Social Scenario and Textual Traditions

Textual traditions play a key role in understanding the culture and practises of a particular time. Indian texts were varied and quite different from what they are now. These define the social scenarios of the country in a period of time. Whether it is the caste system, gender equality, or even the connection with religion, texts have been vital in providing information. The oldest Indian text to have existed is the Rigveda Samhita. The interpretation and handling of these texts is important to make sense of and preserve them. 

Varna and Access to Property:

• Apart from gender, other criteria for having access to wealth was Varna
• They do only one “occupation” which are for Shudras was servitude, while a variety of occupations were listed for men of the first three varnas, according to which the Brahmanas and the Kshatriyas would be the wealthiest
• Kings were known as wealthy, priests are also generally shown to be rich, though there are occasional depictions of the poor Brahmana
• However, the Buddhists recognized the differences in society, but did not regard these as natural or inflexible. They also neglected the idea of claims to status on the basis of birth

An alternative social scenario: Sharing wealth

• There were situations where men who were generous and known for their wealth were respected and those who simply accumulated wealth for themselves were despised
• There were several kingdoms in ancient South India where chiefs were patrons of bards and poets who sang their praise
• Poems in the Tamil Sangam compilation illuminate social and economic relationships, suggesting that there were differences but those who controlled resources were expected to share them

Explaining Social Differences: A Social Contract

• Buddhists, in a myth found in a text known as the Sutta Pitaka suggested that originally human beings did not have fully evolved bodily forms, nor was the world of plants fully developed
• All beings lived in an ideal state of peace, taking from nature only what they needed for each meal
• There was a continuous decline of this state as human beings became increasingly greedy, vindictive and deceitful
• This led them to think of someone who would lead and guide them and would be known as Mahasammata, the great elect
• This shows that the institution of kingship was based on human choice, with taxes as a form of payment for services rendered by the king

Handling Texts: Historians and the Mahabharata

Language and content:

The use of Sanskrit language  in the Mahabharata is far simpler than that of the Vedas or Prashastis.Contents of the recent text are classified under two broad groups:

• There are sections that contain stories, designated as the narrative
• There are other sections that contain prescriptions about social norms, designated as didactic
• This partition was not water resistant, the didactic sections include stories, and the narrative often contains a social message
• Historians have this belief that the Mahabharata was meant to be a dramatic, moving story, and that the didactic portions were probably added later
• The text is written as an itihasa(history) within the early Sanskrit tradition

Author(s) and Dates:

• The real story was composed and written by charioteer-troubadours known as sutas who by and large went with Kshatriya heroes to the combat zone and formed sonnets praising their victories
• Then, from the fifth century BCE, it is said that Brahmanas assumed control over the story and started composing it. 200 BCE and 200 CE was the period when the affection for Vishnu was filling in importance, and Krishna was coming to be identified with Vishnu

The Search for Convergence:

• In 1951-52, the archaeologist B.B. Lal excavated at a village named Hastinapur in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh).
• Lal has noticed  that there were walls of mud and mud-bricks were duly encountered, discovery of mud-plaster with prominent reed-marks suggested that some of the houses had reed walls plastered over with mud.
• Another instance in the Mahabharata is Draupadi’s marriage with the Pandavas, an instance of polyandry that is central to the narrative.
• Historians have given the reference that the fact that the author(s) describe a polyandrous union indicates that polyandry may have been prevalent amongst ruling elites.

A Dynamic Text:

• Over the past, different  versions of the epic were written in a variety of languages through an ongoing process of dialogue between peoples, communities, and those who wrote the texts
• Several regional stories that circulated amongst certain people found their way into the epic
• It also provided subjects for a wide range of performing arts – plays, dance and other kinds of narrations

Timeline 1: Major Textual Traditions:

• 500 BCE: Ashtadhyayi of Panini, is a well-known  work on Sanskrit grammar
• 500-200 BCE: Major Dharmasutras (in Sanskrit)
• 500-100 BCE: Early Buddhist texts which  include the Tripitaka (in Pali)
• 500 BCE-400 CE: Ramayana and Mahabharata were written in Sanskrit
• 200 BCE-200 CE: Manusmriti (in Sanskrit); composition Tamil Sangam literature
• 100 CE: Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas, are profound works on medicine (in Sanskrit)
• 200 CE onwards: Compilation of the Puranas (in Sanskrit)
• 300 CE: Natyashastra of Bharata,is a work on dramaturgy (in Sanskrit)
• 300-600 CE: Other Dharmashastras (in Sanskrit)
• 400-500 CE: Sanskrit plays have the works of Kalidasa; works on astronomy and mathematics by Aryabhata and Varahamihira (in Sanskrit); compilation of Jaina works (in Prakrit)

Timeline 2: Major Landmarks in the Study of the Mahabharata: 

Twentieth century 

• 1919-66:  Publication  and organising of the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata
• 1973: J.A.B. van Buitenen begins the English translation of the Critical Edition;  but it remains incomplete after his death in 1978

Conclusion

Indian ancient texts have been a defining feature of the social scenario during early times. The texts reveal differences not only based on gender, but also Varnas, which were castes classified on the basis of occupation. The social scenario of India during those times also possessed the differences in ideology of religions. The languages used in texts were very hard to understand in Vedas. However, as we entered the phase of Mahabharata, Sanskrit was easier. In recent times, stories are subject to change as they struggle to fit in the new social scenario. Texts, hence, describe traditions.