Kinship, Caste and Class - Short notes - Class 12 history

kinship, Caste and Class 

class 12th humanities 

History 

žTextual sources to understand social behavior of early history period-Textual traditions
-Texts like – Mahabharata
-Colossal epic
-One of richest text of subcontinent-Central story 

žThe critical edition of Mahabharata-In 1919, under the leadership of V.S. Sukthankar
-Collected Sanskrit manuscripts
-Selected common verses – it took 47 years to complete
-Several common elements
-Enormous variation , documented in footnotes and appendices

žRules and varied practices in the early societies
A] Rules about families [kinship]-Kinfolk
-Not all families are identical
-Familial ties-Difficult to retrieve info about ordinary families
B] Rules about patriliny 

-Patriliny and matriliny means
-Mahabharata is a story about patriliny
-Inheritance
-Dynasties followed this system
-Exceptional circumstances 

C] Rules of marriage-Two systems – Endogamy and Exogamy
-Elite families girls and women’s life was carefully regulated – right
-Three types of marriage – monogamy, polygamy or polygyny, polyandry
-From 5000 BCE, marriage norms compiled in Sanskrit texts also
-8 forms of marriage, first 4 were good and remained four were condemned

D] The gotra rules for women-Classify people in terms of gotra
-Two rules- 1] Give up father’s gotra and adopt husband’s gotra
 2] Members of same gotra couldn't marry.-Polygynous Satvahana rulers
-Alternative practice

D] Were mothers important in early societies-Satavahana rulers were identified through metronymic.
-Succession to throne was generally patrilineal 

žSocial differencesThe right occupation
-Contained rules about ideal occupation of the four categories or varnas
1] Brahamanas
2] Kshatriyas
3] Vaishyas
4] Shudras 

žThe Brahamanas evolved many strategies for enforcing right occupation norms -Divine origin -Advised kings -Persuade people -Reinforced norms by stories told in the Mahabharata and other texts žNon- Kshatriya Kings -Acc. to shastras only Kshatriyas could be kings -But, several lineages had different origin -Social background of Mauryas -Shungas and kanvas -Shakas -Rudradaman -Gotami_puta_satkani  -Satavahanas žJatis and Social mobility -Jati and varna based on birth but varna was fixed at four, there was no restriction on the number of jatis -Guilds -Stone inscription in Mandasor in MP žBeyond the four varnas [Integration of varna practices] -Tribal people -Melechchhas -Sharing of ideas and beliefs -Example – Eklavya and Bhima žBeyond the four varnas [subordination of the lower varnas and conflict between higher and lower varna] -Developed a sharper social divide -Classified certain social categories as – ‘untouchables’ -Avoid taking anything -Some activities were regarded as polluting žThe manusmriti laid down the duties of ‘chandals’ -Live outside the village -Use discarded utensils -Wear clothes of dead -Ornaments made of iron  -Could not walk in night -Dispose dead bodies -Xuan Zang – clapper -Executioners

žSocial implications of access to resources and status
A] Gendered- access to property-Paternal state was divided equally
-Women couldn’t claim resources
-Manusmriti warned having property without husband permission-Exception – Prabhavati Gupta 

žVarna and access to property
-Another criterion was varna
-Occupation of varnas
-Wealthiest and poorest men
-Buddhist texts rejected ideas

žAn alternative social-scenario sharing wealth in ancient Tamil Nadu
-Generous were respected and miserly were despised
-Chiefs were patrons of bards
-Resources were expected to share them žSocial system according to Buddhist theory
-Sutta pitaka
-Human became greedy
-Leader – secured protection to people
-Leader known as mahasammata
-Institution of kingship based on human choice

žAssessment and understanding of historical significance of Mahabharata

A] Language
-Version is in Sanskrit
-Simple Sanskrit then that if Vedas or of inscriptions
B] Content
-Narrative
-Didactic
C] Author[s]
-Original story by charioteer bards-Then Brahamanas began to write
-Sage named Vyasa
D] Dated of Mahabharata
žB.B Lal’s excavation and finding in Hastinapur
-2nd phase
-3rd phase

žMost challenging episode of Mahabharata was Draupadi’s marriage

žMahabharata is a Dynamic Text