Guess about the different criteria suggested for becoming king by the ancient Indians scholars. Within these how important do you think was birth in a particular family? Which of these criteria seem justified? Are there any that strike you as unjust?

Solution

Becoming a king was not a easy task, for example in the epic of Mahabharata we find that there was battle and killing of one's family.
let us look at the criteria.
1. Birth in the Kshatriya family- most important criteria was bring born in the kshatriya family because then only you have legitimate right to become king.
2. Being the son and eldest of all- Another criteria is being born as a son, women were never looked as a contender for thrones. And you should be the eldest because according to Manusmriti it was the eldest that got the throne.
3. Son should be without defects- For example in th epic of mahabharata we find that Pandu, the father of five pandavas was not the eldest son instead the father of kauravas was the one but being blind the throne went to Pandu.

Among the three, I agree with the idea that king should be without defects because that can hamper the administration of the empire. Otherwise rest I find it unjust.

The idea of choosing kings according to the caste system negates the idea that there can be people better suited then them, it narrows the choice to only a small section of groups and moreover choosing of son as a king, it also restricts the contender of thrones to only one section of the sex. The throne should be open to all, it should be for the one who is most capable.

Some More Questions From Kinship, Caste And Class Chapter

In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha Sukta?

The following is an excerpt from the Mahabharata in which Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, speaks to Sanjaya, a messenger:

Sanjaya, convey my respectful greetings to all the Brahmanas and the chief priest of the house of Dhritarashtra. I bow respectfully to teacher Drona .... I hold the feet of our preceptor Kripa .... (and) the chief of the Kurus, the great Bhishma. I bow respectfully to the old king (Dhritarashtra). I greet and ask after the health of his son Dpryodhana and his younger brother ......Also greet all the young Kuru warriors who are our brothers, sons and grandsons......Greet above all him, who is to us like father and mother, the wise Vidura (born of a slave woman)......I bow to the elderly ladies who are known as our mothers. To those who are our wives you say this, 'I hope they are well-protected.'...... Our daughters-in-law born of good families and mothers of children greet on my behalf. Embrace for me those who are our daughters..... The beautiful, fragrant, well-dressed courtesans of ours, you should also greet. Greet the slave women and their children, greet the aged, the maimed (and) the helpless.

Try and identify the criteria use to make this list in terms of age, gender, kinship ties. Are there any other criteria? For each category, explain why they are placed in a particular position in the list.

This is what a famous historian of Indian literature Maurice Winternitz, wrote about the Mahabharata: “just because the Mahabharata represents more of an entire literature.... and contains so much and so many kinds of things....(it) give (s) us an insight into the most profound depths of the soul of the Indian folk.' Discuss.

Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.

How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.

Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.

Compare the map in this chapter with Map 1 in chapter 2. List the mahajanapadas and cities located near the Kuru-Panchala lands.

Find out about retellings of the Mahabharata in other languages. Discuss how they handle any two of the episodes of the text described in this chapter, explaining any similarities or differences that you notice.

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Kinship, Caste And Class

Guess about the different criteria suggested for becoming king by the ancient Indians scholars. Within these how important do you think was birth in a particular family? Which of these criteria seem justified? Are there any that strike you as unjust?

Some More Questions From Kinship, Caste And Class Chapter

In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha Sukta?

Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.

How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.

Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.

Compare the map in this chapter with Map 1 in chapter 2. List the mahajanapadas and cities located near the Kuru-Panchala lands.

Find out about retellings of the Mahabharata in other languages. Discuss how they handle any two of the episodes of the text described in this chapter, explaining any similarities or differences that you notice.

Imagine that you are an author and rewrite the story of Ekalavya from a perspective of your choice.

With whom central story of Mahabharata is associated?

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