Maurya

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Chapter 9
State, Society, the Quest for Salvation in India
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The Mauryan and Gupta empires321 B.C.E.-550 C.E.
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India Before the Mauryan Dynasty

• 520 BCE Persian Emperor Darius conquers
  north-west India
• Introduces Persian ruling pattern
• 327 Alexander of Macedon destroys Persian Empire
  in India
• Troops mutiny, departs after 2 years
• Political power vacuum

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Kingdom of Magadha

• Most significant remaining kingdom after
  Alexanders departure
• Central Ganges plain
• Economic strength
• Agriculture
• Trade in Ganges valley, Bay of Bengal
• Dominated surrounding regions in north-eastern
  India

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Chandragupta Maurya

• Took advantage of power vacuum left by Alexander
• Overthrew Magadha rulers
• Expanded kingdom to create 1st unified Indian
  empire
• Mauryan Dynasty

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The Maurya Empire
321 BCE 185 BCE
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Chandragupta 321 BCE-298 BCE

• Unified northern India.
• Defeated the Persian general Seleucus.
• Divided his empire into provinces, then
  districts for tax assessments and law
  enforcement.
• He feared assassination ? food tasters, slept in
  different rooms, etc.
• 301 BCE ? gave up his throne became
  a Jain.

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Kautilya (or Chanakya)

• Chandraguptas advisor.
• Brahmin caste.
• Wrote The Treatise on Material Gain or the
  Arthashastra.
• A guide for the king and his ministers
• Supports royal power.
• The great evil in society is anarchy.
• Therefore, a single authority is needed to
  employ force when necessary!

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Chandraguptas Government

• Like Persia China, built a bureaucratic
  administrative system.
• Domestic policies
• Network of spies
• Legend Chandragupta retires to become a monk,
  starves himself to death

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Ashoka (304 232 BCE)

• Grandson of Chandragupta
• Represents high point of Mauryan Empire, r.
  268-232 BCE
• Expanded empire to include all of Indian
  subcontinent except for south
• Positive leadership integrated Indian society
• Much better known as a governor than conqueror

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Ashoka

• Religious conversion after the gruesome
  battle of Kalinga in 262 BCE.
• Dedicated his life to Buddhism.
• Built extensive roads.
• Conflict ? how to balance Kautilyas
  methods of keeping power and
  Buddhas demands to become a
  selfless person?

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Ashokas law code

• Edicts scattered in more than 30 places in
  India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan.
• Written mostly in Sanskrit, but one was in
  Greek and Aramaic.
• 10 rock edicts.
• Buddhist principles dominate his laws.

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WomenUnder anAsokatree
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Decline of the Mauryan Empire

• 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

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Regional Kingdom Bactria

• Northwestern India
• Ruled by Greek-speaking descendants of
  Alexanders campaigns
• Intense cultural activity accompanies active trade

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Turmoil a Power Vacuum220 BCE 320 CE
Tamils
The Maurya Empire is divided into many kingdoms.
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Regional Kingdom Kush

• Northern India/Central Asia
• C. 1-300 CE
• Maintained silk road trade network
• Under Kanishka, the Kushan empire included modern
  Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India.

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The Gupta Dynasty

• Based in Magadha
• Founded by Chandra Gupta (no relation to
  Chandragupta Maurya), c. 320 CE
• Slightly smaller than Mauryan Empire
• Highly decentralized leadership
• Foundations for studies in natural sciences and
  mathematics

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Gupta Empire 320 CE 647 CE
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Gupta Rulers

• Chandra Gupta I
• r. 320 335 CE
• Great King of Kings
• Chandra Gupta II
• r. 375 - 415 CE
• Profitable trade with the Mediterranean
  world!
• Hindu revival.
• Huns invade 450 CE

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Fa-Hsien Life in Gupta India

• Chinese Buddhist monk traveled along the Silk
  Road and visited India in the 5c.
• He was following the path of the Buddha.
• He reported the people to be happy,
  relatively free of government oppression, and
  inclined towards courtesy and charity.
  Other references in the journal, however,
  indicate that the caste system was rapidly
  assuming its basic features, including
  "untouchability," the social isolation of a
  lowest class that is doomed to menial labor.

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International Trade Routes during the Guptas
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Extensive Trade4c
spices
silks
cotton goods
spices
rice wheat
horses
gold ivory
gold ivory
cotton goods
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GuptaArt
Greatly influenced Southeast Asian art
architecture.
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Kalidasa

• The greatest of Indian poets.
• His most famous play was Shakuntala.
• During the reign of Chandra Gupta II.

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Gupta Achievements
1000 diseasesclassified
500 healingplants identified
Printedmedicinal guides
Kalidasa
Literature
Medicine
PlasticSurgery
GuptaIndia
Inoculations
C-sectionsperformed
SolarCalendar
Astronomy
Mathematics
DecimalSystem
The earthis round
PI 3.1416
Conceptof Zero
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Gupta Decline

• Frequent invasions of White Huns, 5th c. CE
• Gupta Dynasty disintegrates along regional fault
  lines
• Smaller local kingdoms dominate until Mughal
  Empire founded in 16th c.

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Economy Towns and Manufacturing

• Manufactured goods in big demand
• Developed in dense network of small workshops
• Trade intense, capitalizes on trade routes across
  India

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Long-Distance Trade

• 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

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Trade in the Indian Ocean Basin

• Seasonal sea trade expands
• Spring/winter winds blow from south-west,
  fall/winter winds blow from north-west
• Trade from Asia to Persian Gulf and Red Sea,
  Mediterranean

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Society Gender Relations

• Patriarchy entrenched
• Child marriage common (8 year old girls married
  to men in 20s)
• Women encouraged to remain in private sphere
• Mahabharata Ramayana portrayed women as
  weak-willed and overly emotional

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Social Order

• Caste system from Aryan times
• Brahmins (priests)
• Kshatriyas (warriors, aristocrats)
• Vaishyas (Peasants, merchants)
• Shudras (serfs)

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Castes and Guilds

• Increasing economic diversification challenges
  simplistic caste system
• Jatis formed guilds that acted as sub-castes
• Enforced social order
• outcastes forced into low-status employment

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Wealth and the Social Order

• Upward social mobility possible for Vaishyas,
  Shudras
• Wealth challenges varna for status as lower
  castes often accumulated more wealth than their
  brahmin kshatriya contemporaries

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Religions of Salvation in Classical India

• Social change generated resentment of caste
  privilege
• e.g. Brahmins free from taxation
• 6th-5th c. BCE new religions and philosophies
  challenge status quo
• Charvakas atheists whose beliefs reflected the
  increasingly materialistic character of Indian
  society and economy

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Jainism

• Vardhamana Mahavira, 540-468 BCE
• Abandoned privileged family to lead ascetic life
• Promotes 7th c. movement based on Upanishads
• Emphasis on selfless living, concern for all
  beings

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Ahimsa

• Principle of extreme non-violence
• Jainists sweep earth, strain water, use slow
  movements to avoid killing insects
• Ahimsa continues to inspire modern movements
  (Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr.)

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Appeal of Jainism

• Rejected caste, jati distinctions
• Obvious appeal to underprivileged groups
• But asceticism too extreme to become a mass
  movement
• 2 million Jainist Indians today

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Early Buddhism

• Siddhartha Gautama, c. 563-483 BCE
• Encountered age, sickness, death, then monastic
  life
• Abandoned comfortable life to become a monk

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Gautamas Search for Enlightenment

• Intense meditation, extreme asceticism
• 49 days of meditation under bo tree to finally
  achieve enlightenment
• Attained title Buddha the enlightened one

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The Buddha and his Followers

• Begins teaching new doctrine c. 528 BCE
• Followers owned only robes, food bowls
• Life of wandering, begging, meditation
• Establishment of monastic communities

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Buddha and his Disciples
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Buddhist Doctrine The Dharma

• The Four Noble Truths
• all life is suffering
• there is an end to suffering
• removing desire removes suffering
• this may be done through the eight-fold path
• (right views, intention, speech, action,
  livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration)

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The Eightfold Path

• Right views
• Right intention
• Right speech
• Right conduct
• Right livelihood
• Right effort
• Right mindfulness
• Right meditation

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Appeal of Buddhism

• Less dependence on Brahmins for ritual activities
• No recognition of caste, jati status
• Philosophy of moderate consumption
• Public service through lay teaching
• Use of vernacular, not Sanskrit
• Monasteries became important institutions in
  Indian society.

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A Buddhist Monastery
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Stupas

• A stupa (from Sanskrit literally meaning "heap")
  is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist
  relics, typically the remains of a Buddha or
  saint.

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Ashokas Support of Buddhism

• Personal conversion to Buddhism
• Saddened after violent war with Kalinga
• Banned animal sacrifices, mandated vegetarianism
  in court
• Material support for Buddhist institutions,
  missionary activities

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Changes in Buddhist thought

• 3rd c. BCE 1st c. CE
• Buddha considered divine
• Institution of Boddhisatvas (saints)
• Charitable donations to monasteries regarded as
  pious activity

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Spread of Mahayana Buddhism

• Mahayana (greater vehicle), newer development
• India, China, Japan, Korea, central Asia
• Hinayana (lesser vehicle, also Theravada),
  earlier version
• Ceylon, Burma, Thailand

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Nalanda

• Buddhist Monastery
• Quasi-university Buddhism, Hindu texts,
  philosophy, astronomy, medicine
• Peak at end of Gupta dynasty
• Helped spread Indian thought
• e.g. mathematical number zero

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Emergence of Popular Hinduism

• Composition of epics from older oral traditions
• Mahabharata
• Ramayana
• Promotes Rama and Sita as the ideal Hindu couple,
  devoted to each other though hardship
• Emphasis on god Vishnu and his incarnations

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The Bhagavad Gita

• Song of the Lord
• Centuries of revisions, final form c. 400 CE
• Dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna during civil
  war

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Hindu Ethics

• 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)

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Popularity of Hinduism

• Gradually replaced Buddhism in India
• Gupta dynastic leaders extend considerable support