Social life of Mauryan age discussed by Harsh
Background
The Mauryan empire was flourished for over 140 years, from c. 322 BC to c. 185 BC, in the Indian subcontinent. It was the first empire of Indian subcontinent that flourished which was pan-Indian in nature. This age seen all around progress in every sphere of state like in economy, administration, society etc. Arthashastra of Kautilya, Indica of Megasthenes and Ashokan Inscriptions provided various inputs on the Mauryan age society.
Also Read : Mauryan Empire – Nature and Polity
Ashoka’s Dhamma – Nature, Character and Impact
Vedic Age – Geography and Significance of Sacrifices
Mauryan Age Society
As per the Arthashastra, the Brahmanical ideals and values were dominant in the society. The Brahmans enjoyed the highest social status. Family was the primary unit of the society. Varnashrama Dharma system was followed but it must emphasis that it was just a theoretical model as it was never followed rigidly during this age, Arthashastra mentioned that peoples of all four varnas were recruited in the armed forces.
Hardly anybody from the society used to practice Vanaprastha and Sanyas ashrama. The members of all four Varnas were involved in the trade and commerce as well as in art and crafts activities. The Upananya ceremony was performed only for the few women. But in later years of Mauryan age, the Varna system gain rigidity. The Varna system get converted into number of castes according to profession of the peoples.
According to the Megasthenes, there were seven castes in India. These castes included philosophers, warriors, supervisors, herdsmen, councilors and assessors, husbandmen (peasant) and artisans. So, by this we can concluded that occupations were started to take the form of castes. The artisans and craftsmen were accorded the higher status and protected by the state.
According to Arthashastra, there were eight types of marriage in Mauryan society. Marriage was considered sacrament but Arthashastra also mentioned divorce in special circumstances. Monogamy was normal practice but polygamy was there. Inter-Varna marriages were allowed. Caste endogamy and gotra exogamy were followed. Child marriages were absent and widow remarriages were allowed.
The minimum age of a girl to marry was fixed at 12 while for boys it was 16. The divorce was possible in following circumstances as per Arthashastra; through mutual consent, if husband stays away from home for a long time, in case of infidelity of wife and if any of the partner suffering from a uncurable disease. The status of Shudras was quite good as they were allowed in participating to economic activities and they were recruited in the military as well.
Slavery was prevalent. But Megasthenes wrote that slavery was absent but it was because the conditions of slaves was good in India. So, Megasthenes failed to differentiate between freemen and slaves. According to Arthashastra, there were nine types of slaves. They were entitled to buy or sell property and can own the same. Improper treatment towards the slaves was a punishable offence.
Ashokan inscriptions were also asked to treat their slaves properly. Prisoners of war were enslaved and used to work in farms and workshops. The status of women was high in society. The women were employed as royal bodyguards as informed by Greek sources. They enjoyed the right of Stridhana. Some elements of decline of the status of women were also visible.
Terms like Asurya Pashya (not to see the sun), Avarodhana (obstruction to progress), Antahpur (to live within the boundary of home) and Anishkashini (not to come out of home) were used for women in contemporary literature. The references suggest that some kind of seclusion or women was followed in society. According to Megasthenes, Indian were of high moral character as virtue of truth and honesty were respected.
Peoples were frugal in general. Grains, meat, fruits and milk were the main food consumed by Mauryan age peoples. Both males and females were fond of ornaments. The clothes of rich peoples were stud with gems and semi-precious stones. Horse race, elephant fight, bull fight, and hunting were the prominent time passing games of the Mauryan age peoples. Fair and festivals were organized. Singers, actors and acrobats were lived in the society.
The education system was developed as different subjects were taught in the Gurukuls. Gurukuls basically were the education institutions where students lived until their education get completed. They followed the Guru-Shishya system. Taxila was the main education center during the Mauryan age. Apart from that Ujjain, Vallabhi, Kashi etc. also emerged as the important education centres. The subjects like Astronomy, Politics, Philosophy, Mathematics, Ethics etc. were taught during this age.
Thus, the Mauryan society was highly developed as compared to the previous ages of the Indian subcontinent.
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