Factors for the rise of socio-cultural movements and significance of liberal ideas on socio-cultural awakening.
· During the 6th century BC there was great religious upheaval as existing religions did not satisfy all sections of society.
· There emerged various reformers who began to think about new ways of worship.
·This led to the beginning of various religious faiths, the most important among them being Jainism and Buddhism.
The sixth Century BCE witnessed many socio-cultural movements in different parts of the world. Various reformers like Confucius (Confucianism) and Lao Tzu/Lao Zi (Taoism) in China, Empedocles and Parmenides in Greece, and Zoroaster in Persia preached new ways of life. India too was in a state of great social upheaval with thinkers like the Buddha (Buddhism) and Mahavira (Jainism) propagating transformation in the social and cultural life of the people. The rise of any socio-cultural movement can be best discussed if it is examined against the backdrop of its historical setting. The discussion of the Buddha and the belief system that he developed cannot be achieved without first placing him in the context of the social and cultural landscape of the 6th century BCE India.
Confucius, Chinese philosopher.
Mahavira, Founder of Jainism
The following factors played an important role in liberal ideas on socio-cultural awakening:
The type of Population influences other societies in terms of behaviour, health, living standards, change in religion, belief system, customs, etc, giving some liberal ideas on socio-cultural awakening.
1. shift from rural to urban centre
2. the rise of the merchant class
3. scientific evolution
4. more literate population
5. lost faith in religious and absolute monarchy
6. Racial equality.
8. more social values
9. No gender bias
10. equal distribution of resources
11. Available jobs for all
12. change in the Nature of Worship in the Later Vedic Period.
13. Stop Sacrifices.
14.
The Rigid Caste System and the Brahmanical Domination abolished
15.
Introduction of the New Agricultural Economy.
16. The Difficult Language of Vedas change into an easy language
17. The
Advent of New Liberal Thinkers.
18. Export
and import
19. Foreign
relation
20. Exchange
in goods
21. learn
to be independent
22. rise of
living standard
23. Rapid
development
24. Rules
and regulation
25. Change in the form of Government
26. liberal ideas.
Describe Buddha as an icon of socio-cultural awakening.
Hinduism was the dominant faith in India in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE when a wave of social and cultural reform swept the land. The century of the Buddha's birth was also a century of upheaval and strife marked by complex rites and expensive sacrificial rituals, and discriminatory caste divisions breeding social and economic inequality.
The Buddha developed the belief system at a time when India was in significant religious and philosophical reform. Buddhism was, initially, only one of many schools of thought which developed in response to what was perceived as the failure of orthodox Hinduism to address the needs of the people.
Causes for the Rise
of Socio-cultural Movements
1. Change in the
Nature of Worship in Later Vedic Period (Reaction against Existing Religion)
The Vedic
(classical Hinduism) religion had lost its original purity and simplicity. It
had become rigid, ritualistic, complex and expensive. Prayers and worship were
no longer a joyful experience. There was a great dislike for the existing
religion among the people.
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| Caste System prevalent in India since the early Vedic Period. |
2. Rigid Caste
System and Supremacy of the Brahmins
During the Later
Vedic Period, the varna system had become rigid and hereditary. Society was
divided into four castes, which could not be changed. People belonging to each
caste were assigned a fixed position in society.
3. Difficult Language of the Vedas (Sanskrit religious texts)
The Vedic
scriptures had become the monopoly of Brahmi Vedic prayers and mantras were
recited in Sanskrit which was beyond the comprehension of the common people.
Both Mahavira and
Buddha, the founders of new religions, spoke and preached in Prakrit and Pali,
the languages of the common people.
Sacrificial rituals
were an essential feature of the Vedic religion. Sacrifices were performed to
appease gods to receive blessings. Milk, butter, cereals, vegetables,
etc. were
offered to the fire
and the gods were evoked to partake in the offerings. However, in the Later
Vedic Period, sacrifices became bloody with large-scale killing of animals.
Sacrificial offerings varied from small animals like goats and rams to
buffaloes, bulls, horses, and even humans.
The society was fully
exploited by the priestly class. The sponsoring family had to reward the
priests with customary gifts (gold, cows, horses and clothes being the ideal
form of payment) while the family would receive spiritual benefits from the
ritual. There was widespread discontentment among the common people against the
costly religious rituals and bloody sacrifices. As a result, new socio-cultural
movements began gaining popularity and gradually reached the
forefront of early Indian society.
5. Introduction of the New Agricultural Economy
During the 6"
century BCE agricultural economy flourished in the Gangetic Plains because of
the extensive use of iron for producing agricultural tools and implements. The
agriculturalists used iron ploughshares (blades) and cattle were required to draw
the ploughs. The rampant practice of animal sacrifices posed a great threat to
the agricultural economy.
The people
supported a religion that restricted animal sacrifices. The new faith based on
the ideas of non-violence and compassion preached by the Buddha checked animal
sacrifices.
6. Preference for
Simple and Ascetic Life
The later Vedic
society reflected inequality in people's social and economic conditions.
There was a general preference for a new social order based on simple and
ascetic values.
7. New liberal
thinkers
There emerged
forceful thinkers like Mahavira and Buddha who introduced new ideas and principles of religion, making religious practices simple and more acceptable
to the people.
They did away with
meaningless rites and rituals, ignored the priestly class and taught people to
lead an honest and truthful life.
8. Creed of Buddhism
- The middle path in the pursuit of nirvana
- Faith in the basic principles
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