The Mahabharata is a good source to study the social value of ancient times Prove It. (8 Marks)
Answers
Explanation:
Yes,Mahabharata is a good source to study the kinfolk's values in the ancient times:
(i) Often people belonging to the same family share food and other resources, and live, work and perform rituals together.
(ii) While familial ties are often regarded as “natural” and based on blood, they are defined in many different ways.
(iii) Some societies regard cousins as being blood relations, whereas others do not.
(iv) Under patriliny, sons could claim the resources (including the throne in the case of kings) of their fathers when the latter died.
(v) This system, called exogamy was practiced which meant that the lives of young girls and women belonging to families that claimed high status were often carefully regulated to ensure that they were married at the “right” time and to the “right” person. This gave rise to the belief that kanyadana or the gift of a daughter in marriage was an important religious duty of the father.
Answer:
Mahabharata is a colossal epic running in its present form into over 1,00,000 verses with depictions of a wide range of social categories and situations, was composed for more than a 100 years. Therefore, Mahabharata is a suitable text to give insight in familial and Kinfolk's values of ancient times.