State and Society up to 1000 CE - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards identifying key political, social, and cultural concepts, texts, and administrative terms from Chapter 5: State and Society up to 1000 CE.

Ṛigveda

The earliest known Veda, consisting of 1,028 hymns (sūktas) composed in the Sapta–Sindhu region, containing poetic compositions in praise of deities and universal thoughts.

Yajurveda

The Veda that elaborates the performative aspects of yajnās and the hymns referred to in the Ṛigveda, including explanations written in prose.

Sāmaveda

The Veda comprising hymns drawn from the Ṛigveda arranged for musical recitation, forming an important foundation for the seven svaras (notes) of Indian music.

Atharvaveda

The Veda containing a wide range of hymns, some intended to ward off evil and others related to the treatment of physical and mental ailments.

Samhitā

The part of a Vedic text that primarily contains hymns used for invoking deities and offering oblations during a yajña.

Brāhmaṇa (Vedic text)

A section of Vedic literature composed in prose that offers explanations for ritual performances.

Āraṇyaka

A part of a Vedic text (derived from araṇya meaning forest) that expands on philosophical speculations of sages living in forests.

Upaniṣhad

The part of a Vedic text that delves into philosophical issues such as the Self (Ātman) and the Ultimate Universal Being (Brāhmaṇ).

Society

A system of social relationships among individuals who share a common territory, culture, and sense of belonging, regulated primarily by customs and practices.

State

An organised political system based on rules and laws, incorporating defined rights and duties of rulers and subjects, mechanisms of governance, and law enforcement institutions.

Jana

An early Vedic clan or group of people bound together by kinship ties, such as the pañchajana.

Kula

The basic social unit or family in Vedic society, which in later Vedic periods came to denote a household bound by kinship.

Janapada

A territorial political entity that developed between 1000 BCE and 600 BCE, literally meaning where a people (jana) first set its feet.

Mahājanapada

A larger, territory-based political unit that emerged between 600 BCE and 300 CE, with historical sources usually identifying sixteen such entities.

Sabhā

A smaller assembly during the Vedic period composed of select elites that primarily served a judicial function.

Samiti

A larger assembly during the Vedic period representing the broader population, focused on policy decisions and political affairs.

Vidhata

A popular gathering during the Vedic period attended by community members (janas) to discuss warfare and political matters.

Saptāṁga

Kauṭilya's theory in the Arthaśhāstra that the state is an organic whole composed of seven constituents: swāmi, amātya, janapada, durga, koṣha, daṇḍa, and mitra.

Chakravarti Samrāṭ

The political ideal of a universal paramount monarch exercising political authority over the entire Indian subcontinent (chakravarti kśhetra).

Dharma

An enduring socio-ethical principle derived from the Sanskrit root dhri ('to uphold'), referring to duty, obligation, righteousness, and moral conduct.

Ṛita

A concept in the Ṛigveda referring to an all-pervading cosmic order that maintains harmony and balance in nature and human society.

Samatva

The ethical principle of 'sameness' stating that all bodies consist of the same matter and all consciousness manifests from one supreme consciousness.

Endogamy

The social practice of marrying strictly within one's own social group, community, clan, or tribe.

Puruṣhārthas

The four goals of human life in Indian tradition: dharma (righteousness), artha (material well-being), kāma (fulfilment of desires), and mokṣha (liberation).

Āśhramas

The four stages of life in Vedic tradition: Brahmacharya (studentship), Gṛihastha (householder), Vānaprastha (forest life), and Saṁnyāsa (renunciation).

Śhreṇī

A guild or collective organisation of traders, artisans, and merchants in early India that regulated trade, maintained standards, and functioned as banking institutions.

Brahmadeya

Tax-free land grants given to villages by southern dynasties like the Pallavas.

Agrahāram

Land grants given to Brahmin settlements by the Chālukyas of Badami, which often developed into prominent centres of learning.

Kudavolai

The 'ballot pot' election system described in the Uttaramerur inscription where names written on palm leaves were drawn from a pot to select village assembly representatives.

NBPW (Northern Black Polished Ware)

A deluxe ware pottery from the second half of the first millennium BCE featuring a smooth, glossy black surface.

PGW (Painted Grey Ware)

A characteristic pottery type associated with iron-using settlements in the Ganga region during the first millennium BCE.