at the right time and to the right person.
* This gave rise to the belief that kanyadaan or the gift of a daughter in marriage was an important religious duty of the Father.
Dharmsutra and Dharmashastras
*Formulas of religion manusmriti must important of brahmanical text (200 BC and 200 CE)
* Meant to be followed by Brahmanas.
* Sanskrit text has given 8 forms of marriages .
*First four were considered good.
* Last four were not desirable.
* These were practice by those who did not accept brahmanical norms.
8 types of marriage
*Braham Vivah
*Daiva Vivah
*Arsha Vivah
* prajapatya Vivah
*Asur vivah
* Gandharv vibha
*Raksha vibha
* Paisacha Vivah
Marriage and social practices
Gotra :-
*Name after a Vedic saint/seer .
*Some gotra descendant of same Saint.
*Women give of their father's gotra after their marriages .
*No marriage this within same gotras.
MATRILINY
* System in which descendant traced through maternal instead of paternal lines .
*Examples of Kings and chief who followed matriliny as example Raja gautami puta sri satakarni , Raja gautami pua sami Shri Vijya satakarni.
DO MOTHERS IMPORTANT?
*Satvahana's followed metronymics i.e. name derived from mother .
*only using mother's name with name but succession was patrineal e.g. King - his son will become next king and so on.
SOCIAL DIFFERENCES:- WITHIN AND BEYOND THE FRAMEWORK OF CAST
Social differences
* Cast: a set of hierarchically ordered social category
* Ideal order laid down in Dharma sutras and Dharma shastras.
*Position in this order determined by birth
* It also contain rules about ideal occupation of the varnas.
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE NORMS OF VARNA
* Assert that Varna was of divine origin.
* Advise Kings to ensure that the norms were followed within their Kingdom
*Attempted to pursued people that their status was determined by birth
EXAMPLE OF CASTE SYSTEM
ADI PARVAN OF MAHABHARATA
*Drona -Guru of corrosion Pandav Brahman
*Arjun -Guru Prince
*Eklavya- low cast from Shudra family.
Some points about Drona:-
*Drona taught archery to kuru prince.
*He was teacher of Arjun
*He denied to taught the same to Eklavya the skill of archery because he was of low cast .
*Eklavya acquired the skill of archery. by treating a clay statue as Drona.(Guru)
*Drona asked him to cut his thumb and then only Drona will teach him.
* Eklavya unhesitatingly cut it and now he cannot shot that perfectly.
* Drona said "no one is better than Arjun".
*Because as a Guru in you that only Arjun can established 'Dharma on earth'.
4 varnas nd their duties:- according to Indian mythology the four varnas were born from the different body parts of primordial being , purusha as describe in the rig Veda
1 MOUTH ----- Brahman:- study Veda
receive gift
sacrifices performed
2. ARM ------- Kshatriya:- warfare
protect people
sacrifices perform
administer justice
3. THIGHS ------ Vaishya:- engaged in
agriculture
trade
pastoralism
4. FEET ------ Shudra :- serve the three v
Varnas
Non -Kshatriya Kings.
*Kings ought to be a Kshatriya.
*There were examples of non Kshatriya Kings and exceptions in history .
*Generally political power was handled by those who muster support and resources . Thus ruling lineage had different origins.:-
Chandragupta maurya's background was hotly debated.
Shungs and kanvas (successor of Mouryan)were Brahman.
Shakas central Asia regarding Mlechachhas popular rulers.
They were familiar with sanskritic tradition.
Rudradaman rebuilt sudharsana lake.
Satvahanas claimed to be Brahman.
* Gautamiputra Shri satakarni
Best known satavahan ruler .
claimed to be unique Brahman and destroyer of the pride of Kshatriya.
Claimed no intermarriage among the four varnas.
He entered into marriage alliance with the kin of Rudradaman,a shake ruler regarded as Mlechachhas.
JATI
*Refers to social category .
*Based on birth .
*Number of jaati not fixed as varnas.
*Categories which did not fit in varna system categorised as jati.
* Shared common occupation.
* Ex- nishadas,swarnkar.
*Sometimes organised into guilds or shreins
BEYOND THE FOUR VARNAS
I)Integration :- *population whose social practices not influenced by Brahmana.The Bodhisatta as chandalas
* Matanga jataka (chandala's son)
*Once encounted Dittha manglika, daughter of Merchant.
* She said that she had seen unauspicious
* Her father gave her to Matanga as she encountered chandala.
*They returned and lived peacefully.
*Mandavya kumara (Dittha and Matanga 's son)
*He learnt Vedas and fed 16000 Brahmanas everyday.
* One day Matanga dressed in rags, arrived at doorstep to Son.
*Mandavya denied to feed as he only feed Brahmanas and throw him out.
*Matanga 'Those who are proud of their birth and are ignorant do not deserve gifts .
* On the contrary those who are free from vices are worthy of offering.
BEYOND BIRTH:- RESOURCES AND STATUS
GENDER ACCESS TO PROPERTY
*Only men have right to inherit property.
* Women only have access to stridhana could be inherited by her children.
*Exceptional ---Padmavati Gupta had access to resources and land ,cattle ,money which were generally controlled by men.
EXPLAINING SOCIAL DIFFERENCES A SOCIAL CONTRACT
SUTTA PITAKA
* Originally human did not have bodily forms.
*All live in idyllic of peace.
*But gradually every being is greedy vindictive and deceitful.
*Decided to elect someone not hereditary.
* Who will be called Maha Samanta paid with taxes for services he rendered.
*To remove conflict of equality.
Exercise
MCQ based questions
*The task of preparing a critical edition ition of Mahabharata was entrusted to:-v.s. sukthankar
Write the name of archaeologist excavated at Hastinapur-- B.B.LAL
*Identify the taste with the help of the following information
It is one of the best non legal take of early India
Written in Sanskrit
Compiled between second century BCE and second centuri CE-----MANUSMIRITY
*Identify the character of Mahabharata with the help of the following information
Was the husband of Gandhari. Became the king of Hastinapur----Dhritrashtra.
*Write the name of ruler who rebuilt sudarshan lake.------Rudradaman
SHORT TYPE QUESTION
1) Analyse the role of Indian Sanskritist v. S.Sukthankar and is team in the preparation of critical edition of Mahabharata?
2) state three example of social group who were viewed with the suspicion by the Brahman.
3) Why is the Mahabharata said to be a dynamic text?
4) Explain why we call Mahabharata the richest text of the subcontinent?
5) Central story of Mahabharat reinforced the idea of kingship and succession .explain.
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