Question

5. What kind of changes do we see in the society of
the period 6th to 4th century BCE ?in 500 words​

Answer 1

Answer:

K. A. N. Sastri remarks that “The period intervening between the downfall of the Imperial Mauryas and the rise of the Gupta em­perors marks a crisis in India’s social history”. On the one hand Asoka’s imperial propaganda had given Buddhist an all-India cha­racter and spread it into East and South-East Asia.in the course of this religious movement within the fold of the Indian Society, the situation became somewhat complicated due to the influx of foreign­ers of altogether alien and cultural standards, the first reaction of which was gloomy forebodings of universal decay and dissolution of the social fabric which can be noticed in the contemporary Brahmanical works. And yet in this age of seeming social collapse were sown the seeds of great revival.Brahmanism, far from being en­gulfed by onrush of the waves of foreigners, found in some of the ruling houses of the northern and southern India patrons who upheld the Brahmanical society and its religious practices. This also streng­thened the Brahmanical society to meet its two rivals Buddhism and Jainism. At the same time the problem created by the settlement of foreigners in India was solved with great rapidity with which the Brahmanical society assimilated these foreign elements completely into its fold.Another significant social development of this period was the in­crease in the number of mixed castes. We have already seen how the Brahmanical society solved the problems of intermarriage and social status of the offspring of intermarriage between the different castes of the fourfold social order. But intermarriage between the traditional Brahmanical four castes and the Yavanas, Sakas, Chinas, Pahlavas, etc. gave rise to many more mixed castes or social unity.It becomes clear, therefore, that while the traditional fourfold division of castes continued to exist during the period under review, and many mixed castes grew up as a result of intermarriages. This proves that caste-system had not been become rigid or petrified although it was showing signs of hardening, and had not reached the stereotyped form as we see in today.

The Buddhist and the Jaina texts even in the epics give a diffe­rent picture of the caste-system. According to these, one does not become a Brahmana by birth, but by education and conduct. In the Mahabharata as also in the Buddhist texts the son of a Brahmana is a Brahmana even when his mother be a Kshatriya or Vaisya.

Ac­cording to the Buddhist and the Jaina texts Kshatriyas are superior to the Brahmanas and among the four castes, the Kshatriyas are given the first place. In these texts the superiority of the Brahmanas is challenged and this is due to the fact that although in theory the priestly power is higher than royal power, in practice the king always gets the upper hand.