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) gives(s) us an insight into the most profound depths of the soul of the Indian folk.” Discuss.
Plenty of literary sources are available to reconstruct ancient Indian history. Mahabharata is one of them. It is an important literary and historical source. Its importance has been recognised even by the foreign writers. Its importance has also been recognised by Maurice Wintemitz because in his opinion the Mahabharata represents an entire literature. This great epic is full of various examples of different aspects of the Indians life. The reading of the Mahabharata gives a profound depth of the soul of the Indian folk. It has been written in simple Sanskrit and therefore widely understood. Generally, historians classify the contents of the Mahabharata under two sections.They are narrative and didactic. Narrative section contains stories and didactic sections contain prescriptions about social norms. But at some instances, there were intermingling also.
Many historians believe that the Mahabharata was a dramatic, moving story and that the didactic portions were a later interpolation. We get several different views about the authorship of the Mahabharata. It was believed that the original stories were composed by Sutas. Sutas were charioteer bards. They accompanied Kshatriya warriors to the battle field and composed poems celebrating their victories and other achievements. These compositions were circulated orally. From the fifth century BCE onwards, Brahmanas took over the story and started writing story.This great epic contains vivid descriptions of battles, forests, palaces and settlements. It describes kinship, political life of the said period, social priority. Major features of the family life such as patriliny, different forms of marriage and rules related with marriage, position of women in the society, social differences of the Indian society can be traced back to the period of the Mahabharata. This great epic also describes social mobility.
Popular Questions of Class 12 History - Themes in Indian History - I
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Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.
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How do historians reconstruct the lives of ordinary people?
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Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably Kshatriyas.
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How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.
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On Map 1, use a pencil to circle sites where evidence of agriculture has been recovered. Mark an X against sites where there is evidence of craft production and R against sites where raw materials were found.
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Look at Fig. 1.30 and describe what you see. How is the body placed? What are the objects placed near it? Are there any artefacts on the body? Do these indicate the sex of the skeleton?
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Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.
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Describe some of the distinctive features of Mohenjodaro.
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Describe the salient features of mahajanapadas.
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Were the ideas of the Upanishadic thinkers different from those of the fatalists and materialists? Give reasons for your answer.
Recently Viewed Questions of Class 12 History - Themes in Indian History - I
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On Map 1, use a pencil to circle sites where evidence of agriculture has been recovered. Mark an X against sites where there is evidence of craft production and R against sites where raw materials were found.
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In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha sukta?
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Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.
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Discuss the role of the begums of Bhopal in preserving the stupa at Sanchi.
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Discuss the notions of kingship that developed in the post-Mauryan period.
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This is a statement made by one of the best-known epigraphists of the twentieth century, D.C. Sircar: “There is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions.” Discuss.
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How do historians reconstruct the lives of ordinary people?
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Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.
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Look at Fig. 1.30 and describe what you see. How is the body placed? What are the objects placed near it? Are there any artefacts on the body? Do these indicate the sex of the skeleton?
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Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably Kshatriyas.
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