History Chapter 6 PDF

CHAPTER 6 NEW QUESTIONS AND IDEAS Anagha’s school trip This was the first time Anagha was going on a school trip. They boarded the train from Pune (in Maharashtra) late at night, to go all the way to Varanasi (in Uttar Pradesh). Her mother, who came to see her off at the station, told the t...

CHAPTER 6 NEW QUESTIONS AND IDEAS Anagha’s school trip This was the first time Anagha was going on a school trip. They boarded the train from Pune (in Maharashtra) late at night, to go all the way to Varanasi (in Uttar Pradesh). Her mother, who came to see her off at the station, told the teacher: “Do tell the children about the Buddha, and take them to see Sarnath as well.” The story of the Buddha d he Siddhartha, also known as Gautama, the founder pu T of Buddhism, was born about 2500 years ago. is re ER This was a time of rapid change in the lives of bl people. As you saw in Chapter 5, some kings in be NC the mahajanapadas were growing more powerful. New cities were developing, and life was changing in the villages as well (see Chapter 9). Many © thinkers were trying to understand these changes in society. They also wanted to try and find out the true meaning of life. o The Buddha belonged to a small gana known tt as the Sakya gana, and was a kshatriya. When he no was a young man, he left the comforts of his home in search of knowledge. He wandered for several years, meeting and holding discussions with other thinkers. He finally decided to find his own path to realisation, and meditated for days on end under a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where he attained enlightenment. After that, he was known as the Buddha or the Wise One. He then went to Sarnath, near Varanasi, where he taught for the first time. He spent the rest of his life travelling on foot, going from place to place, teaching people, 57 n till he passed away at Kusinara. NEW QUESTIONS AND IDEAS 2020-21  The Buddha taught that life is full of suffering and unhappiness. This is caused because we have cravings and desires (which often cannot be fulfilled). Sometimes, even if we get what we want, we are not satisfied, and want even more (or want The stupa at Sarnath. This building, known as a other things). The Buddha described this as thirst stupa, was built to mark or tanha. He taught that this constant craving the place where the could be removed by following moderation in Buddha first taught his everything. message. You will learn He also taught people to be kind, and to more about stupas in Chapter 11. respect the lives of others, including animals. He believed that the results of our actions (called karma), whether good or bad, affect us both in this life and d the next. The Buddha he pu T taught in the language of is re ER bl the ordinary people, Prakrit, so that everybody could understand his be NC message. What was the language used to compose the © Vedas? He also encouraged people to think for o tt themselves rather than to simply no accept what he said. Let us see how he did this. n 58 OUR PASTS–I 2020-21  The story of Kisagotami Here is a famous story about the Buddha. Once there was a woman named Kisagotami, whose son had died. She was so sad that she roamed through the streets of the city carrying the child with her, asking for help to bring him back to life. A kind man took her to the Buddha. The Buddha said: “Bring me a handful of mustard seeds, and I will bring your child back to life.” Kisagotami was overjoyed and started off at once, but the Buddha gently stopped her and added: “The seeds must come from the house of a family where nobody has died.” Kisagotami went from door to door, but wherever she went, she found out that someone or the other — father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife, child, uncle, aunt, grandfather, grandmother — had died. What was the Buddha trying to teach the sorrowing mother? d he Upanishads pu T is re ER Six Schools of Indian Philosoph Philosophyy Around the time that the Buddha bl was preaching and perhaps a little Over centuries, India’s intellectual be NC earlier, other thinkers also tried to exploration of truth has come to be represented by six systems of find answers to difficult questions. philosophy. These are known as Some of them wanted to know about Vaishesika, Nyaya, Samkhya, Yoga, © life after death, others wanted to Purva Mimansa and Vedanta or Uttara know why sacrifices should be Mimansa. These six systems of performed. Many of these thinkers philosophy are said to have been o felt that there was something founded by sages Konada, Gotama, tt permanent in the universe that Kapila, Patanjali, Jaimini and Vyasa, respectively. These philosophies still no would last even after death. They guide scholarly discourse in the described this as the atman or the country. Ger man-bor n British individual soul and the brahman or indologist, Friedrich Max Muller, has the universal soul. They believed observed that the six systems of that ultimately, both the atman and philosophy were developed over many the brahman were one. generations with contributions made by Many of their ideas were recorded individual thinkers. However, today, we find an underlying harmony in their in the Upanishads. These were part understanding of truth, although they of the later Vedic texts. Upanishad seem distinct from each other. literally means ‘approaching and 59 n NEW QUESTIONS AND IDEAS 2020-21  The wise beggar Here is a dialogue based on a story from one of the most famous Upanishads, the Chhandogya Upanishad. Shaunaka and Abhipratarin were two sages who worshipped the universal soul. Once, as they sat down to eat, a beggar came and asked for some food. “We cannot spare anything for you,” Shaunaka said. “Learned sirs, whom do you worship?” the beggar asked. “The universal soul,” Abhipratarin replied. “Ah! It means that you know that the universal soul fills the entire world.” “Yes, yes. We know that.” The sages nodded. “If the universal soul fills the whole world, it fills me too. Who am I, but a part of the world?” the beggar asked. d “You speak the truth, O young brahmin.” he “Then, O sages, by not giving me food, you are actually denying food pu T to the universal soul.” is re ER The sages realised the truth of what the beggar said, and shared their bl food with him. How did the beggar convince the sages to share their food with him? be NC sitting near’ and the texts contain conversations between teachers and students. Often, ideas were © presented through simple dialogues. Most Upanishadic thinkers were men, especially brahmins and rajas. Occasionally, there o is mention of women thinkers, such as Gargi, tt who was famous for her learning, and participated no in debates held in royal courts. Poor people rarely took part in these discussions. One famous exception was Satyakama Jabala, who was named after his mother, the slave woman Jabali. He had a deep desire to learn about reality, was accepted as a student by a brahmin teacher named Gautama, and became one of the best-known thinkers of the time. Many of the ideas of the Upanishads were later developed by the famous thinker Shankaracharya, about whom you will n 60 read in Class VII. OUR PASTS–I 2020-21  Panini, the gr grammarian ammarian This was also the time when other scholars were at work. One of the most famous was Panini, who prepared a grammar for Sanskrit. He arranged the vowels and the consonants in a special order, and then used these to create formulae like those found in Algebra. He used these to write down the rules of the language in short formulae (around 3000 of them!). Jainism The last and 24th tirthankara of the Jainas, Vardhamana Mahavira, also spread his message d around this time, i.e. 2500 years ago. He was a he kshatriya prince of the Lichchhavis, a group that pu T was part of the Vajji sangha, about which you is re ER read in Chapter 5. At the age of thirty, he left bl home and went to live in a forest. For twelve years be NC he led a hard and lonely life, at the end of which he attained enlightenment. He taught a simple doctrine: men and women © who wished to know the truth must leave their homes. They must follow very strictly the rules of ahimsa, which means not hurting or killing living o beings. “All beings,” said Mahavira “long to live. tt To all things life is dear.” Ordinary people could no understand the teachings of Mahavira and his followers, because they used Prakrit. There were several forms of Prakrit, used in different parts of the country, and named after the regions in which they were used. For example, the Prakrit spoken in Magadha was known as Magadhi. Followers of Mahavira, who were known as Jainas, had to lead very simple lives, begging for food. They had to be absolutely honest, and were especially asked not to steal. Also, they had to observe celibacy. And men had to give up 61 n NEW QUESTIONS AND everything, including their clothes. IDEAS 2020-21  It was very difficult for most men and women Jaina to follow these strict rules. Nevertheless, The word Jaina thousands left their homes to learn and teach comes from the this new way of life. Many more remained behind term Jina, and supported those who became monks and meaning nuns, providing them with food. conqueror. Jainism was supported mainly by traders. Why do you Farmers, who had to kill insects to protect their think the term crops, found it more difficult to follow the rules. Jina was used Over hundreds of years, Jainism spread to for Mahavira? different parts of north India, and to Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The teachings of Mahavira and his followers were transmitted orally for several centuries. They were written d down in the form in which they are presently he pu T available at a place called Valabhi, in Gujarat, is re ER about 1500 years ago (see Map 7, page 105). bl The sangha be NC Both the Mahavira and the Buddha felt that only those who left their homes could gain true knowledge. They arranged for them to stay © together in the sangha, an association of those who left their homes. o The rules made for the Buddhist sangha were tt written down in a book called the Vinaya Pitaka. From this we know that there were separate no branches for men and women. All men could join the sangha. However, children had to take the permission of their parents and slaves that of their masters. Those who worked for the king had to take his permission and debtors that of creditors. Women had to take their husbands’ permission. Men and women who joined the sangha led simple lives. They meditated for most of the time, and went to cities and villages to beg for food during fixed hours. That is why they were known n 62 as bhikkhus (the Prakrit word for renouncer — beggar) OUR PASTS–I 2020-21 and bhikkhunis. They taught others, and helped one another. They also held meetings to settle any quarrels that took place within the sangha. Those who joined the sangha included brahmins, kshatriyas, merchants, labourers, barbers, courtesans and slaves. Many of them wrote down the teachings of the Buddha. Some of them also composed beautiful poems, describing their life in the sangha. List at least two ways in which the sangha A cave hollowed out in described in this lesson was different from the the hills. This is a cave in Karle, one mentioned in Chapter 5. Were there any present-day similarities? Maharashtra. Monks and d nuns lived and meditated Monasteries he in these shelters. To begin with, both Jaina pu T is re ER and Buddhist monks went bl from place to place be NC throughout the year, teaching people. The only time they stayed in one place was during the rainy © season, when it was very difficult to travel. Then, o their supporters built tt temporary shelters for them in gardens, or they no lived in natural caves in hilly areas. As time went on, many supporters of the monks and nuns, and they themselves, felt the need for more per manent shelters and so monasteries were built. These were known as 63 n viharas. The earliest 2020-21  viharas were made of wood, and then of brick. Some were even in caves that were dug out in hills, especially in western India. A Buddhist text tells us: Just as the waters of rivers lose their names and separateness when they flow into the mighty ocean, so are varna and ranks and family forgotten when the followers of the Buddha join the order of monks. Very often, the land on which the vihara was built was donated by a rich merchant or a landowner, or the king. The local people came d with gifts of food, clothing and medicines for the he monks and nuns. In return, they taught the pu T people. Over the centuries, Buddhism spread to is re ER many parts of the subcontinent and beyond. You bl will learn more about this in Chapter 9. be NC The sy stem of ashr system ashramas amas © Around the time when Jainism and Buddhism were becoming popular, brahmins developed the system of ashramas. Here, the word ashrama does not mean a place where people live and o meditate. tt It is used instead for a stage of life. Four ashramas were recognised: brahmacharya, grihastha, no vanaprastha and samnyasa. Brahmin, kshatriya and vaishya men were expected to lead simple lives and study the Vedas during the early years of their life (brahmacharya). Then they had to marry and live as householders (grihastha). Then they had to live in the forest and meditate (vanaprastha). Finally, they had to give up everything and become samnyasins. The system of ashramas allowed men to spend some part of their lives in meditation. Generally, women were not allowed to study the Vedas, and they had to follow the ashramas chosen by their husbands. In what way was the system of ashramas different from life in the sangha? What are the varnas mentioned here? Were all four varnas allowed to n 64 participate in the system of ashramas? OUR PASTS–I 2020-21  Elsewhere Find Iran in your atlas. Zoroaster was an Iranian prophet. His teachings are contained in a book called the Avesta. The language of the Avesta, and the practices described in it are very similar to those of the Vedas. The basic teachings of Zoroaster are contained in the maxim “Good thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds.” Here is a verse from the Zend Avesta: “Lord, grant strength and the rule of truth and good thinking, by means of which one shall create peace and tranquillity.” For more than a thousand years, Zoroastrianism was a major religion in Iran. Later, some d Zoroastrians migrated from Iran and settled down he in the coastal towns of Gujarat and Maharashtra. pu T They were the ancestors of today’s Parsis. is re ER bl Imagine be NC KEYWORDS You want to go to listen to one of the preachers who tanha lived about 2500 years ago. Describe your conversation Prakrit with your parents as you try to persuade them to let © Upanishad you go. atman brahman o Let’s recall ahimsa tt Jaina no 1. Describe the ways in which the Buddha tried to spread sangha his message to the people. bhikkhu 2. Write whether true or false: vihara monastery (a) The Buddha encouraged animal sacrifices. ashrama (b) Sarnath is important because it was the place where the Buddha taught for the first time. (c) The Buddha taught that karma has no effect on our lives. (d) The Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh 65 n Gaya. NEW QUESTIONS AND IDEAS 2020-21  SOME IMPORTANT e. Upanishadic thinkers believed that the atman and brahman were ultimately one. DATES 3. What were the questions that Upanishadic thinkers u Upanishadic thinkers, wanted to answer? the Jaina teacher Mahavira and the 4. What were the main teachings of the Mahavira? Buddha (about 2500 years ago) u Writing down of the Let’s discuss Jaina texts (about 1500 years ago) 5. Why do you think Anagha’s mother wanted her to know the story of the Buddha? 6. Do you think it would have been easy for slaves to d join the sangha? Give reasons for your answer. he pu T is re ER Let’s do bl be NC 7. Make a list of at least five ideas and questions mentioned in this lesson. Choose three from the list and discuss why you think they are important even today. © 8. Find out more about men and women who renounce the world today. Where do they live, what kinds of o clothes do they wear, what do they eat? Why do they tt renounce the world? no n 66 OUR PASTS–I 2020-21