Mahabharat Flashcards
(8 cards)
Elements for anaylsing texts
1)language, type of texts, audience, author, date, content.
Write a note on mahabharat language
language.
histories classified mb into two categories
didactive- includes prescriptions about social norms
Narrative- stories
Historians agree that mh was a moving dramatic story and didactive section was added later. This text is known an Itihaas
” The Mahabharata is a story of kinship, marriages and patriliny.”
Duryodhna- Dhritarashtra
Examine the statement.
KINSHIP
- Mahabharat is a story about kinship relation. It describes a feaud over land and power between two groups of cousins- pandavas and kauravaswho belonged to a single ruling family. The feaud arose because of duryodhana jealousy who was the eldest son of dhritarashtra. He was fearful that his father didnt get the trhone because of his disability as a result they will be excluded from the royal succession. And pandavas on the other hand will get all the control over power. Ultimately the feaud ended in a battle in whcih pandavas emerge victorious
PATRILINY
tracing descent from father to son, grandson and so on.
Patri was imp amongts elite families as it prevented conflicts over land, power and throne.
The central idea of mh rienforcedreinforced that the idea of parti was imp.Acc to it son could claim all the resources after the father died.
Sometimes if there were no sons, brothers succeded one another.
MARRIAGE-
Q4. Discuss the evidence that suggests Brahmanical prescriptions
(Dharmasutras/Dharmashastras) about kinship, patriliny, social practices and marriage
were not universally followed.(Q9
KINSHIP - there were changes in the kinship ties.
PATRILINY - It means tracing descent from father to son, grandson and so on. Most ruling dynasties
followed this system with some exceptions.
a) Exception- In some cases there were no sons , sometimes brothers succeeded
one another, sometimes other kinsmen claimed throne. Eg. Prabhavati Gupta despite
being a woman exercised power.
MARRIAGE
Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras recognize 8 forms of marriage out of which first
four are considered good while remaining are condemned(criticized)
B)exception- story of himbida marriage with bheem
Exception 2-Polyandry (A woman having multiple husbands) was an unacceptable
form of marriage as per Brahmanical norms. However the marriage of Draupadi with
the Pandavas is an example of polyandry.
GOTRA
According to the Brahmanical rules , women were expected to give up their father’s
gotra and adopt the husband’s gotra after marriage and that members of Same gotra
couldn’t marry.
Exception-Inscriptions reveal that women who married Satvahana rulers ( continued with their Father’s gotra such as Gotama. tHIS WAS AGAISNT BRHAMICAL NORMS.
Some of these women married in the same gotra countering the ideal of exogamy as
recommended in Brahmanical texts.
SOCIAL PRACTICES
Because of the huge diversity of population in the subcontinent there were many populations whose social practices were not influenced by brhamical norms.
EXCEPTION
* In Sanskrit texts such populations were described as uncivilised, odd , animal like .
* these included forest dwellers, hunter gatherers .
-There were Chandalas who handled corpses and dead animals. They were placed at
the bottom of hierarchy
-Some social categories who were outside the four Varnas and were called
untouchables.
Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably(Not always) Kshatriyas.
According to the Shastras, only Kshatriyas could be Kings.
2. Mauryas-The social background of the Mauryas, who ruled over a large empire, has
been hotly debated Brahmanical texts described them as being of “low” origin.
3. Shungas & Kanvas-The Shungas and Kanvas, the immediate successors of the
Mauryas, were Brahmanas.
4.Shakas were regarded as mlechchhas.
5.Satvanhas were considered to be brahmans.
How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your
answer.
Gender differences in early societies were very important because it had effects on
social life of men and women in the following ways :-
1. No share for women in the paternal estate- According to Manusmriti, the paternal estate
was to be divided equally amongst the sons after the death of the parents. Women could not
claim a share of these resources.
No hoarding by women- Manusmriti warned women against hoarding family property or
even their own valuables without husband’s permission.
Gotra of women- Women were expected to give up their father’s gotra and adopt that of
their husband on marriage.
Polygyny- Under polygyny, men could have several wives . Satvahana rulers were
polygynous.
5. Wives to be treated as property of husband- wives were treated to be the property of
their husband.
Brahmical view vs buddhist theory in sutta pitaka.
brahamns laid down rules regarding the varnas in dharmasutras to maintain an ideal social order.
They describe the four social categories to have emerged from the body of the
Purusha-The Brahman from his mouth, the Kshatriyas from his arms , his thighs
became Vaishya and his feet the Shudra.
Thus the varna system was a result of divine order.
brhamans often cited this hymn from purusha sukta to justify varna system.
BUDDHIST THEORY
a) The Buddhist theory rejects the explanation for the Varna order as given by
Brahmanical view.
b) It suggests that the differences in society were not inflexible and could be altered.
c) The Buddhist theory rejects the idea of status on the basis of birth.
d) It suggested that originally human beings did not have fully evolved bodily forms ,
nor was the world of plants developed.
e) However with time Hunan beings became greedy , this led to deterioration of their
condition.
f) They now wanted someone to control people. Thus emerged the institution of
kingship. It was therefore a social contract and not a divine order.
