CLASSICAL

INDIA FROM THE MAURYANS

TO THE GUPTAS

RISE OF MAURYAN EMPIRE Ganges Republics

Prior to Alexander, kshatriyan republics dominated, vied for power

Maghda was one of the most dominant

Western Intrusions Intrusions of Persians (520 B.C.E.) and Alexander (327 B.C.E.)

Persians established Indus satrapy

Alexander’s withdrawal left a political vacuum

Magadha kingdom filled the vacuum

Chandragupta Maurya

The founder of the Mauryan empire

Overthrew the Magadha kingdom in 321 B.C.E.

Conquered the Greek state in Bactria, Selecuid control of Indus

Chandragupta's empire embraced all of northern India

Chandragupta's government Government procedures devised by Kautalya, the advisor of the empire

The political handbook, Arthashastra, outlined administrative methods

ASHOKA Ashoka Maurya (reigned 268-232 B.C.E.)

Chandragupta's grandson,

The high point of the Mauryan empire

Conquered the kingdom of Kalinga, 260 B.C.E.

Ruled through tightly organized bureaucracy

Established capital at Pataliputra

Policies of encouraging agriculture and trade

Converted to Buddhism Established a tolerant rule of righteousness

Sent out missionaries to Sri Lanka, SE Asia, Central Asia

Decline of the Mauryan Empire Ashoka died in 232 B.C.E.

Suffered from acute financial and economic difficulties High cost for maintaining army and bureaucrats

Debasing the currency, not a effective resolution

The empire collapsed by 185 B.C.E.

THE GUPTAS

The Gupta Dynasty

After Mauryans, India was controlled by regional kingdoms

The Gupta state rose to power in Magadha

Chandra Gupta founded the new dynasty

Gupta dynasty was relatively decentralized

Officially supported revival of Hinduism as state faith

Era seen as the Golden Age of Hinduism

Gupta decline

Invasion of White Huns weakened the empire

After 5th century C.E., Gupta dynasty ruled in name only

Large regional kingdoms dominated political life in India

ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL Towns and manufacturing

Towns dotted the India countryside after 600 B.C.E.

Towns provided manufactured products and luxury goods

Long-distance trade

Invasions by Persian empires helped to build extensive trade networks

Trade with China through the silk roads of central Asia

Trade in the Indian Ocean basin, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Mediterranean basin

Spread Buddhism and Hinduism throughout Indian Ocean basin

Social and gender relations

Strong patriarchal families; subordination of women to men

Child marriage placed women under control of old men

Development of caste system

New social groups of artisans, craftsmen, and merchants appeared

Individuals of same trade or craft formed a guild; guilds were subcastes, jatis

Functions of guilds: social security and welfare systems

Wealth and social order

Trade and industry brought prosperity to many vaishyas and shudras

Old beliefs and values of early Aryan society became increasingly irrelevant

JAINISM

Vardhamana Mahavira Born in north India, 540 B.C.E.

Left family, searching for salvation from cycle of incarnation

Gained enlightenment, taught an ascetic doctrine

His disciples began to lead a monastic life

Mahavira became Jina, the "conqueror," and followers, Jains

Jainist doctrine and ethics

Inspired by the Upanishads

Everything in the universe possessed a soul

Striving to purify one's selfish behavior to attain a state of bliss

The principle of ahimsa, nonviolence toward all living things

Believed that almost all occupations entailed violence of some kind

Too demanding, not a practical alternative to the cult of the brahmins

Appeal of Jainism Social implication: Individual souls equally participated in ultimate reality

The Jains did not recognize social hierarchies of caste and jati Became attractive to members of lower castes

The ascetic tradition continues to today

EARLY BUDDHISM Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.E.)

Born in 563 B.C.E. to the Kshatriya caste

Witnessed miseries of the human condition

Gave up his comfortable life and began searching for enlightenment

Intense meditation and extreme asceticism

Received enlightenment under the bo tree and became Buddha

The Buddha and his followers "Turning of the Wheel of the Law," 528 B.C.E.

Organized followers into a community of monks (“the sangha”)

Traveled throughout north India, bringing enlightenment to others

Buddhist doctrine: The dharma

The Four Noble Truths All life involves suffering

Desire is the cause of suffering

Elimination of desire brings an end to suffering

The Noble Eightfold Path brings the elimination of desire

The Noble Eightfold Path (“Setting the wheel in motion”) Right belief, right resolve, right speech, right behavior

Right occupation, right effort, right contemplation, and right meditation

Religious goal: Nirvana, a state of perfect spiritual independence

APPEAL OF BUDDHISM Appealed strongly to members of lower castes

Salvation without services of the brahmins

Did not recognize social hierarchies of castes and jati

Appealed to women as all souls considered equal

Less demanding than Jainism, more popular

Used vernacular tongues, not Sanskrit

Holy sites and pilgrims

The monastic organizations Spread the Buddhist message, won converts

Could be endowed by others to support the religion

Centers of learning, good works, contemplation

Ashoka's support Emperor Ashoka became a devout Buddhist, 206 B.C.E.

Banned animal sacrifices in honor of ahimsa

Granted lands to monasteries

Sent missionaries to Bactria and Ceylon

VARIANTS OF BUDDHISM Early Buddhism made heavy demands on individuals

Giving up personal property

Forsaking the search for social standing

Detaching oneself from worldly pleasures

Development of Buddhism Buddha gradually seen as a god by ex-Hindu’s, in China

The notion of bodhisatva - "an enlightened being"

Monasteries began to accept gifts from wealthy individuals

Buddhism became more attractive

The Schism of Buddhism: Was he a god or man? Mahayana - "the greater vehicle"

Spread to Central, East Asia

Blended in India with Hinduism, which coopted Buddha as a god

Coopted Chinese traditions and Taoist gods in China

Hinayana or Theravada Continued to view Buddha as human

Practiced in Sri Lanka, parts of India, SE Asia

Buddhism died out in India as it merged with Hinduism

POPULAR HINDUISM The epics

Mahabharata A secular poem revised by brahmin scholars

Honored the god Vishnu, the preserver of the world

Ramayana Secular story of Rama and Sita was changed into a Hindu story

The Bhagavad Gita A short poetic work within the Mahabharata

A dialogue between the god Vishnu and Prince Arjuna

Illustrated expectations of Hinduism and promise of salvation

Hindu ethics Lower demands for achieving salvation

Individuals should meet their responsibilities in detached fashion

Balance of dharma, artha, karma to attain moksha, end samsara

Popularity of Hinduism Became more popular than Buddhism; Buddhism too aesthetic

The Guptas helped Hinduism become the dominant religion