Question

Which of the following statementsare
correct?

1. “Jana” was used for the first time in the later Vedic period.
2. The Kuruswere formed from the union between the Bharatas and the Purus.
3. The word “rashtra” was used for the first time in the Later Vedic texts.

Select the correct option using the options given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

Answer 1

Option C - 2 and 3 Only

More Information

■ Polity of later Vedic period :-

• Jana was used in the sense of people or tribe in the Rigvedic period, but now the concept of janapada emerged. Janapada meant the area where the tribe settled.

• The word rashtra was also used for the first time in the Later Vedic texts. However, it was still not used in the sense of a state with well-defined territories.

• The Kurus, who were formed from the union between two major Vedic tribes-the Bharatas and the Purus, are mentioned in texts as occupying the area in the upper portion of the Ganga-Yamuna Doab. Similarly, the Panchalas are mentioned as people who occupied the middle portion of the Doab, called the Panchala desa. This indicates that tribal identities were merging with territorial identities.

• It is also stated that when the Kurus and the Panchalas came together, their authority over the upper and middle reaches of the Ganga-Yhuna Doab was complete. These changes in the relationship between the Jana and the area over which it wielded control helped towards the formation of the mahajanapadas and janapadas by the 6th century B.C.

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