Describe the omportant factors that led to political devlopments in the sixth century BCE
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
The sixth century B.C. has been regarded as a definite starting point of the political history of ancient India.
From that time, it has been possible to construct a continuous account of India’s political developments.
From the famous Buddhist text, Anguttara Nikaya, a part picture of the political map of India at the time of the rise of Buddhism is available. Jaina sources also present more or less a similar account.
It is thus known that there were Sixteen Great Territories or the ‘Sodasha Malianjanapada’ at that time extending over the land from the Kabul Valley to the banks of the river Godavari. These states were Anga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vriji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Asmaka, Avanti, Gandhara and Kamboja.
The list of the Sixteen Mahajanapadas did not contain the names of some other notable states of that time. But from Brahminical as well as from Buddhist sources it is known that there were some other territories like Kalinga on the eastern sea-coast extending from river Vaitarani to the river Godavari, Mulaka on the upper Godavari, and Saurashtra in Kathiawar region. There were several other smaller states in different parts of India.
Among these various territories there were some states with republican form of government and others with monarchical forms. Both the forms of government rested on stable systems and well established principles. The ancient Indian polity was, thus, remarkably well advanced. A brief account of some of the republican as well as monarchical states is given below.
Republican States:
It is a matter of much interest that there were several republican states in ancient India which existed side by side with the monarchical states. The two most famous of these states were the state of Vriji and the state of Malla. Still more interesting is the fact that these two states had monarchical forms of government earlier, but they were seen in 6th century B.C. as republican states.
Besides these two states, the republican forms were also seen among some other notable peoples. These people were the Sakyas of Kapilavastu, the Koliyas of Ramagama, the Bhaggas of Susumagiri, the Bulis of Allakappa, the Kalamas of Keshaputta and the Moriyas of Pippalivana. These territories were small and were ruled by their elected assemblies.
The assembly of each state was presided over by an elected leader who was commonly known as the Raja. But this Raja was not like the all powerful king of the monarchical states. The people of these small republics enjoyed much freedom in their thought and action. It may be mentioned here that the founders of Jainism and Buddhism, who rose to challenge the orthodox Brahminical faith, came from among the republican people.
Vajji Republic:
An account of the state of Vriji or the Vajji, as known from the Buddhist sources, gives an idea of how the ancient republics worked. The Vrijian or the Vajjian state was like a union or confederacy of as many as eight clans, bound together by an accepted republican system. The chief clans were the famous Lichchhavis of Vaisali and the Videhas of Mithila. The capital of the republic was Vaisali. The state had no king. It was ruled by the ‘gana’ meaning a popular assembly. The chief executive or head of the state was an elected leader styled as Raja. The actual administration rested in hands of elected elders.
It was by consent and united opinion that the representatives ruled the republic. The famous advice of Buddha to his disciple Ananda in connection with the affairs of the Vajjian state shows both the strength and weakness of that powerful republic. Said Buddha:
“So long as the Vajjians hold these full and frequent public assemblies, so long may they be expected not to decline, but to prosper. So long, Ananda, as the Vajjians meet together in concord, and carry out their undertakings in concord, so long as they enact nothing not already established, abrogate nothing that has been already enacted and act in accordance with the ancient institution of the Vajjians as established in former days so long as they honour and esteem and revere and support the Vajjain elders, and hold it a point of duty to harkens to their words, so long may be Vajjians be expected not to decline but to prosper”.
The Buddha’s words of wisdom were like a lesson for the successful existence of a republic. It was by faith in the assemblies by a unity of purpose, by respect for the laws and instructions, and by obedience to the call of duty given by the elders that a republican people could be expected to live as republican for long.