Changes in Indic Subcontinental Religious Dogma, Practice, and Worship: Tracing Catalysts of the Mauryan and Gupta Eras

AND INTRODUCTION The history of early India saw drastic social, political, and economic changes through its many ages and eras. Every time period had its unique interweaving of opposing and coalescing forces that set the dynamics for the culture of the time. These dynamics had far-reaching consequences, one of which was a profound influence of the ideology, practice, and development of religious sects and movements. Two time periods in particular saw exceptional changes in religion: the pre-, intra-, and post-Mauryan, spanning the sixth to second centuries B.C.E., and the preand intra-Gupta, spanning the second to fifth centuries C.E. The former time period saw the propagation of heterodox sects, the widespread acceptance of public debates in religion, and the inception of a missionary aspect into religious practice. Heterodox sects, not conforming to the norms of society at the time, introduced alternative beliefs and new ideas of social construction into the cultural milieu. The latter time period saw the process of reclamation of past traditions with a new interpretation; the sects were founded on the orthodox brāhmaṇa1 Vedas, dharma,2 cosmology, and varnas,3 but incorporated them into belief and practice in novel ways. The times preceding those of the Mauryas were characterized by the second urbanization in the history of the subcontinent. Two dominant systems of rule had concurrently arisen: monarchies and gana-sanghas, a form of republic or oligarchy. The former endorsed a more orthodox, brāhmaṇa religious ideology, while the latter endorsed heterodox sects like Buddhism, Jaina, and Ājīvika. Monarchies were accepting of social stratification based upon castes; however, gana-sanghas viewed them as a detriment not only to their governing body, but also their cultural heritage. Both forms of governance were predicated upon the power and authority of the rāja; the difference lay in the degrees and manifestations of power wielded by the rāja under each system. In the monarchy the singular raja wielded autonomous power; however, the numerous rajas functioned more as privileged citizens rather than kings. The monarchial kingdoms generated the trading efficiency necessary for sustained growth and expansion through social organization and specialization of craft. As different localities had come to specialize in specific goods, social organization led to stratification based on occupational guilds. Guilds allowed for increased efficiency and quality of products, which were increasingly important for the trade necessitated by chalcolithic cultures. To ensure that the guilds continued to retain specific skills sets, there was a need to ensure continued membership and passing down of skills to future generations. This was accomplished primarily by limiting marriage to within specific guilds and limiting occupational specialization through hereditary transmission, allowing sustained production of goods through generations. As the guilds retained their identity and incorporated social, religious, and proprietary practices, they evolved into jātis4 or sub-castes. By the sixth century B.C.E, trade had become widespread enough amongst jātis that there were significant interactions between different societies, leading to the development of new norms and mores. Trading centers, initially founded on the surpluses generated from agrarian and other practices, became more centralized as the exchange of goods expanded. Evolution of trading centers and towns was socially, politically, and economically important, and called forth new means of social order and regulation. R. SHAH: CHANGES IN INDIC SUBCONTINENTAL RELIGIOUS DOGMA, PRACTICE, AND