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India. The Indus Civilization. Lost civilization 2500 B.C.—region of Indus River Built cities Created a pictographic writing system Lost written records 1500 B.C. Indus civilization was destroyed by Aryan-speaking tribes who invaded northern India Used mounted warriors (horses)
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The Indus Civilization • Lost civilization • 2500 B.C.—region of Indus River • Built cities • Created a pictographic writing system • Lost written records • 1500 B.C. Indus civilization was destroyed by Aryan-speaking tribes who invaded northern India • Used mounted warriors (horses) • Hereditary castes
Indian Literature • No knowledge of the Indus survived • Begins with the Aryan-speaking nomads—Sanskrit • Vedas: oldest literary works; sacred literature: “knowledge” or “lore” • Rig Veda –oldest and most sacred of the Vedic literature • Rig Veda—Aryan-speaking traditional hymns and prayers • Mahabharata “War of the Descendants of Bharata” • Ramayana “Story of Rama” • Two important contributions: Aryan speech (Sanskrit) and traditional religious poetry
The Rig Veda • Earliest literature to survive • Hymns that the Aryans praised to their gods for help and offered them sacrifice (2000 B.C.—800 B.C.) • “Hymn lore” • Differences in style or quality • Simple, matter-of-fact requests to gods—protection (crops, sickness, relief) • Sympathy with nature (imagery, descriptions, concrete language) • Divided into 10 books; 1st English translation: 1785
The Mahabharata • Earlier of the two epics (500-300 B.C.) • Struggle between two branches of a ruling family over the succession to a kingdom • Myth, legend, folklore, and philosophy • 100,000 couplets • The longest in world literature • The most revered of Hindu sacred writings is a section called the Bhagavad Gita (“Song of the Lord”
The Bhagavad Gita • “Song of the Lord” • Philosophical dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna that takes place as the two forces prepare to fight • Struggle between two families—royal cousins for control of kingdom in northern India • Reconciliation of work and necessary activity in this world • The world is a mere illusion to be ignored—central idea of Hinduism • One of Hinduism’s most sacred texts.
Indian Drama • Tragedy—not permitted • Hindus believed that defeat and death had no meaning • Shakuntala—masterpiece of Sanskrit drama; a romantic play about lovers meeting in a wood • Kalidasa wrote Shakuntala • Plot of Shakuntala taken from Mahabharata • It tells the love of King Dushyanti for the beautiful, half-divine, Shakuntala
Buddha and Asoka • Hinduism—traditional religion of India • Includes the Vedas and the myths of local gods • Gautama preached a renunciation of desire as the key to human salvation • Called the Buddha (“Enlightened One”) and eventually deified by his followers • Gautama—founder of one of the world’s greatest religions-Buddhism • Asoka—Buddhism’s most notable convert • Asoka’s government embody Buddhist ideal of dharma (“righteousness”)
The Guptas and the Moghuls • Greatest Gupta king, Chandragupta II (375-415), a patron of the arts; Revived the Mahabharata • Northern India united for 200 years by the Gupta kings, fell apart in the sixth century • Small feudal kingdoms developed with a revival of Hinduism as it was translated from Sanskrit into the regional languages of India • Influence of Buddhism declined • Islam came to dominate in the 8th century • Babur, the Moslem invader, left an impact on India
Babur • Founder of the Moghul (“Mongol”) dynasty in India that would last for over 300 years • Descended from Genghis Khan and Tamerlane • Conquered northern India, Hindustan, in 1526 • Left a vivid account of his life, the Babur-nama (“Book of Babur”), a masterpiece of an autobiography • Called the greatest autobiography in literature
