Class 6th Social
India’s Cultural Roots – II
- In 6th century BCE, 2500 years ago there were Gautama Buddha and Mahavira.
- They gave birth to 2 religions.
Buddha – Buddhism
Mahavira – Jainism
Buddhism:
- Buddhism is named after Buddha.
- Original name was Siddhartha. He was a prince.
- He was born at Lumbini.
- His father chief of the Shakyas clan.
The 4 Sights:
The 4 sights that left deep impact on him was:
- Very old man (aging)
- Sick man (illness)
- Corpse (Dead man)
- Ascetic (a monk) → He was unaffected by pain, sorrow, misery around him.
- He attained enlightenment under the pipal tree in Gaya.
- Pipal tree where he attained enlightenment is known as tree of wisdom / Bodhi Vriksha.
- From Gaya, he went to Sarnath.
- Buddha’s 1st sermon is known as Dharma Chakra Pravartana (setting the wheel of dharma in motion).
Main teaching of Buddha:
- Four noble truths
- 8 fold path / Ashtangika marga
Four Noble Truths:
- World is full of suffering.
- Main cause of suffering is desire.
- Get rid of desire to end suffering.
- To end desire & suffering one should follow eight fold path.
Eight fold path:
- Right Thought
- Right Belief
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right means of Livelihood
- Right effort
- Right memory
- Right meditation
- Buddha believed that 8 fold path led a person to middle path that is balanced life or life of moderation.
- A person should neither live in luxury / give up everything.
- Leading a balanced life helps a person to attain Moksha and Nirvana.
- Buddha did not approve rituals and animal sacrifices.
- He stressed on ahimsa.
- He was against caste system and wanted all the people to be treated equally.
Sangha:
- Buddha and his disciples established many monasteries (viharas).
- Buddhist monks lived there.
- Most of them are in western India.
- They stayed together in sangha.
- Monks & nun led simple life, meditated.
- They followed and preached teachings of Buddha to common people.
- Monasteries are the centres of education.
Jainism
- Vardhamana Mahavira is associated with Jainism.
- Mahavira was one of the last of 24 Tirthankaras / great teachers.
- 1st one was Rishabhadeva.
- Mahavira born at Kundagrama in Bihar.
- His father was chief of Jnatrika clan and mother was a Licchhavi princess.
Quest for Truth:
- At age 30, Mahavira left home.
- One day after 12 years while meditating he realized the truth.
- He conquered both misery & happiness through his knowledge.
- He was known as Jina, the great conqueror.
- His followers were known as Jains.
- Mahavira visited the court of Bimbisara and Ajatashatru, and taught his preaching in Prakrit language.
Main teachings:
- He believed in leading a simple life.
- He was against rituals and animal sacrifices.
- Each living thing has soul and we should not harm them.
- Unconscious killing of ant is a sin, he preached.
- Goal of life according to Mahavira is to set the soul free and not to be born again in this world.
- This can be achieved by three jewels of life / Triratnas. They are:
a) Right belief
b) Right knowledge
c) Right action
- Mahavira did not believe in caste system.
- Individual born in a caste is based on good / bad deeds in his previous birth.
Spread:
- Mahavira original teaching was 1st oral.
- Later they were written.
- Jainism became popular in Odisha, Gujarat, AP, Karnataka, Rajasthan.
- Jains were later divided into 2 groups:
- Digambaras / sky clad = They do not wear clothes
- Svetambaras / white clad = Those who wear only white clothes
Upanishads
- The word Upanishad has 3 syllables
Upa = near
Ni = down
Shad = sitSo it means “to sit at feet of guru to receive the teaching”. - Historians say there are 108 Upanishad.
- 11 of them are classical / main Upanishad.
- Most of them written between 8th & 4th century BCE.
Content:
- Upanishads are book of philosophy.
- They contain teachings of many religious teachers & saints.
Upanishad discuss about doctrines of:
- Ideal human conduct
- Creation of world
- Creation of man
- Practice of yoga
- Meditation
- Karma
- Truth about life and death
Main philosophy is upasana (worship) and bhakti (devotion).
- Upanishad gave importance to worship of one god.
- It discuss about how the “atman” (individual soul) can be one with universal / cosmic soul.
- They serve as important literary sources of this period.
