NCERT HISTORYCLASS 6

CHAPTER 6

NEW QUESTIONS AND IDEAS

THE STORY OF THE BUDDHA

• The founder of Buddhism

• Name – Siddhartha (also known as Gautama)

• Born – was born about 2500 years ago

• This was a time of rapid change in the lives of people

WHAT CHANGES?1. Some kings in Mahajanapadas were growing powerful

2. New cities were developing

3. Life in the Villages was changing

4. Many thinkers were trying to understand:

• These changes in the society

• And, the true meaning of life

THE STORY OF THE BUDDHA

When he was a young man, he left

the comforts of home, in search of

knowledge

He was a KshatriyaThe BuddhaBelonged to a small gana

known as the SAKYA gana

He wandered for several years,

meeting and holding discussions

with other thinkers

THE STORY OF THE BUDDHA

He finally decided to find his own

path to realisation

Here, he attained enlightenment.

After that he was known as the

Buddha or the Wise one

He meditated for days on end under a

Peepal tree at Bodhgaya in Bihar

He then went to Sarnath, where he

taught for the first time

THE STORY OF THE BUDDHA• He spent the rest of his life travelling on foot, going from place to

place, teaching people

• He passed away at Kusinara or Kushinagar

TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA

Life is full of suffering and unhappiness

Cause: our Cravings and Desires, which often cannot be fulfilled

Sometimes, even If we get what we want, we are not satisfied or want

other things

The Buddha described this as thirst or tanha

Solution: He taught that this constant craving could be removed by following moderation in everything

OTHER TEACHINGS• He also taught people:

1. To be kind

2. To respect the lives of others, including animals

3. He believed that the results of our actions (karma), whether good or

bad, affect us in both this life, and the next

• He taught in Prakrit - the language of the ordinary people, so that

everyone could understand his message

STORIES• He also encouraged people to think for themselves, than blindly

believe what he was teaching

• There is a famous story about the Buddha, suggesting the same

A FAMOUS STORY

OTHER THINKERS• Around the same time when the Buddha was teaching, and perhaps a

little earlier:

• Other thinkers also tried to find answers to difficult questions:

ØLife after death?

ØShould sacrifices be performed? Etc.

ATMAN AND BRAHMAN• Many of these thinkers believed that there was something permanent

in the universe, that would last even after death

• They described this as:

üAtman – the individual soul

üBrahman – the universal soul

• They believed that ultimately both the Atman and the Brahman were

one

UPANISHADS• Many of these ideas were

recorded in the Upanishads

• Upanishads were part of the

Later Vedic text

• The word “Upanishad” literally

means ‘approaching and sitting

near’

• The texts contain conversations

between teachers and students

• Often, ideas were presented

through a simple dialogue

• Many ideas of the Upanishads

were later developed by the

famous thinker, Shankaracharya

UPANISHADIC THINKERS• Most Upanishadic thinkers were men, especially Rajas and Brahmins

• Occasionally there are mentions of women thinkers like Gargi

• She was famous for her learning

• And participated in debates held in royal courts

• Poor people rarely took part in these discussions

• One Famous Exception – Satyakama Jabala

• He was named after his mother, the slave woman Jabali

SATYAKAMA JABALA• He had a deep desire to learn about reality

• He was accepted as a student by a Brahmin teacher, named Gautama

• Satyakama became one of the best known thinkers of the time

PANINI, THE GRAMMARIAN• During this time, other scholars were also at work

• One of the most famous was Panini

• He prepared a grammar for Sanskrit

• He arranged the vowels and consonants in a special order, and then

used these to create formulae like those found in Algebra

• He used these to write down the rules of the language in about 3000

short formulae

JAINISM

MAHAVIRA• Vardhamana Mahavira - The last and 24th tirthankara of the Jainas

• He also spread his message around this time, that is, 2500 years ago

MAHAVIRA

A group that was part of the Vajji

Sangha

He was a prince of the

LichchhavisVardhamana

Mahavira

Was a Kshatriya

prince

At the age of 30, he left home and

went to live in a forest

MAHAVIRA• For 12 years he led a hard and lonely life

• At the end of which, he attained enlightenment

TEACHINGS OF MAHAVIRA• A simple doctrine:

1. Men and women who wished to know the truth must leave their

homes

2. They must strictly follow the rules of Ahimsa – not hurting or killing

living beings

3. Mahavira said, “All beings long to live. To all things life is dear.”

LANGUAGE• Ordinary people could understand Mahavira’s and his follower’s

teachings because they used Prakrit

• There were several forms of Prakrit, used in different parts of the

country

• These Prakrits were named after the regions in which they were

used

• For example, the Prakrit spoken in Magadha was known as Magadhi

FOLLOWERS• Followers of Mahavira were

known as Jainas

• They had to lead very simple

lives, begging for food

• They had to be absolutely honest

• They were especially asked not

to steal

• They had to observe celibacy

• And men had to give up

everything including their

clothes

JAINAS• The word “Jaina” comes from the word “Jina”, meaning ‘conqueror’

• Jainism was supported mainly by traders

• Farmers who had to kill insects to protect their crops, found it more

difficult to follow the rules

SPREAD OF JAINISM• Over hundreds of years, Jainism spread to:

• different parts of north India

• Gujarat

• Tamil Nadu

• And Karnataka

• The teachings were transmitted orally for several centuries

• They were written down 1500 years ago

• They were written in the form in which they are presently available at

a place called Valabhi, in Gujarat

THE SANGHA• Both the Mahavira and the Buddha felt that those who left their homes

could gain true knowledge

• They arranged for them to stay in the Sangha

• The Sangha – an association of those who left their homes

• The rules made for the Buddhist Sangha were written down in a book

called the Vinaya Pitaka

JOINING THE SANGHA• Separate branches for men and women

• All men could join the Sangha

• Children had to take the permission of their parents

• Slaves had to take the permission of their masters

• Employees of the King had to take permission from the King

• Debtors has to take permission from their Creditors

• Women had to take their husband’s permission

LIFE IN THE SANGHA• Men and women who joined the Sangha led simple lives

• They meditated for most of the time

• They went to cities and villages to beg for food during fixed hours

• That is why they were known as Bhikkhus (the Prakrit word for

renounced – beggar) or Bhiksu, and Bhikkhunis

• They taught others, helped one another, and settled quarrels within the

Sangha in meetings

WHO JOINED THE SANGHA?• Brahmins, Kshatriyas, merchants, labourers, barbers, courtesans, and

slaves

• Many of them wrote down the teachings of the Buddha

• Some of them even composed beautiful poems describing their life in

the Sangha

MONASTERIES• Both Jain and Buddhist monks travelled throughout the year, teaching

people

• The only time they stayed in one place was during the rainy season

• It was difficult to travel then

• They lived in temporary shelters like gardens, or in natural caves in

hilly areas

• Example: a cave in Karle (present-day Maharashtra) is a site where

monks and nuns lived and meditated

MONASTERIES• As time went on, they felt the need for more permanent shelters

• So monasteries were built. They were known as Viharas

• Earliest viharas – Made of wood

• Then, they were made of brick

• Some were even in caves that were dug out in the hills

• The land on which viharas were built were often donated by rich

merchants, or a landowner, or kings

ACCEPTANCE• Local people came with gifts of food, clothing and medicines for the

monks and nuns at the monasteries

• In return, they taught the people

• Over the centuries, Buddhism spread to many parts of the subcontinent

and beyond

THE SYSTEM OF ASHRAMAS• It was developed around the same time when Jainism and Buddhism

were spreading

• Ashrama – here it means a stage of life

• Four ashramas were recognised: 1. Brahmacharya2. Grihastha3. Vanaprastha4. Samnyasa

THE FOUR ASHRAMAS1. Brahmacharya – Brahmin, Kshtriya, and Vaishya men were expected to

lead simple lives and study the Vedas during the early years of their

lives

2. Grihastha – then they has to marry and live as householders

3. Vanaprastha – then they had to live in the forest and meditate

4. Samnyasa – finally they had to give up everything and become a

samnyasis

WOMEN & ASHRAMAS• Generally, women were not allowed to study the Vedas

• They had to follow the ashramas chosen by their husbands

MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE…

• Zoroaster was an Iranian prophet

• His teachings are contained in a book called the Avesta

• The language of the Avesta, and the practices described in it are

very similar to the Vedas

• The basic teachings of Zoroaster are contained in the maxim: “Good

thoughts, Good words, and Good deeds”

MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE…

• For more than a thousand years, Zoroastrianism was a major

religion in Iran

• Later some Zoroastrians migrated from Iran, and settled down in the

coastal towns of Gujarat and Maharashtra

• They were the ancestors of today’s Parsis