Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India 1

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Explain the rise and fall of the Mauryan dynasty.  Compare and contrast the emergence of regional kingdoms and the revival of empire in India.  Explain the rise of towns and trade across India during the classical period.  Explain important aspects of family life and the caste system.  Compare and contrast the features of classical Indian salvation religions.  Discuss the emergence and impact of popular Hinduism. 2

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 520 BCE: Persian Emperor Darius conquers north-west India  Introduces Persian ruling pattern  327: Alexander of Macedon (Alexander the Great) destroys Persian Empire in India  Troops mutiny, departs after 2 years  Political power vacuum  no significant figure to claim rule after Alexander’s death 4

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Most significant remaining kingdom after Alexander’s departure  Central Ganges plain  Economic strength  Agriculture  Trade in Ganges valley, Bay of Bengal  Dominated surrounding regions in north- eastern India 5

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Took advantage of power vacuum left by Alexander  Overthrew Magadha rulers  Expanded kingdom to create 1 st unified Indian empire  Mauryan Dynasty 6

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Relied on tutelage of chief advisor Kautalya  Recorded in Arthashastra, manual of political statecraft  Foreign policies, economics  Domestic policies  Network of spies  Legend: Chandragupta retires to become a monk, starves himself to death  true? 7

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Grandson of Chandragupta  Represents high point of Mauryan Empire, r BCE  Expanded empire to include all of Indian subcontinent except for south  Positive rulership integrated Indian society  Much better known as a ruler than as a conqueror 8

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Economic crisis follows death of Ashoka  High costs of bureaucracy, military not supported by tax revenue  Frequent devaluations of currency to pay salaries  Regions begin to abandon Mauryan Empire  Disappears by 185 BCE 9

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Northwestern India  Ruled by Greek- speaking descendants of Alexander’s campaigns  Intense cultural activity accompanies active trade 10

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Northern India/Central Asia  C CE  Maintained silk road network 11

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Based in Magadha  C. 320 CE: Founded by Chandra Gupta  no relation to Chandragupta Maurya  CHANDRA GUPTA I: The “Great King of Kings”  Slightly smaller than Mauryan Empire  Highly decentralized leadership 12

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Frequent invasions of White Huns, 5 th c. CE  Gupta Dynasty disintegrates along regional fault lines  Smaller local kingdoms dominate until Mughal Empire founded in 16 th c. 13

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Manufactured goods in big demand  Developed in dense network of small workshops  Trade intense, capitalizes on trade routes across India 14

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Persian connection since Cyrus, Darius  Massive road-building projects under Persian rule  Alexander extends trade west to Macedon  Trade routes through Kush mountains, the silk roads 15

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Seasonal sea trade expands  Impact of monsoons ▪ Spring/summer winds blow from southwest ▪ Fall/winter winds blow from northeast  Trade from Asia to Persian Gulf and Red Sea, Mediterranean 16

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Patriarchy entrenched  Child marriage common (8-year- old girls married to men in 20s)  Women encouraged to remain in private sphere 17

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Caste system from Aryan times  Brahmins (priests)  Kshatriyas (warriors, aristocrats)  Vaishyas (Peasants, merchants)  Shudras (serfs) 18

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Increasing economic diversification challenges simplistic caste system  Jatis formed: guilds that acted as sub- castes  Enforced social order  “Outcastes” forced into low-status employment 19

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Upward social mobility possible for Vaishyas, Shudras  Wealth challenges varna for status 20

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Social change generated resentment of caste privilege  e.g., Brahmins free from taxation  6 th -5 th c. BCE: New religions and philosophies challenge status quo  Charvakas: atheists  Jainists, Buddhists 21

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Founded by Vardhamana Mahavira, BCE  Abandoned privileged family to lead ascetic life  Promotes 7 th c. movement based on Upanishads  Emphasis on selfless living, concern for all beings 22

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  AHIMSA: Principle of extreme non-violence key to Jainist thought  Jainists sweep earth, strain water, use slow movements to avoid killing insects  Ahimsa continues to inspire modern movements  Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. 23

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Rejected caste, jati distinctions  Obvious appeal to underprivileged groups  But asceticism too extreme to become a mass movement 24

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Siddhartha Gautama, c BCE  Encountered age, sickness, death, then monastic life  Abandoned comfortable life to become a monk 25

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Intense meditation, extreme asceticism  49 days of meditation under bo tree (bodhi tree) to finally achieve enlightenment  Attained title Buddha: “the enlightened one” 26

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 27 FOUNDER Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha, which means "enlightened one." GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN Developed in India (6 th century BC) WHERE CURRENTLY PRACTICED Most common in Southeast Asia and Japan SIGNIFICANT WRITINGS Tripitaka, or Three Baskets of Wisdom

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. PLACES OF WORSHIP Buddhism may be practiced individually, but temples and monasteries do exist SIGNIFICANT RELIGIOUS LEADERS The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan sect of Buddhism, and is considered to be the reincarnation of the bodhisattva, or "Buddha-to-be" Buddhist monks can be identified by their traditional orange robes 28

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. WHO PRACTICES BUDDHISM?  Approximately 360 million followers worldwide  World’s fourth largest belief system 29 SOME FAMOUS BUDDHISTS…

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. The Buddha realized that life is ruled by The Four Noble Truths: 1. Life is filled with suffering. 2. Suffering is caused by desire. 3. Suffering can be ended if desire is eliminated. 4. To end desire, you must follow eight basic laws, called the Eightfold Path. 30

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  The Wheel of Life is one of the most important symbols of Buddhism, as it represents the endless cycle of life through reincarnation and because each of its eight spokes represents one of the teachings of the Eightfold Path. 31

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. The Eightfold Path 1. RIGHT VIEW: Know that suffering is caused by desire. 2. RIGHT INTENTIONS: Be selfless and love all life. 3. RIGHT SPEECH: Do not lie, or speak without cause. 4. RIGHT ACTION: Do not kill, steal, or commit other unrighteous acts. 32

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. The Eightfold Path 5. RIGHT LIVELIHOOD: Do not do things which promote evil. 6. RIGHT EFFORT: Take effort to promote righteousness. 7. RIGHT CONCENTRATION: Be aware of your physical actions, state of mind, and emotions. 8. RIGHT MINDFULNESS: Learn to meditate. 33

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  REINCARNATION: A stream of consciousness that links one life to the next  Ultimate goal = NIRVANA NIRVANA: State of enlightenment when reincarnation ends 34

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Buddhists believe in an endless cycle of reincarnation, or samsara, which is similar to beliefs of Hinduism. However, Buddhists do not believe that deities (gods) are responsible for the phenomenon. 35

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  In addition, the caste system associated with Hinduism is rejected by Buddhists who believe instead that one is reincarnated until they can achieve nirvana, best described as spiritual enlightenment. 36

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  The concept of reincarnation can best be illustrated using an infinity symbol: 37

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. ROLE OF THE GODS  Enlightenment is sought after in place of the gods 38

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. SACRED LITERATURE  TRIPITAKA: “Three Baskets of Wisdom”  Discipline  Discourse  Philosophy  Written teachings of Buddha  Legends told from generation to generation 39

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  C. 528 CE: Buddha begins teaching new doctrine  Followers owned only robes, food bowls  Life of wandering, begging, meditation  Establishment of monastic communities 40

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Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Less dependence on Brahmins for ritual activities  No recognition of caste, jati status  Philosophy of moderate consumption  Public service through lay teaching  common man, not priests, teaching doctrine  Use of vernacular, not Sanskrit  the language of the day that people spoke 42

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Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. AASHOKA: Grandson of Chandragupta CChandragupta’s grandson ruled differently HHorrified by brutal war, he preached non-violence CConverted to Buddhism 44

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. TTolerant of other religions UUnified the people of India and brought prosperity – brought empire to greatest heights 45

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Personal conversion to Buddhism  Disillusioned after violent war with Kalinga  led to personal embrace of ahimsa  Banned animal sacrifices, mandated vegetarianism in court  Material support for Buddhist institutions, missionary activities 46

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. TTrade flourished CCapital city of Pataliputra (on Ganges) SSchools and libraries built SSpread Buddhism UUnified India 47

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. CCame to rule after 500 years of the Mauryan Empire IIndia remained united under the Gupta Empire 48

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. NNorthern people benefited from the geography HHimalayas kept out foreigners IIndus and Ganges Rivers provided water and fertile land PPeriod of peace and prosperity – “Golden Age” of ancient India 49

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 50 Mathematic s AstronomyMedicine  Invented a numeral system  Developed a concept of negative numbers  Calculated square root of 2  Developed table of sines  Computed value of Pi  Identified seven planets  Determined that planets and moon reflect sun's light  Understood daily rotation of earth on its axis  Predicted eclipses  Developed theory of gravity  Calculated the diameter of earth  Understood importance of spinal cord  Knew how to set bones  Performed plastic surgery  Perfected inoculation technique  Practiced sterilization of wounds

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  3 rd c. BCE – 1 st c. CE  Buddha considered divine  Institution of Bodhisattvas (“saints”)  “Buddhas-to-be”  Charitable donations to monasteries regarded as pious (holy) activity 51

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Mahayana (“greater vehicle”)  newer development of Buddhism in other lands  India, China, Japan, Korea, central Asia  Hinayana (“lesser vehicle,” also Theravada)  earlier version  Ceylon, Burma, Thailand 52

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Buddhist Monastery  Quasi-university: Buddhism, Hindu texts, philosophy, astronomy, medicine  Peak at end of Gupta dynasty  Helped spread Indian thought  E.g., concept of mathematical number zero 53

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Composition of epics from older oral traditions  Mahabharata  Ramayana  Emphasis on god Vishnu and his incarnations 54

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  “Song of the Lord”  C. 400 CE: After centuries of revisions, final form is composed  Dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna during civil war 55

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Emphasis on meeting class obligations (dharma)  Pursuit of economic well-being and honesty (artha)  Enjoyment of social, physical and sexual pleasure (kama)  Salvation of the soul (moksha) 56

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.  Gradually replaced Buddhism in India  Gupta dynastic leaders extend considerable support 57

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. MMajor religion of India 880% of Indians practice Hinduism TThird largest religion in the world NNearly 1 billion followers NNo single founder, teacher, or prophet 58

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. BBRAHMAN: The world soul that unites all atmans, or individual souls MMOKSHA: A state of perfect understanding of all things, is achieved when a person understands the relationship between Brahman and atman 59

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. RREINCARNATION (Rebirth): An individual soul or spirit is born again and again in many different life forms  how moksha is achieved KKARMA: Your behavior determines your next life DDHARMA: Moral or individual duties that are expected of a person (based on caste) 60

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 61 Brahmins, Priests & Teachers Warriors & Rulers Farmers, Merchants, Artisans Laborers Untouchables

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. HHinduism has changed over the past 2,500 years BBrahman (the world soul) was sometimes seen as having the personalities of 3 gods: BBrahma  the creator VVishnu  the preserver SShiva  the destroyer 62

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Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. TTexts VVEDAS: Collection of prayers and verses UUPANISHADS: Philosophical dialogue ( Hinduism looks to a large number of religious texts developed over many centuries that contain spiritual insights and provide practical guidance for religious life) 64

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. OOther sacred items CCOW: Respected for gentle nature and nurturing milk  most Hindus do not eat beef GGANGES RIVER: Hindus pledge pilgrimage to bathe in the river to cleanse their sins 65

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. HHindus free to choose the deity they worship, or none at all MMost follow century old traditions HHindus turn to religion during activities of daily life CCaste system less rigid today 66