Topic:

Indian social thought

Submitted to:

Ma’am Asma younis

Group:

16

Submitted by:

Farheen Gull

Anam Saqib

Sara Qasim

Husnain Ali

Outline:

1. what is thought?

2. What is Indian thought?

3. History of Indian social thought

4. The origin of Vedic social thought

5. Later changes in vedic social thought

6. Brahmanism social significance

7. The distinctive social elements in Jainism

8. Social implication of early Buddhism

9. Comparison between Brahmanism and Buddhism

10.Comparison of Buddha ten commandments

11.New social emphasis in the laws of Manu

12.Krishna as a symbol of social thought

13.Gandhi’s social thought

14.Contrast in Gandhi and Tagore social thinking

15.The rise of sociology in India

16.Distinctive social aspects of east Indian social thought

What is thought?

Social thought is thinking about societary problems by one or a few persons here and there in

human history or at the present.

The thinking of person about social life falls into three categories:

1. That involving the advancement of human group as groups.

2. That referring to the manipulation of human beings to the gain of special clique or group.

3. That which aim to analyze the underlying social processes and laws irrespective of the

effect of such analyses or the uses to which they are put.

What is Indian thought?

The span from early vedic hymns to the writing of present day. Indian schorals is a long One

filled with a rich literature. Indian thought has been built largely on the pattern of negation of

world and life. It has definite and real social implications.

India is composed of people of many origins. i.e Dravidians,Aryans,Mongoloid,Turkish,Iraniah.

In recent decades North Europeans and Queen Victoria.

Hinduism,Brahmanism,Buddhism,muhammedism,parseeism,christianty.This list does begin to

tell the story, but is sufficient to indicate how social thought is entangled in our thinking.

Origin of vedic social thought

The Vedas are considered the earliest literary record of Indo-Aryan civilization, and the mostt

sacred books of India. They are the original scriptures of Hindu teachings, and contain spiritual

knowledge encompassing all aspects of our life. Vedic literature with its philosophical maxims

has stood the test of time and is the highest religious authority for all sections of Hindus in

particular and for mankind in general.

“Veda” means wisdom, knowledge or vision, and it manifests the language of the gods in human

speech. The laws of the Vedas regulate the social, legal, domestic and religious customs of the

Hindus to the present day. All the obligatory duties of the Hindus at birth, marriage, death etc.

owe their allegiance to the Vedic ritual. They draw forth the thought of successive generation of

thinkers, and so contain within it the different strata of thought.

Origin of the Vedas

The Vedas are probably the earliest documents of the human mind and is indeed difficult to say

when the earliest portions of the Vedas came into existence. As the ancient Hindus seldom kept

any historical record of their religious, literary and political realization, it is difficult to determine

the period of the Vedas with precision. Historians provide us many guesses but none of them is

free from ambiguity.

Structure of the Vedas

Each Veda consists of four parts – the Samhitas (hymns), the Brahmanas (rituals), the Aranyakas

(theologies) and the Upanishads (philosophies). The collection of mantras or hymns is called the

Samhita. The Brahmanas are ritualistic texts and include precepts and religious duties. Each

Veda has several Brahmanas attached to it. The Upanishads form the concluding portions of the

Veda and therefore called the “Vedanta” or the end of the Veda and contains the essence of

Vedic teachings. The Upanishads and the Aranyakas are the concluding portions of the

Brahmanas, which discuss philosophical problems. The Aryanyakas (forest texts) intend to serve

as objects of meditation for ascetics who live in forests and deal with mysticism and symbolism.

The Mother of All Scriptures

Although the Vedas are seldom read or understood today, even by the devout, they no doubt

form the bedrock of the universal religion or “Sanatana Dharma” that all Hindus follow. The

Vedas have guided our religious direction for ages and will continue to do so for generations to

come. And they will forever remain the most comprehensive and universal of all ancient

scriptures.

CHANGES IN THE LATER VEDIC

PHASE

During later Vedic phase, agriculture became the mainstay of the Vedic people. Many rituals

were introduced to initiate the process of agriculture. It also speaks of ploughing with yokes of

six and eight oxen. The buffalo had been domesticated for the agricultural purposes. This animal

was extremely useful in ploughing the swampy land. The god Indra acquires a new epithet ‘Lord

of the Plough’ in this period. The number and varieties of plant food increased. Apart from

barley, people now cultivated wheat, rice, pulses, lentils, millet,sugarcane etc. The items of dana

and dakshina included cooked rice. Thus with the beginning of food production agricultural

produce began to be offered in the rituals. Tila, from which the first widely used vegetable food-

oil was derived increasingly, came to be used in rituals. The main factor in the expansion of the

Aryan culture during the later Vedic period was the beginning of the use of iron around 1000

BC. The Rigvedic people knew of a metal called ayas which was either copper or bronze. In the

later Vedic literature ayas was qualified with shyama or krishna meaning black to denote iron.

Archaeology has shown that iron began to be used around 1000 BC which is also the period of

later Vedic literature. The northern and eastern parts of India to which the Aryans later migrated

receive more rainfall than the north-western part of India. As a result this region is covered with

thick rain forests which could not be cleared by copper or stone tools used by Rigvedic people.

The use of iron tools now helped people clear the dense rain forests particularly the huge stumps

left after burning, in a more effective manner. Large tracts of forestland could be converted into

cultivable pieces in relatively lesser time. The iron plough could turn the soil from deeper

portions making it more fertile. This process seems to have begun during the later part of the

Rigvedic period but the effect of iron tools and implements become evident only towards the end

of the Later Vedic period.

There has been a continuous increase in the population during the later Vedic period due to the

expansion of the economy based on agriculture. The increasing number and size of Painted Grey

Ware (PGW) settlements in the doab area shows this. With the passage of time the Vedic people

also acquired better knowledge of seasons, manuring and irrigation.

All these developments resulted in the substantial enlargement of certain settlements such as

Hastinapur and Kaushambi towards the end of the Later Vedic period. These settlements slowly

began to acquire characteristics of towns. Such rudimentary towns inhabited mainly by the

chiefs, princes, priests and artisans were supported by the peasants.

Brahmans

In Hinduism, Brahman ( ब्रह्मन्� brahman) is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and

support of the phenomenal universe.[1] Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or

Godhead[2] which is the Divine Ground[3] of all being. Brahman is conceived as personal ("with

qualities"), impersonal ("without qualities") and/or supreme depending on the philosophical

school.

The sages of the Upanishads teach that Brahman is the ultimate essence of material phenomena

(including the original identity of the human self) that cannot be seen or heard but whose nature

can be known through the development of self-knowledge (atma jnana).[4] According to

Advaita, a liberated human being (jivanmukta) has realised Brahman as his or her own true self

(see atman).

The Isha Upanishad says:

Auṃ - That supreme Brahman is infinite, and this conditioned Brahman is infinite. The infinite

proceeds from infinite. If you subtract the infinite from the infinite, the infinite remains alone.

Brahman is the Hindu god of ideal life. It is our ideal life in a highly condensed form.2. It is the

direction in which all Hindus should proceed.3. It is the Hindu god

Brahman is the infinite source of all creation. It is believed to be God's soul in Gaudiya

Vaisnavism. Om is one energy of Brahman. It is matter. BRAHMAN:Brahman is the state at

which we don't...that unites all activities...

Jainism

Jaina code of conduct

It has far-reaching influence for lasting peace order. It consists of five ethical virtues regulating

the life of an individual.

1. Non-violence or non-injury,

2. Truthfulness-not to tell lies,

3. Non-stealing-abstention from theft,

4. Self-control or celibacy or avoidance of illicit sexual relation. In other words-to preserve

chastity.

5. Non-possession or non-attachment to worldly possession, avoidance of greed for possession.

Religions in India have always upheld the sanctity of life. Almost all religions preach non-

violence but in Jainism it is more than a moral precept. It is for the removal of suffering of

people. In Jain tradition, non-violence is equated with deity and is described as the protector of

the whole universe; Jainism respects the dignity and sacredness of human life. ‘Respect for life’

implies rejection of communalism, not merely non-violence is a supreme religion; it is a way of

life. As a way of life non-violence prompts an attitude of tolerance, non-hatred and

harmlessness. Non-violence requires transformation of the individual through moral and

religious practices and also transformation of political, social and educational order.

Jainism is essentially a religion, which is moralistic and spiritual. Jaina Ethics is meant for men

of all position and for men in every walk of life. Its social ethics and its spiritualism have cosmic

significance in the context of global problem of peace.

Contrast in Hinduism and Buddhism

On God

Buddhism : The original Buddhist doctrine does not entail any godly figures, though the later

Buddhist sects introduced some Godly figures.

Hinduism : The Hindus believe in 300,000 Gods.

On Rituals

Buddhism : Buddhism do follow some rituals but only in the form of meditation, and bowing

and different forms of worship while offering prayer in the Buddhist temples. Buddhist practices

also do not require any priests.

Hinduism : The rituals, being followed by the Hindus are more complex and vary from birth to

death of a person. Besides, priests do play important role in all the rituals.

On Caste System

Buddhism : There are four major sub sects in Buddhism, but none of them follow the caste

system.

Hinduism : On the contrary, there are a number of castes and sub-castes in Hinduism, and the

Hindus follow them rigidly.

On Asceticism

Buddhism : As the middle way, Buddhism rejects extreme asceticism as well as great wealth.

Hinduism : Most of the Hindus believe in extreme asceticism.

On Vedas

Buddhism : The Buddhists do not believe in the Vedas. Rather they firmly believe in the

teachings of the Lord Buddha and the Buddhist scriptures.

Hinduism : Hinduism believes in the supremacy of four Vedas - Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda

and Atharvaveda.

On Stages of Life

Buddhism : The Buddhists do not believe in the stages of life. People can join any of the stages

any time depending upon their spiritual preparedness.

Hinduism : The Hindus believe in the four stages of life, also known as the 'ashramas' -

Brahamacharya Ashram or Student life, Grihastha Ashram or family life, Vanprastha Ashram or

the age at which a person leaves all the worldly desire and home, and Sanyasa Ashram - when a

person meditates and awaits for the ultimate truth, death.

Comparison of BUDDHA’s ten commandments

10 Commandments (Note: There are several versions a general purpose version is used)

1) I am the Lord thy God, ... Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.

3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

4) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5) Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long.

6) Thou shalt not kill.

7) Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8) Thou shalt not steal.

9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.

The 10 commandments are based on a deity giving instructions, the Eightfold Path is a list of

human activities developed by a human for other humans

The God specifies obedience and how you are supposed to act towards him, there is no Buddhist

equivalent section as Buddhism needs no deity

Human to God relations are most important in the 10 commandments, at least they come first.

Human to human relations take a lower position.

The 10 Commandments is based on negatives - don't do this or that. The Eightfold Path is

positive (Do's) with the exception of a general don't exert yourself to be evil.The Eightfold path

does not micromanage - specific examples of not being good are not spelled out.The 10

commandments gives no examples on how to be good except how to be good toward God and

your social superiors.. just how not to be bad. The list is limited to five wrong doings. The

Eightfold Path offers a wider spectrum of activities through its generality.

Laws of Manu:

The laws of Manu state that it is a crime to cause any damage or harm to any kind of living thing,

be it an animal or a plant. As we learned, the Hindus respected these laws for a long time but it is

only recently that some have come to ignore their rules set by The Laws of Manu. Why is it that

this happens? It might have something to do with the mentality that new modern generations are

now developing. As a modernized society, we have slowly moved away from believing/ having

faith in deities and have come to rely more on scientific research and proof, but there are others

who also have alternative beliefs. In the past, deities were absolute powers that set laws to

follow. People followed those laws because they adored them or feared them to a certain extent.

Although deities had the most power of a civilization through the influence of religion but

legendary figures also had influence due to the admiration they had of the people. Now, we

follow what we believe to be “common sense” and scientific ideology that is based on research

and facts, we follow it because we want to survive, we have come to fear unbalance in our

environments and our lives that is caused by bad decisions, lack of knowledge, and breakage of

rules or suggestions set by our common sense and scientific ideology. Our laws are set by

governments and are mostly based on these two; common sense and scientific ideology, but there

are also a few other things on which our laws are based off of. Of course though, the civilizations

before us, along with their religion and laws have had a huge impact on forming our present day

morality and in general, our way of life.

Although we don’t rely on deities to know what to do and what not to do, we have overtime

come to the realization that some of the things that were said by some religions actually make a

lot of sense and impact us a lot. The Laws of Manu are a great example of this. Environmentalist

seek to achieve the kind of society that the Hindus had achieved through the followment of the

Laws of Manu and the knowledge of need for balance and having to make a conscious effort to

sustain our environment. If only other societies/ civilizations would have decided to follow laws

similar to those of the Hindus, not necessarily to the extent of not eating meat, but the overall

idea of taking care of our local environment, a lot less damage would be made to the earth.

Krishna

The Supreme Lord

Lord Krishna is the symbol of many virtues. He is one of the most widely revered and most

popular of all Hindu divinities, worshipped as the eighth incarnation (avatar, or avatara) of

Vishnu and also as a supreme god in his own right. Krishna became the focus of numerous

bhakti (devotional) cults, which over the centuries have produced a wealth of religious poetry,

music, and painting.

Symbol

Krishna is the symbol of an able statesman, a warior, a great philospher and a teacher. He is the

symbol of love, devotion and joy.

Flute used as a symbol:

The flute is called Venu in Sanskrit. Venu is the word for bamboo. Venu is an instrument made

of bamboo reeds. Krishna and flute go together! Therefore another name for Lord Krishna is

“Venugopal”.

Flute used in South India has nine holes. It represents human body with nine “openings” namely,

nostril (1), mouth (1), skin (1), eyes (2), ears (2), two for excretion. Flute is hollow to represent

the human being who is free of ego and arrogance. It represents human being with humility. Lord

Krishna is asking us to become hollow just like the flute, hollow and free of ego.

The flute represents us. He is always holding the flute (us) in his hands. If He is to play His

Divine music through us, we have to get rid of our ego, become humble, and let Him play His

music through us. That is the teaching in this form of Lord Krishna as Venugopal.

Now, how do we explain the north Indian flute (bansuri) with only 7 holes? This is always a

problem with trying to find meanings in art, music and symbols without some documentation

from the originator of the idea. One of the modern artists (Mr. Walead Beshty) points out “……

how meaning is produced after a work leaves an artist’s studio”.

Gandhi’s social thought

Truth & Non-violence

To Gandhi, nothing was more sacred than truth and non- violence. Originally he believed that

God is Truth. Later he changed this a little and maintained that Truth is God. "Generally

speaking", Gandhi said, "observation of the law of truth is understood merely to mean that we

must speak the truth but we ...should understand the word 'satya' or truth in a much wider sense.

There should be truth in thought, truth in speech and truth in action".

For seeking as well as for finding truth, Ahimsa - non-violence - love for all beings - was a

necessity. Although Ahimsa - non-violence - is a negative word, Gandhi certainly did not

consider it as a negative force. His concept of Ahimsa is not confined to human beings but

includes the entire creation. He says, "In spite of the negative particle 'non', it is no negative

force. Superficially we are surrounded in life by strife and blood- shed, life living upon life. But

some seer, who ages ago penetrated the centre of truth, said, 'It is not through strife and violence

that man can fulfill his destiny and his duty to his fellow creatures'. It is a force which is more

positive than electricity and more powerful than even ether". It is essential to under- stand the

implications of non-violence as Gandhi understood them as it was the creed to which he rendered

life-long service.

1.Non-violence is the law of human race and is infinitely greater than and superior to brute

force.

2.In the last resort it is of no avail to those who do not posses a living faith in the God of love.

3.Non-violence affords the fullest protection to one's self-respect and sense of honour, but not

always to possession of land or money, though its habitual practice does prove a better bulwark

than the possession of armed men to defend them.

4.Non-violence is a power which can be wielded equally by all - children, young men and

women or grown-up people, provided they have a living faith in the God of love and have

therefore equal love for all mankind...

5.It is a profound error to suppose that whilst the law is good enough for individuals, it is not for

the masses of mankind.

According to Gandhi, Ahimsa is a necessity for seeking, as well as, for finding Truth. To him

both are so intertwined that it is almost impossible to disentangle them. He calls Truth and

Ahimsa two sides of' a smooth unstamped metallic disc', nevertheless, to Gandhi ahimsa is the

means and Truth the end. Gandhi's non-violence was not a weapon of the weak and cowardly. It

was meant for the fearless and the brave.

It was on these two rock-like pillars of truth and non-violence that Gandhi strove all his life to

build the edifice of social reconstruction for 'Sarvodaya'. Of course, he believed that it was only

by individual reformation through his famous eleven vows that an ideal society could be

built.Since Rabindranath Tagore and Mohandas Gandhi were two leading Indian thinkers in the

twentieth century, many commentators have tried to compare their ideas

Gandhi and Tagore

"Gandhi and Tagore. Two types entirely different from each other, and yet both of them typical

of India, both in the long line of India's great men ... It is not so much because of any single

virtue but because of the tout ensemble, that I felt that among the world's great men today

Gandhi and Tagore were supreme as human beings. What good fortune for me to have come into

close contact with them."

Romain Rolland was fascinated by the contrast between them, and when he completed his book

on Gandhi, he wrote to an Indian academic, in March 1923: "I have finished my Gandhi, in

which I pay tribute to your two great river-like souls, overflowing with divine spirit, Tagore and

Gandhi." The following month, he recorded in his diary an account of some of the differences

between Gandhi and Tagore written by Reverend C.F. Andrews, the English clergyman and

public activist who was a close friend of both men (and whose important role in Gandhi's life in

South Africa as well as India is well portrayed in Richard Attenborough's film Gandhi [1982]).

Andrews described to Rolland a discussion between Tagore and Gandhi, at which he was

present, on subjects that divided them:

"The first subject of discussion was idols; Gandhi defended them, believing the masses incapable

of raising themselves immediately to abstract ideas. Tagore cannot bear to see the people

eternally treated as a child. Gandhi quoted the great things achieved in Europe by the flag as an

idol; Tagore found it easy to object, but Gandhi held his ground, contrasting European flags

bearing eagles, etc., with his own, on which he has put a spinning wheel. The second point of

discussion was nationalism, which Gandhi defended. He said that one must go through

nationalism to reach internationalism, in the same way that one must go through war to reach

peace."4

Tagore greatly admired Gandhi but he had many disagreements with him on a variety of

subjects, including nationalism, patriotism, the importance of cultural exchange, the role of

rationality and of science, and the nature of economic and social development. These differences,

I shall argue, have a clear and consistent pattern, with Tagore pressing for more room for

reasoning, and for a less traditionalist view, a greater interest in the rest of the world, and more

respect for science and for objectivity generally.

Rabindranath knew that he could not have given India the political leadership that Gandhi

provided, and he was never stingy in his praise for what Gandhi did for the nation (it was, in fact,

Tagore who popularized the term "Mahatma"—great soul—as a description of Gandhi). And yet

each remained deeply critical of many things that the other stood for. That Mahatma Gandhi has

received incomparably more attention outside India and also within much of India itself makes it

important to understand "Tagore's side" of the Gandhi-Tagore debates.

In his prison diary, Nehru wrote: "Perhaps it is as well that [Tagore] died now and did not see the

many horrors that are likely to descend in increasing measure on the world and on India. He had

seen enough and he was infinitely sad and unhappy." Toward the end of his life, Tagore was

indeed becoming discouraged about the state of India, especially as its normal burden of

problems, such as hunger and poverty, was being supplemented by politically organized

incitement to "communal" violence between Hindus and Muslims. This conflict would lead in

1947, six years after Tagore's death, to the widespread killing that took place during partition;

but there was much gore already during his declining days. In December 1939, he wrote to his

friend Leonard Elmhirst, the English philanthropist and social reformer who had worked closely

with him on rural reconstruction in India (and who had gone on to found the Dartington Hall

Trust in England and a progressive school at Dartington that explicitly invoked Rabindranath's

educational ideals):5

"It does not need a defeatist to feel deeply anxious about the future of millions who, with all their

innate culture and their peaceful traditions are being simultaneously subjected to hunger, disease,

exploitations foreign and indigenous, and the seething discontents of communalism."

Current Indian thought (modern east Indian thought)

Ram Mohan ray(1772-1833) was a social reformer. He opposed the caste system. Urged the

abolition of the custom of the burning windows.

Mahatma Gandhi, born in 1869,Studied Law in London and went in 1983 to South Africa as a

lawyer, where he learned how East Indians living in the Province of Natal had almost no rights.

He was treated as one of them and cast out of the train on which he was traveling. There and then

he developed the doctrine of passive resistance. His Hindu religion would not permit him to take

a more active stand. His passive resistance method succeeded. He was the forerunner of the sit-

down striker. He protected women from early marriges. He sought to control alcohol and

harmful drugs. Gandhi’s social strength illustrates the surprising effectiveness that can be

achieved under the theories of life and world negation.

Rabindranath Tagore was born in 1861,India has a representative who is trying to reconcile the

two doctrines of the world negation and world affirmation. “He criticizes both the eastern

ascetics and the western leaders who have lost inner spiritual strength” material gains are nothing

unless subordinated to spiritual and human advancements well being is for all, wisdom and

justice shall reign everywhere. Arts and poetry shall ennoble all men minds.

Indian sociology

A current sociological view as expressed by Radhakamal Mukerjee of Lucknow University is

“that social interests and experience must express our conceptions of the natures and function of

divinity.”

Universal law as effecting human beings “is something which is molded by the interaction of

classes and interests with in the state.” Furthermore it is in the “groups and association which

conflict or cooperate with one another” that human values are molded.

D.P Mukherji of India has recently(1932) made an analysis of concepts in sociology . he

emphasized such concepts as personality equality,social force and social control. He find

progress in three principles:

1. Principle of harmony

2. Principle of coordination

3. Principle of unity

According to him growth of personality depends upon four factors:

1. Variety

2. Change

3. Directivity

4. Purpose

Geographic factors, technic factors,psycho-physical factors and social factors are the

conditioning phenomena in social life.

Social control according to Mukerji involves three things:

1. The need for order

2. Controlling authority that has its own scheme of order

3. Some type of accommodation by a large part of people controlled.

He discovered the two control existed in world:

1. Control by classes

2. Control by caste

Contribution to group psychology has been made by RadhaKamal Mukerji and N.N.Sen_Gupta

in their introduction to social psychology subtitled as “the mind in society” In this book it is said

that “if groups are not in operation then new groups will rise.”

Distinctive aspects of East Indian social

thought

The Framework for Indian History: Geography and a Formative Period. Important reasons for

India’s distinctive path lie in geography and early historical experience. India’s geography

shaped a number of vital features of its society. The vast Indian subcontinent is partially

separated from the rest of Asia (and particularly from East Asia) by northern mountain ranges.

Mountain passes linked India to civilizations in the Middle East. Though it was not as isolated as

China, the subcontinent was nevertheless set apart within Asia. The most important agricultural

regions are along the two great rivers, the Ganges and the Indus. During its formative period,

called the Vedic and Epic ages, the Aryans (Indo-Europeans), originally from central Asia,

impressed their own stamp on Indian culture. During these ages, the caste system, Sanskrit, and

various belief systems were introduced.

Patterns in Classical India. By 600 B.C.E., India had passed through its formative stage. Indian

development during its classical era did not take on the structure of rising and falling dynasties,

as in China. Patterns in Indian history were irregular and often consisted of invasions through the

subcontinent’s northwestern mountain passes. As a result, classical India alternated between

widespread empires and a network of smaller kingdoms. Even during the rule of the smaller

kingdoms, both economic and cultural life advanced. The Maurya and Gupta dynasties were the

most successful in India, run entirely by Indians and not by outside rulers. The greatest of the

Mauryan emperors was Ashoka (269-232 B.C.E.). The Guptas did not produce as dynamic a

leader as Ashoka, but they did provide classical India with its greatest period of stability.

THE END