Question: How did the rise of new cities in the early society make social life complex?
Answer -
- During this period, due to the emergence of cities, social life became more complex. People from far off places started coming and settling here and goods started being bought and sold.
- Exchange of ideas began in the urban environment, due to which initial beliefs and practices were questioned
Question - Social life became more complex during the period from 600 BC to 600 AD. What did the Brahmins do in response to this challenge?
Answer -
- In response to this challenge, the Brahmins created a code of conduct which was to be followed by the Brahmins in particular and the rest of the society as well.
- These norms were compiled in Sanskrit texts called Dharmashastras and Dharmasutras from around 500 B.C.
- The most important among these was Manusmriti
Question - "How was the critical edition of Mahabharata considered a very ambitious project?" Explain?
Answer -
- A critical edition of the Mahabharata was prepared in 1919 under the leadership of V.S. Sukathkar
- It was considered an ambitious project as it took 47 years to complete.
- Manuscripts of Mahabharata written in different scripts from different parts of the country were collected and those shlokas were selected which were present in almost all the manuscripts.
Question: How was the clan of women determined in the Brahminical system?
Answer -
There were two rules of gotra
1. After marriage, a woman's gotra was considered to be that of her husband instead of her father
2. Members of the same gotra could not have marital relations with each other
Question: Explain the role of ideal based Sanskrit texts in the reconstruction of social history?
Answer -
- From Sanskrit texts we get information about the rules of society, we get information about people's livelihood, behaviour and ideals.
- Information on marriage rules, property rights, codes of conduct is available
- Evidences obtained from Sanskrit texts have proved to be important for historians. With its help, reconstruction of history has become easy.
Question: How does the Mandsaur inscription give a glimpse of complex social reactions?
Answer -
- An inscription has been found from Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh) in which the category of silk weavers is described.
- This record gives a glimpse of complex social processes and provides insight into the nature of categories
- Membership in the guild was dependent on specialisation in a craft, but some members also pursued other occupations
Question: Describe the duties of Chandalas as described in Manu Smriti?
Answer -
- गांव से बाहर रहना
- use discarded utensils
- wearing dead people's clothes
- wearing iron jewellery
Question: The society during the Mahabharata period was male dominated. Explain by giving any three arguments?
Answer -
- There was patrilineal society
- The society was male dominated
- Only men had rights over ancestral property
- After the father, the son had rights over the resources
- A son was considered important to carry forward the paternal lineage
Question - What was the opinion of the famous historian Maurice Winterwitz regarding Mahabharata?
Answer -
- According to Maurice Winterwitz, the Mahabharata represents the whole of literature
- This text gives an insight into the depth of the soul of Indians
- It gives information about the rules of society
- In this book, not only political, economic and social aspects are discussed but moral duties are also described in detail in it.
Question - Who was the original and popular author of Mahabharata? Explain?
Answer -
- The original story of Mahabharata was composed by Bhaat Charioteer who was also called Sut
- He used to accompany the Kshatriya warriors to the battlefield and write poems about their victories and achievements
- These works were transmitted orally, but from the 5th century BCE onwards, the Brahmins took over the narrative tradition and wrote it down.
Question: Write any three rules related to marriage in the society of Mahabharata period?
Answer -
- Marriages were done outside the gotra, this is called exogamy system
- Kanyadan (gift of daughter) was considered an important religious duty of the father
- After marriage, the clan of a woman used to change
- Now she was considered to be of the husband's clan instead of the father's clan.
Question: Write any three characteristics of the caste system of the described period?
Answer -
- Like Varna, caste was also based on birth
- There were four Varnas but there was no fixed number of castes.
- Wherever Brahmins encountered new communities that could not be accommodated within the varna system, they were classified into castes.
Question - Did men and women have equal rights over property during the time of Mahabharata? Explain with reasoning?
Answer -
- At the time of Mahabharata, men and women had different rights over property
- According to Manusmriti, after the death of parents, the ancestral property was divided equally among all the sons, but the eldest son was entitled to a special share.
- Women did not have rights over this property, but they had rights over the gifts received at the time of marriage, which was called Stridhan.
Question - How can you say that Mahabharata is a dynamic text? Give any three arguments in favor of your answer?
Answer -
- The Mahabharata was a dynamic text because its development did not end with the Sanskrit text.
- Over the centuries it has been adapted to include many stories written in different languages
- The main story of this epic has been reinterpreted many times.
- Its events are also depicted in sculptures and paintings.
Question: Write any three characteristics of the caste system of the described period?
Answer -
- Brahmins called the Varna system a divine system
- According to the caste system there were four varnas
- brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra
- Brahmins had a high position in the caste system
- The livelihood of the four castes was pre-determined
Question - Is it possible that Mahabharata had only one author? Why is Mahabharata called a dynamic text?
Answer -
- No, it is not possible that there is only one author of Mahabharata because it was written over a period of about 1000 years
- The original story of Mahabharata was composed by Bhaat Sarathi
- But later the Brahmins took over this and composed it
Question: What was meant by property rights in the context of men and women during the Mahabharata period?
Answer -
- At the time of Mahabharata, men and women had different rights over property
- According to Manusmriti, after the death of parents, the ancestral property was divided equally among all the sons, but the eldest son was entitled to a special share.
- Women did not have rights over this property, but they had rights over the gifts received at the time of marriage, which was called Stridhan.
- Her children could inherit this property; her husband had no rights over it.
- Manu Smriti warns women against hiding family property or their own valuable wealth against the husband's orders
Question - Why is Mahabharata called a dynamic text?
Answer -
- The composition of Mahabharata was not limited to Sanskrit language only, it was written in different languages and it was also translated in different languages
- Mahabharata includes different stories
- These stories were presented through stone sculptures and paintings
- The stories of Mahabharata were presented through dramas, dances and various other forms
- Mahabharata was composed over a long period of time and its authors also seem to be different at different times.
- Therefore we can say that Mahabharata is a dynamic text
Question - Discuss the evidences which show that the Brahminic rules regarding brotherhood and marriage were not followed universally?
Answer -
- The rules made by the Brahmins regarding brotherhood and marriage were not followed everywhere
- In some societies, blood relation between siblings (cousins, maternal aunts) was considered but this was not the case in all societies
- According to brahmanical rules, exogamy was considered right but in many places people of the same gotra used to marry each other which was not right according to brahmanical rules.
- Many queens of the Satavahana kings adopted their father's gotra even after marriage
- Dharmasutra and Dharmashastra approve 8 types of marriages
- Of these, the first four were considered good and the rest were not considered good, but these marriage systems were still prevalent among those who rejected the brahmanical rules.
- The families of the Satavahana kings did not follow the brahmanical rules of marriage . Some Satavahana kings practiced polygamy.
- In many places in South India, the system of endogamy was followed
Question: Write an essay on the main characteristics of Indian social life during the Mahabharata period?
Answer -
- There was a caste system in the society and Brahmins had a high status.
- Shudras and untouchables were placed at the lowest level
- The livelihood of the four classes was determined in Dharmasutra and Dharmashastra
- According to the scriptures, only a Kshatriya could be a king , but there are many kings who were not Kshatriyas.
- Wherever Brahmins found new communities which were impossible to accommodate in the varna system, they divided them into castes
- There were only 4 varnas but there was no fixed number of castes
Question: Throw light on the basic features of India's famous epic Mahabharata?
Answer -
