KINSHIP, CASTE AND CLASS
Chapter 3
Answer in 100-150 words
1. Explain why patriliny may have been particularly important among elite families. 2. Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably Kshatriyas .
Answer:- Patriline is a system of descent from father to son and grandson. The patrillini policy would have been essential for the aristocratic families for the following reasons:
Dynastic Continuity: According to the Dharmashastras, it was an established belief that sons carried on the dynasty. That was the main reason why families wished for sons and not daughters. A verse in the Rig Veda also proves this view. On this afternoon, during the marriage of his daughter, a father wants that by the grace of Lord Shiva he should have the best son.
Inheritance: In the royal family, the acquisition of the throne was included in the inheritance. After the death of a king, his eldest son was supposed to inherit the throne. After the death of the parents, the property was to be divided equally among all the sons. In fact, parents avoided family disputes after their death. Most royal families followed the patrillini from 600 B.C. But sometimes this system had exceptions also.
According to the scriptures, only Kshatriyas can be kings. Their job was to engage in warfare, protect people, and administer justice. But the kings of the early kingdoms were not necessarily Kshatriyas. As noted below, several important ruling dynasties probably had different origins:
• Regarding the Mauryas, Buddhist texts suggested that they were Kshatriyas but Brahmantric texts described them as of "lower" origin.
• The Shungas and the Kanvas were Brahmins.
• Shakas from Central Asia Brahmins considered Shakas from Central Asia to be molechas, barbarians or outsiders.
• Gotami-puta Siri-satkani, the greatest known ruler of the Satavahana dynasty, claimed to be a unique Brahma and destroyer of the glory of the Kshatriyas.
Hence, it appears that political power was effectively open to anyone who could combine : support and resources, and rarely depends on birth as a Kshatriya.
3. Compare and contrast the dharma or norms mentioned in the stories of Drona, Hidimba and Matanga.
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4. In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha sukta?
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The Brahmanical view of society, derived from the Purusha Sukta, describes four social .classes arising from the body of a man: Brahma was his mouth. The Kshatriya was made by his arms. His thighs became Vaishyas and his feet gave birth to Shudras. Therefore, the four social classes or Bhamas – Brahma, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra were the result of a divine system. Brahmins often cited this verse to justify their claim for the ideal livelihood of the four Bhamas. They tried to convince people that their status was determined by birth.
On the other hand, the Chutta Pitaka Buddhists suggested that originally man’s physical form was not fully developed, or that the plant world was not fully developed. All creatures lived in a delightful state of peace, taking from nature only what they needed for each meal.
5. The following is an excerpt from the Mahabharata, in which Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, speaks to Sanjaya, a messenger:
Sanjaya, convey my respectful greetings to all the Brahmanas and the chief priest of the house of Dhritarashtra. I bow respectfully to teacher Drona … I hold the feet of our preceptor Kripa … (and) the chief of the Kurus, the great Bhishma. I bow respectfully to the old king (Dhritarashtra). I greet and ask after the health of his son Duryodhana and his younger brother ... Also greet all the young Kuru warriors who are our brothers, sons and grandsons … Greet above all him, who is to us like father and mother, the wise Vidura (born of a slave woman) ... I bow to the elderly ladies who are known as our mothers. To those who are our wives you say this, “I hope they are well-protected”… Our daughters-inlaw born of good families and mothers of children greet on my behalf. Embrace for me those who are our daughters … The beautiful, fragrant, well-dressed courtesans of ours you should also greet. Greet the slave women and their children, greet the aged, the maimed (and) the helpless …
Try and identify the criteria used to make this list – in terms of age, gender, kinship ties. Are there any other criteria? For each category, explain why they are placed in a particular position in the list.
Answer:- There were not only age, gender and kinship relationships, but also other factors that were considered for compiling the list.
Brahma, Purohit and Mari were given the highest honours. They were all widely respected.
Honor was also given to fraternal relatives who were treated like parents. People who were younger were placed third. In the next order, the young Kuru warriors were honoured. Women also received appropriate places. Wives, mothers, daughters-in-law and daughters came in this order. Orphans and the disabled were also cared for. Yudhisthira also greets them.
Write a short essay (about 500 words) on the following:
6. This is what a famous historian of Indian literature, Maurice Winternitz, wrote about the Mahabharata: “just because the Mahabharata represents more of an entire literature … and contains so much and so many kinds of things, … (it) gives(s) us an insight into the most profound depths of the soul of the Indian folk.” Discuss.
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7. Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.
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8. How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.
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Sex differences were very important in early societies as they affected the social lives of men and women in the following ways:
There was no share for women in the parental property: According to the Manusmriti, after the death of the parents, the parental property was to be divided equally among the sons. Women could not claim a share of these resources. Women were allowed to keep as tridhana the gifts they received on the occasion of their marriage.
No hoardings by women: The Manusmriti cautioned women against hoarding family property, or even their own valuables, without the permission of their husbands.
Patrillini had ideals under which sons could claim their father’s wealth including the throne in the case of kings when the latter had died.
Women’s clan: Women were expected to renounce their father’s clan and accept their husbands for marriage.
Polygyny: Under polygyny, a man can have several wives. The Satavahana rulers were polygamous.
Wives to be treated as the property of their husbands: Wives were treated as the property of their husbands as Yudhisthira, having lost everything including himself, stained their common wife Draupadi in the game of dice and lost her too. However, Draupadi asked if Yudhisthira could stop her after losing herself. The matter remained unresolved and Dhritarashtra finally restored the Pandavas and Draupadi to their personal freedom.
9. Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.
Answer:- Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage:
Prescription about kinship:
According to Sanskrit texts, the word "kula" was used to designate families and castes for a larger network of relatives. The term 'vapor' was used for descent. Often members of the same family share the food and other resources they live in, work, and perform rituals together. Families were treated as part of a larger network of people who were defined as kin which was the technical term used to define them. Although family ties were considered "natural" and they can be defined in different ways based on blood.
For example, some societies consider cousins to be blood relations, while others do not find it easy enough to recover information about aristocratic families from historians, it is very difficult to reconstruct the family relationships of ordinary people. Historians try to analyze their attitudes towards family and kinship.
Map work
10. Compare the map in this chapter with Map 1 in Chapter 2. List the mahajanapadas and cities located near the Kuru-Panchala lands.
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Project (any one)
11. Find out about retellings of the Mahabharata in other languages. Discuss how they handle any two of the episodes of the text described in this chapter, explaining any similarities or differences that you notice.
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12. Imagine that you are an author and rewrite the story of Ekalavya from a perspective of your choice.
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