AP World History Traditions & Encounters Notes
Chapter 9 – State, Society and the Quest for Salvation in India
The Mauryan Dynasty
 Indian unification came mostly because of invasions
 520BCE – Persian Emperor, Darius conquered part of India
o Made it a province of Achaemenid Empire
o Used Persian techniques of administration/governing
 327BCE – Alexander the Great conquered the northern part, but departed after two years
o His departure created a vacuum when he destroyed the states and then withdrew, leaving
room for others to come in and take over
 By 500BCE, the kingdom of Magadha had taken over the area
o Within 2 centuries took surrounding regions
o Took control of all trade passing through the Ganges Valley
 By 321BCE, Chandragupta Maurya began taking over small regions of Magadha and worked his way
to the center
o Brought most of India under his control – centralized government
o The Arthashastra (manual on instructions for administering an empire) helped
Chandragupta set up his government
 Told how to oversee trade and agriculture, collect taxes, keep order work with other
empires and wage war
o Traditions says he gave up his throne to his son – became a monk – possibly starved himself
to death
o The highpoint of the Mauryan empire came under Ashoka
 Conquered most of the rest of the subcontinent
 Much better governor than conqueror
 Ruled through tightly organized bureaucracy
 Built capital of Pataliputra
 Committee looked after foreigners in the city (spied on them)
 Efficiently collected taxes
 Inscribed his edicts on natural stone formations or stone pillars
 Had imperial decrees, urged people to observe Buddhist values & expressed
his intention to rule fairly
 As a result, regions of India became fairly integrated
 He encouraged the development of agriculture
 Built extensive irrigation systems
 Built extensive roads – 1,000 miles
 Inns, wells and shade trees for travelers
 Died in 232BCE – decline started quickly
 Leaders spent too much money on salaries for large army and huge
bureaucracy
 Eventually, they spent more than they took in
 Because of financial problems, the empire couldn’t hold on
 By 185BCE, it was gone
Gupta Dynasty
 Also based in Magadha (like the Mauryan)
 Dominated the Ganges valley
 Founder was Chandra Gupta
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Established c. 320CE
Pataliputra would remain the center of administration and commerce
Later leaders conquered surrounding areas
Established tributary alliances with regions that did not put up a fight
Guptas left local governments and policy making in the hands of allies in the region
Became a prosperous, stable land with little crime
However, they couldn’t stand up under the attacks from the White Huns (nomads from the
steppes of Asia)
 By end of 5th century, the Huns had established several kingdoms in north and west
India
o Gupta dynasty continued in name only
 Regional governors began to take over their regions
 India would remain fragmented until the 16th century when the Mughals took over
Economic Development and Social Distinctions
 spread thru subcontinent – Aryans turned to agriculture
 after 1000BCE – learned iron metallurgy – used the tools to move into new areas – specifically the
jungles
 sent shudras to clear the land – grow crops – agricultural surpluses
o supported the Mauryan and Gupta dynasties
 encouraged growth of towns, trade and caste system
Towns and Trade
 after 600BCE – towns in India – esp. NW corner
 towns provided manufactured products - utensils and tools
o also luxury goods for the elite
 demand was high and some entrepreneurs had large businesses
o towns had marketplaces
 trade very active along Ganges River – also over to Burma and down thru S. India
 other places with growing stable political foundations began to trade with India
o direct political and military bonds with foreign countries
 Persia loved to trade with India b/c of its wealth
 Alex’s conquests help est. more networks b/w India and Med basin by way of Persia, Bactria, and
Anatolia
 two ways of trade – over the Hindu Kush and the Taxila to Persia and along the silk roads to China
o cotton, aromatics, black pepper, pearls, and gems traded for horses, bullion and silk
 during Mauryan times – also used sea for transport
o used the rhythms of the monsoon winds
 spring and summer – wind blows from SW
 during fall and winter – from the NE
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 by 5 cent. BCE – traveled to Indonesia – SE Asia mainland
o brought back spices and exotic local goods – usually traded on to Med basin
 Indian pepper so popular the Romans ext. trading settlements in S. India – tons of Roman coins found
in India
Family Life and the Caste System
 tried to promote stability by encouraging strong patriarch family and social order with defined roles
 most were nuclear families – some of the aristocrats lived with several generations in large compounds
 the Mahabharata and Ramayana showed women are weak and emotional and devoted to their
husbands.
 early CE centuries – male dominance even more pronounced
 by Gupta era – child marriage common
o girls of 8-9 to men in 20’s – marriage took place after puberty
o this put them under control of older men and devote themselves to family matters
 four main classes: Brahmins – priests; kshatriyas, warriors and aristocrats; vaishyas - merchants;
shudras – peasants and serfs
 growth of trade encouraged deeper development of castes
o new groups – artisans, craftsmen, and merchants – did not fit easily into established structure
 those in the same craft banded together to form a guild (corporate body that supervises prices and
wages in a given industry and provides for the welfare of members and their families)
o guilds lived in same part of town, socialized, intermarried and took care of the needy.
 they were sub castes (jati) – usually organized their own courts – discipline, resolve
differences, regulate affairs
 could be expelled from the community
o guilds and jati performed services that central gov’ts provided in other lands.
 economic development brought huge wealth
o also challenged the social order
 tradition said that special honor was for Brahmins and kshatriyas b/c of the worthy lives they had led
during previous incarnations and their responsibilities of their current lives
 the other two castes did not get any special respect and were obligated to work as the higher classes told
them to.
o however trade and industry brought wealth and influence to vaishyas and even shudras
 beliefs, values and rituals were beginning to change and that brought new religions
Religions of Salvation in Classical India
 during ancient times the Brahmins did ritual sacrifices
o crucial for survival of society
o were exempt from taxes
o received other gifts
o as society became wealthier, their services were less meaningful
 6th and 5th centuries – new religions that rejected the Brahmins’ cults and appealed to the new social
classes
Jainism and the Challenge to the Established Cultural Order
 one of the most influential new religions
 became popular when great teacher Vardhamana Mahavira turned to Jainism – he was “the great
hero” born into prominent kshatriya family
o legend says he left home at 30 to seek salvation by escaping the cycle of incarnation
o wandered 12 yrs. living an ascetic life in the Ganges valley where he gained enlightenment
o gave up all his worldly goods and clothes – taught detachment from the world.
o next thirty years – taught a group of disciples who formed a monastic order to spread his
message
o they called him Jina (the conqueror) and refered to themselves as Jains.
 much of the doctrine comes from the Upanishads
 they believed that everything in the universe – people, animals, plants, air, water, rocks, etc. possess a
soul
o as long as they are in their earthly bodies – they experience suffering
o only by purification of selfish behavior would souls get release and gain eternal bliss
o to do this they had to observe ahimsa – nonviolence to other living things or their souls
 monks would sweep the walkways to keep from hurting insects – strain water, etc.
 believed that all occupations were violent in some way
o farmers killed pests – harvested live plants
o leather tanners killed animals
 this was not a practical religion for most people
 it did appeal to many people and they adapted it to suit their needs
 they liked the idea that all things had souls
 also Jains did not like social classes
o this was popular with the lower classes who did not get respect in the traditional order
o these classes did not do much violence to other creatures or souls
 there are 2 million Jainists today
 many Buddhists and Hindus believe in ahimsa – reformers like Gandhi and MLK, JR.
 however, Jainism is too difficult for most people to take part in
 a more practical alternative to Jainism was Buddhism
Early Buddhism
 Siddhartha Gautama b. about 563BCE – in small state gov’n by father –foothills of Himalayas
o lived sheltered life – only saw good things – father never wanted him to know suffering.
o one day he saw an old man, later a sick man, then a corpse
o learned that all of what he had seen was inevitable and it greatly disturbed him
o saw a monk and learned that some people give up active life to live ascetic lives– he
admired him.
 534BCE – left wife and family to be holy man – wandered looking for explanation of suffering
o looked for enlightenment by meditation, then extreme asceticism – still didn’t work
o finally sat under large bo tree and said he would stay there until he understood suffering.
o 49 days – meditated – demons tempted him with pleasures and terrors – finally, he
understood
 he became Buddha – “the enlightened one.”
o delivered doctrine about 528BCE to friends who had been ascetic also – called the “Turning
of the Wheel of the Law” – represented the beginning of his quest to righteousness
o gathered many followers – organized some monks who traveled on foot, begged for food &
preached
o led his disciples throughout N. India for 40 years – died in 483BCE
 Four Noble Truths
o all life involves suffering
o desire is the cause of suffering
o elimination of desire brings an end to suffering
o a disciplined life conducted in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path brings the
elimination of desire
 right belief, right resolve, right speech, right behavior, right occupation, right effort,
right contemplation, right meditation
 a moderate life with quiet contemplation, thoughtful desire, and self-control would help people reduce
desire for material things
 would lead to personal salvation – escape from cycle of incarnation and attain nirvana
o state of perfect spiritual independence
 the 4 Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path make up dharma –doctrine shared by all Buddhists
 reasons it appealed to regular Indians
o did not depend on Brahmins – not believe in the caste system – message appealed to
members of lower castes
o used vernacular languages that reached more people
o had holy sites that served as focal point for devotion
o Stupas – shrines that had artifacts of Buddha and first disciples
o organization – joined monastic communities where they dedicated life to search for
enlightenment
 great at spreading the faith – taught, explained and preached
 Ashoka converted to Buddhism after defeating the Kalingans and seeing them suffer
o said he would pursue his goals humanely rather than fighting
o probably thought it would unify the diverse nation
o he banned animal sacrifices in Pataliputra, stopped hunting and stopped eating most meat
o gave land grants to Buddhists, encouraged them to spread Buddhism
o sent missionaries into central Asia to spread Buddhist beliefs
Mahayana Buddhism
 Buddhism attracted merchants, artisans, other low rungs on the social class
 liked the idea b/c it did not have complicated ceremonies that seemed to not matter
 true existence involved giving up everything including social standing, family and material goods.
 early Buddhist thought it might take many incarnations over 1000’s of years to reach nirvana
 b/w 3rd BCE and 1st centuries CE – three new developments changed Buddhism
o one, Buddha didn’t consider himself divine, but followers began to worship him as a god
o two, began to believe in boddhisatva – people who had reached nirvana but were staying on
earth to help others attain nirvana
o third, monasteries began to accept gifts from wealthy and see the gifts as act of generosity
that warranted salvation – so wealthy could still have comfort, avoid sacrifices and still have
salvation
 followers of these three ideas called their faith Mahayana “the greater vehicle”
o could “carry” more people to salvation
 as opposed to Hinayana “the lesser vehicle” aka Theravada Buddhism
 Mahayana attracted followers in central Asia, China, Japan and Korea – will flourish more than the other
will
 monasteries began to offer basic education
Emergence of Popular Hinduism
 Hinduism underwent transformation to gather more followers
 departed from older traditions of Brahmins
 changes in doctrine and observances to attract ordinary people
 two poems show values of Hinduism
o Mahabharata – huge war for control of N. India b/w two groups of cousins – secular work
that Brahmins stressed the god Vishnu – preserver of the world who intervened on behalf of
the virtuous
o Ramayana – Prince Rama rescued wife Sita after demon king of Ceylon kidnapped her
 Brahmin editors later made Rama an incarnation of Vishnu
 they portrayed Rama and Sita as perfect Hindu husband and wife
 the Bhagavad Gita underwent several edits until it ended up with Krishna (charioteer of Arjuna – a
warrior) stressing the importance of caste system and responsibilities to fulfill it and failure was a great
sin.
o in the Gita – it showed that life was easier for regular people because they could get salvation
by participating actively in world and meet their caste responsibilities
 only perform duties faithfully, think only of their actions, and no thought to the consequences
 four aims of human life:
o dharma – obedience to religious and moral laws
o artha – pursuit of economic well-being and honest prosperity
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o kama – enjoyment of social, physical, and sexual pleasure
o a proper balance of these three would help a person achieve moksha – salvation of the soul
gradually took over as dominant religion in India
Hinduism attracted the Gupta emperors – gave many land grants and supported educational system that
promoted Hindu values
by 1000CE – Buddhism had noticeably declined
w/I few centuries Hinduism and new faith of Islam had diminished Buddhism’s appeal in India