Read the following excerpt carefully and answer the questions that follow:
In Praise of Samudragupta
This is an excerpt from the Prayaga Prashasti:
He was without an antagonist on earth; he, by the overflowing of the multitude of (his) many good qualities adorned by hundreds of good actions, has wiped off the fame of other kings with the soles of (his) feet; (he is) Purusha (the Supreme Being), being the cause of the prosperity of the good and the destruction of the bad (he is) incomprehensible; (he is) one whose tender heart can be captured only by devotion and humility; (he is) possessed of compassion ; (he is) the giver of many hundredthousands of cows; (his) mind has received ceremonial initiation for the uplift of the miserable, the poor, the forlorn and the suffering; (he is) resplendent and embodied kindness to mankind; (he is) equal to (the gods) Kubera (the god of wealth), Varuna (the god of the ocean), Indra (the god of rains) and Yama (the god of death)….
(15.1) Give the meaning of Prashasti.
(15.2) ‘Samudragupta is compared to gods.’ Justify the comparison.
(15.3) Name two sources used to reconstruct the history of Gupta rulers.
(15.1)Prahasti is a composition in praise of kings in particular, and patrons in general, by poets.
(15.2) Samudragupta is compared to gods as:
(i) He was without an antagonist on earth.
(ii) He was adorned by Hundreds for multitude of overflowing good qualities.
(iii) He being the cause of the prosperity of the good and destruction of the bad.
(iv) He was resplendent and embodied kindness to mankind.
(15.3) The two sources used to reconstruct the history of Gupta rulers are (i) literature (ii) coins
Explain the system of land grants and trade from C. 600 BCE to 600 CE.
OR
Explain any four sources to reconstruct the history of Mauryas. Examine the system of Mauryan administration.
System of Land Grants:
i. Grants made to religious institutions
iii. Grants called agrahara grants were made to Brahmanas
iii. Samantas were also given land. Prabhavati Gupta – example of agrahara grant made by a woman is an exception
iv. Land grants were a strategy to extend agriculture and Brahmanical practices in new regions
System of trade:
i. Introduction of punch marked coins encouraged trade
ii. Inland and overland trade existed. Inland trade connected various parts of the subcontinent.
iii. Various river routes in the sub-continent were used for trade
iv. Overland and maritime trade existed with C. Asia, North Africa, West Asia etc
OR
Sources:
i. Punch marked coins
ii. Archaeological finds like palace wall at Patliputra
iii. Account of Megasthenes.
iv. Kautilya’s Arthashastra and Asokan inscriptions – pillar inscriptions and rock edicts
Administration:
i. There were five major political centres- the capital Pataliputra and provincial centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri.
ii. Administrative control was strongest in areas around the capital and the provincial centres.
iii. Provincial centres were carefully chosen: Taxila and Ujjayini were situated on important long distance trade routes
iv. Suvarnagiri was important for tapping gold mines of Karnataka. Communication along both land and riverine routes was essential for the existence of the empire.
Historians have used a variety of sources to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire. State any four such sources.
Sources to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire are:
(i)Archaeological finds, especially sculpture.
(ii)The account of Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, which survives in fragments.
(iii)The Arthashastra, parts of which were probably composed by Kautilya or Chanakya, traditionally believed to be the minister of Chandragupta.
(iv)Buddhist , Jaina and Puranic literature , as well as Sanskrit literary works. The inscriptions of Asoka on rocks and pillars.
How have the Prashastis drawn the factual information about the Gupta rulers ?
Factual information from prashatis about the Gupta rulers:
(i)Histories of the Gupta rulers have been reconstructed from literature , coins and inscriptions , including prashastis , composed in praise of kings by poets.
(ii)While historians often attempt to draw factual information from such compositions , those who composed and read them treasured them as works of poetry rather than as accounts.
“The Mahabharata is a story of kinship, marriages and patriliny.” Examine the statement.
(i) The Mahabharata is a story about kinship describing a feud over land and power between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
(ii) Pandavas became victorious due to their virtues.
(iii) Kinsmen claimed the throne, and, in very exceptional circumstances, women such as Prabhavati Gupta exercised power.
(iv) Under patriliny, sons could claim the authority of their fathers .
(v) Men acquired wealth through means led by the Manusmriti like inheritance, work, etc.
(vi) Women acquired wealth through Stridhan( by father, brother, husband).
(vii) While sons were important for the continuity of the patriliny, daughters had no claims to the resources of the household.
(viii) Various systems followed for the marriage were endogamy, exogamy, polygamy and polyandry.
(ix) Members of the same gotra could not marry.
(x) One of the most challenging episode in the Mahabharata is Draupadi’s marriage with the Pandavas an instance of Polyandry
(xi) Bhima marrying Hidimba –an example of exogamy.
(xii) Dharamshastras and Dharamasutras recognized as many as eight forms of marriages.
(xiii) Kanyadana or the gift of a daughter in marriage was an important religious duty of the father.
(xiv) Yudhishthira losing his wife in the game of dice is an example of women being treated as a part of property, putting up a big question on the status of women.
(xv) Family shaped the attitude and thinking of the people and geared them towards patriarchy.
(ANY EIGHT)
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