Ancient India - Lecture notes 2 PDF

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ANCIENT INDIA- STATE, POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
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ANCI ENT I NDI A STATE,POLI TY AND GOVERNANCE  Nat ur eofSt at e  Not i onsofKi ngshi p( Br ahmi ni ’ sBuddhi st ,Kaut al ayas)  Admi ni st r at i veAppar at us i nVedi cAge I nMauryas I nGupt as

STATE STRUCTURE

TRI BAL GOTRA GRAMA JANA VI SH

ASSEMBLI ES VI DATA SABHA SAMI TI

I NTRODUCTI ON TheSt at ei n anci entI ndi awasbot hf unct i onalandst r uc t ur al power ent i t y . I tcov er ed t he ent i r e act i vi t y ofor gani z ed secul ar communi t y . Anci entI ndi an t hi nkerhas gi v en i dea t hatst at e as bei ngt hecompl exofal lsoci alact i vi t y . Thest at ecoul dcease l essl y f ost err i ght eousness,gui deandcont r olandcor r ectt hemor all i f eof t hepeopl e,maket hewor l d habi t abl eandcomf or t abl ef ort hemen. St at ewasoni nst i t ut i onf orser vi ngsomeoft hecommoni nt er es t sof

man i n soci et y . Thef or mat i on ofst at eexhi bi t ed t henat ur eoft he st at et hat ,i twast r i balorcommuni t ybased. I N EARLY PHASE Att he t i me oft he Aryan i nvasi ons,agr i cul t ur aland ur ban communi t i esexi st edi nI ndi a. Theywer eor gani zedunderpower f ul monar chi es. Some oft hem wer el or ds ofa t housand f or t s and offer edr esi st ancet ot hef orwar dmar c h oft heAr yans. Thi sper i od was mar ked as t he fir stst aget owar ds t hedeve l opmentofI ndi an st at eandsoci e t y .Butduet ol ackoft hewr i t t ensour ces,wear enot i n a posi t i on t o gi vedet ai l ed i nf or mat i on r egar di ng t hesepol i t i cal deve l opment s.

( A)TRI BALPOLI TY Thepol i t i calandadmi ni st r at i v est r uct ur eoft heear l yphaseof t heVedi cAgewascons t i t ut edwi t ht hesoci als t r uct ur ebecausef or t hepur poseoft hest abi l i z edpol i t i calsyst em,t heAryans’ snomadi c l i f ewoul d bese t t l ed. So,i nt heear l yphase,t heyonl yes t abl i shed t r i balpr i nci pal i t i eswhi ch wer ev erymuch offer ed wi t ht hei rsoci al st r uct ur e. I nt he i ni t i alRi gveda per i od,peopl e’ s soci als t r uct ur e was based on Ki nshsi p. The t er m Got r a and Vr at a occur i nt he Ri gveda at sever al pl aced. The t er m Got r a r e f er r ed t o t he cowpen/cowencl oser and t he peopl e who l i v ed under t he same cowshed cane t ot he bel ong t ot he same got r a. Basi cal l y ,t he economi cact i vi t yl ay att her ootoft hef or mat i on oft hesegot r a, whi chcanal sor eflectasc l eanorl i neages. GRAMA-r e f er r edasacol l ect i on ofr el at edf ami l i est hatwasabasi c e l ementoft hesoci alst r uc t ur e.I tcamet odenot eavi l l agewheni t s member st ook t o agr i cul t ur e and sedent ar yl i f e. Then,i t al so f or medsmal lpol i t i caluni t s. JANA-i twor ked as t he hi ghestsoci aluni tbased on pat r i ar chal ki ngshi p.Chi efknowsasJanapat iorKi ng.

VI S-wor kedasasubdi vi si onoft hej anaort r i be,cl an oft het r i be, whi ch had i t sown chi e f ,cal l ed Vi spat i . __ __ __vi s___ __a fight i ng uni t swer ec l ose l ykni tt oget herand on t hebat t l efie l ds,bat t al i ons wer eof t enar r angedaspervi sf r om whi c ht heyhadbeenr ecr ui t ed. I mpor t antf acti st hat-t he pr ocess t hatgav er i se t ot he ‘ St at e or gans’hadal r eadycamet opi ct ur ei nt heRi gv edaper i od.

( B)ASSEMBLI ES VI DATHA-meanst oknow orconsi der edandt oexi s t . K. P.Jayaswalexpl ai ned t hi st er mi n det ai l -Vi dat ha seemst o havebeen t hepar entf ol k assembl yf r om whi ch t heSabha,Sami t i and Sena di ffer ent i at ed,f orwefind Vi dat ha associ at ed wi t h ci vi l , mi l i t ar yandr el i gi ousf unct i ons.

RELI GI OUSLY-i tor gani zedt hel i f eoft hepeopl e.  Ther ewasaact i vepar t i ci pat i onoft hewomeni nVi dat ha.  I ti s a del i ber at i v e body made l aws and or di nances f ort he r egul at i onoft het r i balaffai r s.  I tseemst ohaveconduct ed i t smi l i t aryoper at i on underawar chi ef .  I tappear st ohav ebeen abi gassembl y ,pr obabl yr epr esent i ng t heent i r et r i be. Accor di ngt oR. S.Shar ma-“ Vi dat hawast heear l i estf ol kassembl y at t ended bot h by men and women, per f or mi ng al l ki nds of f unct i ons,economi c,mi l i t ar y ,r el i gi ousandsoci al .I tanswer edt he needsoft hepr i mi t i v esoci e t ywhi chhar dl yknew di vi si on ofl abour ordomi nat i on ofmal eovert hef emal e,andwhi ch pr obabl yshar ed i t spr oduc t si n common….Thekeyst oneoft heVi dat hasyst em was

cooper at i on” . wi t houtt aki ng keen i nt er esti n par t i ci pat i ng i n admi ni st r at i ve . SABHA Av eryuni queand i mpor t antor gan oft heRi gVedi cpol i t y . Sabha was descr i bed as UpperHor se wher et he pr i est s and ar i st ocr at s wer er epr esent ed. Accor di ng t o N. C. Bandhopadhayaya—“ The Sabhawasatfir stan associ at i on ofki nsf ol k,butl at erbecameal so anassoci at i onofmenboundt oge t herei t herbyt i esofbl oodorl ocal cont i gui t y .I twasa cent r alar i st ocr at i cgat her i ngassoci at ed wi t h t heki ng and may assuc h becal l ed t hepol i t i calcounci l .I nt he ear l yphaseoft heSabha,womenal sopar t i ci pat ed. The descr i pt i on oft hatt he member s oft he Sabha wer ei nves t ed wi t hl ust r e and “ a memberoft he Sabha as a per son pr ocessi ng consi der abl e weal t h and goi ng t o t he Sabha i n hi s f ul l par apher nal i a( wi t hf ul lequi pment s) ,woul dconfir mi t sar i st ocr at i c char act er .

WORKI NG OF SABHA       

Aspol i t i calandnon-pol i t i calbusi nesses Rel i gi ousmat t er s AsaNat i onalJudi cat ur e Concl udeddebat esanddi scussi ons Asaconst i t ut i onalor gani sm i nVedi cAge Cor por at eact i vi t i esi npol i t i call i f ei nl at erphase Pr esi dentknownasSabhapat i

SAMI TI I t was anot her i mpor t ant const i t ut i onal or gani sm of t he Vedi c Ti mes.

Ludwi g hol ds t hat i t was somet hi ng l i ke a Lower House, a compr ehensi v e body , consi st i ng of al lt he common peopl e, t he Br ahmanansandr i chpat r ons. Accor di ngt oBandopadyayaya—I twasagat her i ngoft hewhol ef ol k oft he communi t y ,t he assembl y oft he Rasht r a,i thad a cl ose connec t i ons wi t h t he r oyal per son and met on al li mpor t ant occasi ons l i ke r oyal cor onat i on i n t i mes of war and nat i onal cal ami t y . Themember soft heSami t iwer emenofsubst anceandenj oyedhi gh st at usi nt hesoci et y . Al l mat t er s of t he st at e, mi l i t ary and execut i v e affai r s, wer e di scussedanddeci dedbyt heSami t i . Nonpol i t i cali ssueswer eal sodi scussedi nt hemeet i ngsofSami t i . I t was a Nat i onal Academy f or t he educat ed peopl e. As a del i ber at i vebody ,t hepr oceedi ngsoft heSami t iwer econduc t edby debat esanddi scussi onswi t havi ew ofachi evi ngl eve l s.

CONCLUSI ON The exi st ence oft hei ri nst i t ut i ons suggestt hatt he peopl ei nt he Vedi cper i od “ t ook pol i t i csser i ousl y and t hatt hesoci et yi n Vedi c I ndi an waschar act er i z edbykeensenseofpubl i cl i f eandani mat ed pol i t i calact i vi t i es ” .I nt hel at erphase,Sami t iwasdi sappear edand Par i shadt ooki t spl ace.Ont heot herhand,Sabhadeve l opedast he Pr i vyCounci loft heKi ng....