Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc First Few Words
Janapadas
For many years in a far place. They were nomads. But when they invented agriculture and cultivation and when they started animal husbandry, men settled down in territories that suited them.
Meanwhile, great changes took place in north India around the sixth century B.C. Janapadas grew up. Janapadas were small towns. Most of them were ruled by chieftains. These chieftains were leaders of a clan.
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We Know about these janapadas from Buddhist and Jaina literature as also from Sanskrit Sources. The Janapadas did not always live in peace. At times they were in conflicts and bathes.
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Thus after some years some of them became more powerful and more influential than others. Some even added territories to their homeland by Conquering neighboring janapads. Thus after some time, there arose much bigger janapads.
These werw called Mahajanapadas. The Buddhist scriptures give us a lot of information about these Mahajanapadas which were sixteen in number They were called the Shodasha-mahajanapadas.
These great janapadas or cities occupied the territories from in the northwest to the fringe of the river Godavari in southcentral India.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc The Sixteen Mahajanapadas
The ‘sixteen mahajanapadas were Anga, Magadha, Kashi, Gandhara, Kamboja, Matsya, Surasena, Kuru, Pane Maila, Vajji, Chedi, Vasta, Avanti, and Asmaka From the map provided for you, the geographical location of these sixteen mahajanapadas will be clear to you.
Each of these city-states had its capital. The chart below will give you a clear picture of the respective capitals and locations of the mahajanapadas.
| Mahajanapada | Location | Capital |
| Anga | Parts of Bihar | Champa |
| Magadha | Parts of Bihar | Rajagriha (later Pataliputra) |
| Kashi | East Uttar Pradesh | Kashi (Varanashi) |
| Koshala | East Uttar Pradesh | Shravasti |
| Gandhara | Kashmir & Pakistan | Takshashila |
| Kamboja | Western border of Pakistan | Rajpura |
| Matsya | Rajasthan | Vairata |
| Surasena | West Uttar Pradesh | Mathura |
| Kuru | West Uttar Pradesh | Hastinapura |
| Panchala | Central Uttar Pradesh | Ahichhatra |
| Malla | NE Uttar Pradesh | Kushinara |
| Vajji | Parts of Bihar | Vaishali |
| Chedi | Bundelkhand (UP) | Suktimati |
| Vatsa | Allahabad (Prayag) | Kaushambi |
| Avanti | Madhya Pradesh | Ujjain and Mahishmati |
| Asmaka | Maharashtra | Potali on the river Godavari |
All these mahajanapadas except one were located in north India. Only Asmaka was located in south-central India. Most city-states were ruled by kings and had a monarchical form of government. Kingship in these states was Hereditary.
The king ruled with the aid of an assembly or council. The subjects paid revenue or taxes. This was the mam source of income of the government. Magadha, Koshala, and some other states were monarchical while Vajjt Malta, etc.
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were republican states. The mahajanapadas were often engaged in conflict. The bigger and more powerful states always tried to conquer and subjugate the smaller and weaker ones.
In the conflicts that went on, our states grew stronger and they annexed territories of the neighboring states. These four states were Magadha, Koshaia, Avanti and Vatsa.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc The Republic The Vajjils
Monarchical states like Magadha, Avanti, Kosala, and Vatsa always tried to aggrandize and the republics had to face the ambitious designs of the monarchies. The most important republic was Vajji or Vriji.
Its capital was at Vaisali. The Vrijis had no king and were ruled by an assembly, The Mallas. had a similar type of rule. There were other smaller republics, the Sakyas of Kapilavastu, the Bhargas, and the Mauryas 0f Pippalivana.
In the Vajji state the elderly people were held in great respect and in their assembly, the elders were the majority. The women were held in respect too.
The Religious Revival
In the sixth century B.C. the soda! and the economic condition of north India changed considerably, people by and large were against the social inequality and the excessive ritualistic systems of the Brahmanas.
There was widespread discontent among the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras. Caste and rituals came to be hated by the people at large.
Soon there arose new religious movements that expressed a strong voice against the excesses of the caste system and also against rituals. Moreover, the development of the new system of cultivation required The Widespread use of cattle.
But the animal sacrifice of the Brahmanical religion stood in its way. There soon arose new religious movements like Jainism and Buddhism.
These two religious movements brought about a huge change in the social and religious scene of north India. The beginning of the use of weapons and implements increased the power and influence of the Kshatriyas.
Iron implements opened up new horizons in cultivation. All the sections of the people, except the Brahmanas, were discontented with the Brahmanical system. Simpler religion and a more developed economy called for a great change, This paved the way for. the two great new religions. ‘
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc Jainism And Mahavira
The first two new religious upheavals were Jainism and Buddhism. At and in point of time Jainism arose first. These two new faiths attracted the common people. Most ordinary people of those days were opposed to the excesses of caste and ritualism.
So when the new preachers criticized caste and ritual, they eagerly listened to them. This was the reason for the popularity of the new faiths. About 540 B.C. (some say, it was 599 B.C.) a prince was born at Kundagrama (or Kundahara) near Vaishali in Bihar.
The name of the prince was Vardhamana. His father, Siddhartha, was a Kshatriya chief of a tribe of Vaishali. His mother, Trishala, was a Lichchhabi princess and was related the Magsdhan royal family from her mother’s side.
Not much is known about the private life of Vardhamana. This much we know for certain that he was married to princess Yashoda and had a daughter.
But he was becoming highly disgusted with the earthly life and when he was thirty, he left home and began his search for truth. He thus became an ascetic wearing a single garment.
He discarded a!) world enjoyments’ Vardhamana wandered about for twelve years until he met Goshala whom he regarded as his guru. When Vardhamana was 42 years old, he attained Kaibalya, or enlightenment.
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He attained this enlightenment on the bank of the river Rijupalika. Now he was called Mahavira. The Jainas call him Tirthankara. There were twenty- four Tirthankaras and Mahavira was the last of them.
The twenty-third Tirthankara, Parshwanatha was a prince of Kashi. He was born over two centuries before Mahavira.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc The Teaching Of Jainism
From now on, Vardhamana was called Vardhamana Mahavira. You are surely eager to know what he preached and what the main principles of Jainism were.
Jainism taught five main doctrines. These were:
- Do not commit violence. Mahavira was always in favor of non-violence and kindness. He said that one should not kill or injure even an animal or insect or plant;
- Do not utter a lie. He was in favor of truth at any cost.
- Do not steal. Mahavira considered stealing a great vice. So people must shun it;
- Do not acquire or crave for the property. The property was regarded as a source of evil;
- Observe Brahmacharya or continence. It is said that the first four doctrines were preached by the previous Tirthankaras and the fifth doctrine was added by Mahavira.
Parshwanatha, the previous Tirthankara, that is, the twenty-third preacher had asked his followers to cover only the upper and lower portions of one’s body. But Mahavira asked all followers to discard clothes altogether.
So his followers went about without any clothes on. Mahavira was in favour of observing severe austerity. The existence of God was not denied by the Jains. But Jina (the Supreme Conqueror) was given a higher place than God.
They acknowledged the results of the actions of a previous birth. Jainism also acknowledged rebirth.
Later life of Mahavira
After attaining enlightenment Mahavira began to wander again preaching his religion. He went to Champa, Mithila, Magadha, and Koshala. In 468 B.C. Mahavira died at the age of 72 at Pawapuri near modern Rajgir.
Spread of Jainism
In the lifetime of Mahavira, his followers counted about 14,000. Jainism by and by spread to the south and west of India.
It is said that Chandragupta Maurya, the Maurya King of Magadha, embraced Jainism and did much for its spread in the east and south of the country, in the third century B.C., the Jaina preacher Bhadrabahu did much for the spread of Jainism’ to the south.
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But as it often happens, the Jainas also were divided into two groups after Mahavira’s death. One group was called the Digamvaras who wore no clothes at all. They were influential mainly in the South.
The other group was called the Swetambaras who wore white garments. They were influential in the north.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc Gautama Buddha And Buddhism
About two thousand and five hundred years ago, in 566 B.C. (or, maybe in 567 B.C.) Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born in Kapiiavastu in the Tarai region of Nepal. His name then was Siddhartha.
Siddhartha’s father, Shuddhodana was the ruler of the Shakyas. His wife was Mahamaya or Mayadevi. Mayadevi died soon after she had given birth to her son, Siddhartha. The infant then was taken care of by its aunt, Gautami or Gotami.
For this reason, Siddhartha was also called Gautama. Even when Siddhartha was a mere boy, he was afflicted by men s sorrows and sufferings. His father reared him in the best of riches.
But Siddhartha did not like the life of ease and enjoyment. He often went out of the royal palace and drove in his chariot accompanied by his very favorite charioteer called Channa.
On the way, he saw suffering people, beggars, and ailing people. This made him all the more unhappy. He grew apathetic towards worldly attractions. His father wanted to effect a change in his son’s attitude.
So Siddhartha was married to a princess named Yashcdhara. A son was born to them and was named Rahul. But Siddhartha’s discontent and mental unrest were still there.
He left home at the age of 29. He wanted to know what causes human misery and what the remedy was.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc The Quest For Happiness And Siddhartha’s Buddhahood
Siddhartha left home to know the secret of happiness. Not his own happiness, but that of the entire mankind. He wandered about for seven years. In the course of his wanderings, he met many people.
He met wise men and even became the disciple of a sadhu. But none could provide what he wanted. His questions were still unanswered. His attire became worn out and ragged. He often went without food.
So his body became lean and emaciated. One day he came to Urubilwa near Gaya and sat under a pipul tree, thoroughly exhausted and weak. But without caring for his bodily welfare, he went on meditating.
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At that time a village girl named Sujata came with a potful of porridge-like food. Siddhartha ate it and gained some strength. Soon after, a light dawned on him and he attained Bodhi or enlightenment.
He now Knew the secret of happiness. From that day he came to be known as the Buddha, that is, the Enlightened one. He was 35 Years of age then.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc Buddhas Preachings
As he attained Bodhi, Gautama was now called Buddha. When he attained Buddhahood, he went to Samath near Varanasi. And there in a deer park called Mrigadava, he preached his religion for the first time.
And it is here that his five companions became his first five disciples. These disciples were Kaundinya, Bhadrika, Aswajeet, Vaspa, and Mahanama. Buddha’s first preaching has since been made memorable by naming it Dharmachakra Prabartana.
In his first preaching, Buddha explained to his disciples the causes of human suffering. In Buddha’s view, the world is full of miseries. Man is ever craving for worldly joy. This greed lay at the root of all miseries, if a man could subdue his greed or craving he might escape miseries.
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Buddha said that three great sins made men unhappy. These were selfishness, ‘ignorance, and lack of goodwill to others. If all these could be conquered and the mind given over to meditation or contemplation, the problem could be resolved.
He laid down eight paths to achieve contemplation. These were known as the Ashtanga Marga or the eight-fold paths. They were samyak drishti (right views), sat vakya (right speech), sat samkalpa (right resolution), etc. Buddha preached at many places.
During his preachings, people of all classes and castes gathered around him and became his followers. He died at Kushinagara near Gorakhpur at the age of 80.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc The Tripitaka
After Buddha’s death, his disciples compiled his teachings in a book named Tripitaka. Pitaka means a basket. Literally, Tripitaka means three baskets. So Buddha’s teachings were stored in three holy baskets.
These three pikas were the Sutta Pitaka which contained Buddha’s and his principal disciples’ teachings; the Vinaya Pitaka contained the rules and principles of the Buddhist Sangha or Council.
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It also contained the manners and ways in which Buddhists should live. And the Abhidhamma Tmke contained some general advice. The Pitakas were written In Pali.
Some great disciples of Buddha-like Mhakashyapa and Vasumitra realized that the advice of Buddha should be compiled; otherwise, everybody would take his own way and so would depart from the real path.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc The Sangha or the Buddhist Council
As days went on, opinions began to differ. The disciples now thought of bringing all followers together in order to bring unity. They convened a conference of Buddhists in Rajagriha under the chairmanship of Mahakashyapa.
This was known as the First Buddhist Council or Samgeeti. There were four such Counts or Samgeetis. The fourth was held at the time of Kanishka, the Kushan King.
The Buddhist Councils
| Council | Place | Period | Chairman | The main event |
| 1st Council | Rajagriha | Ajatashatru | Mahakasyapa | Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka were Compiled |
| 2nd Council | Vaishali | Kalashoka | Yasha | A split took place among the Buddhists. Theravada raised its head. |
| 3rd Council | Pataliputra | Ashoka | Moggaliputta | Rules were framed for the guidance of Councils. |
| 4th Council | Kashmir | Kanishka | Vasumitra | Buddhists were now divided into Mahayana and Hinayana |
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc Spread Of Buddhism
By and by Buddhism spread far and wide, it spread not only over various regions in India but also outside India. It spread to Ceylon (now called SriLanka), Burma (now called Myanmar) and far-off China and japan as well.
In Mongolia and Tibet, Buddhism took another form, it was called Lamaism. For many years Buddhism was a very popular faith and drew the patronage of kings. The rulers of Magadha, Kosala, and Kousambi adopted Buddhism.
In spite of this early popularity, Buddhism began to weaken from the fifth century AD. And by the seventh century, Buddhism was almost extinct in India, although it was still popular outside India, especially in south-east Asia.
The Sangha
During Buddha’s lifetime, people enthusiastically embraced his religion. Anybody could become a Buddhist. Buddha welcomed all, making no difference between high and low, rich and poor.
Now it was felt that an order should be founded in order that there was discipline among the followers. Buddha himself organized this religious order known as the Sangha. The followers were asked to strictly follow the rules and principles of the Sangha.
Hinayana and Mahayana
Sometime after Buddha’s death, there was great disagreement among his followers. Some of them lived a life of austerity, while some others lived in luxury. Some ascetics even lived like ordinary family men enjoying all worldly pleasures.
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The rules of the Ssngha loosened. As a result, two sects arose. One was called the Mahayana (the Great Vehicle), and the other was Hinayana (the little Vehicle). The Mahayanists were In favor of worshipping the image of Buddha.
This form of Buddhism was practiced in China, Japan, Tibet, and Korea. The Hinayana was the older form of Buddhism. The Hinayanists were in favour of strictly adhering to the principles laid down by Buddha himself.
Among the monarchs, Kanishka, in whose time the fourth Council was held, was a supporter the Mahayana form.
The Jatakas
You must have heard about the Jatakas. Many Jataka stories are very popular all over our country. The Buddhists believe that previously Buddha took many births before attaining Buddhahood.
The name of Buddha in his previous births was Bodhisattva. Stories of Bodhisattva’s life are described in the Suttapitaka. These stories, known as the jataka stories, are related in pali.
It is said that there were over five hundred Jataka stories. Each story had a name—niisha jataka, Kusha Jataka, etc. Each Jataka story had a moral lesson.
One very well-known story was that of Seriba and Seriban, the two merchants. Serbia was wicked and dishonest, while Seriban was honest and well-meaning.
Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century Bc The Story Serbia and Serbian
Once upon a time, there lived two merchants, Seriba and Seriban, in the ancient kingdom of Serib. Both Seriba and Seriban were hucksters selling their wares from door to door. Serbia was wicked and dishonest.
And Seriban was too well-meaning and thoroughly honest. One day Serbia was on his way hawking about. There was a little girl who lived with her grandma in a hut. They were very poor. The little girl begged of her grandma for a toy.
The old woman had nothing but a worn-out metal plate. She requested Seriba to give a toy in exchange for the plate. Serbia immediately realized that the plate was pure gold. He did not disclose the truth and said, ‘It’s worthless.
It’s not even worth a paisa/ So saying he went away planning to come back later. After some time, Serbian too came there hawking his wares. The old woman called him and wanted to buy a toy in exchange for the plate.
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Seriban was surprised to realize that. it was a gold plate. He said, ‘Madam, I don’t have so much money to give you in exchange for it. It is pure gold. At the woman’s insistence.
Serbian gave a toy and took the plate giving her whatever money he had with him. When Seriban had gone off, Seriba came back with the wicked intent of taking the plate.
When he heard that Seriban had taken it, he in utter disappointment ran for Seriban. But Seriban had meanwhile crossed a river and was seen no more.
WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History
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- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 1 The Idea Of History
- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 2 Primitive Man In The Indian Sub Continent
- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 3 Ancient History Of The Indian Sub Continent
- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 4 Ancient History Of The Indian Sub Continent
- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century BC
- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 6 Expansion Of Empire
- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 7 Economic Condition And Livelihood
- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 8 Culture In ancient India
- WBBSE Notes For Class 6 History Chapter 9 India And The Contemporary World