Chapter 7: State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India

In 327 B.C.E., India was thrown into political chaos by the invasion of

Alexander of Macedon.

The harsh political philosophy of Chandragupta Maurya and Kautalya is recorded in the

Arthashastra.

The high point of Mauryan success came during the reign of

Ashoka.

The rock and pillar edicts were issued by

Ashoka.

The Indian work that deals with a dialogue between the warrior, Arjuna, and his charioteer, Krishna, is the

Bhagavad Gita.

The line, "As a man, casting off old clothes, puts on others and new ones, so the embodied self, casting off old bodies, goes to others and new ones," comes from the

Bhagavad Gita.

The bodhisattva is associated with what religion?

Buddhism

The year 320 C.E. saw the creation of the Gupta dynasty by

Chandra Gupta.

The Arthashastra reflected the political philosophy of

Chandragupta Maurya.

The first ruler to unify India was

Chandragupta Maurya.

Chandra Gupta II was the founder of the Gupta dynasty.

False

Chandra Gupta was the Indian ruler who converted to Buddhism and became a very active missionary for its spread

False

With the spread of Mahayana Buddhism, the Hinayana faith disappeared.

False

The fundamental doctrine of Buddhism was known as the

Four Noble Truths.

After the collapse of the Mauryan dynasty, northwest India was controlled by the Bactrians, who spoke

Greek

Theravada Buddhism is also known as

Hinayana Buddhism.

Alexander of Macedon's invasion of which country in 327 B.C.E. caused political chaos that eventually led to the country's unification?

India

The religious group that carefully swept the ground before them as they walked to avoid harming any invisible insects was the

Jains.

The Mauryan emperor Ashoka fought his bloodiest battle against

Kalinga

The Kushans in India reached their peak under

Kanishka.

The kingdom that played a leading role in Indian unification, after the withdrawal of

Magadha.

Although only fragments remain, some of our best information about early Indian history comes from the Indika, written by

Megasthenes.

The capital of Ashoka's empire was

Pataliputra.

The Indian political scene changed dramatically in 520 B.C.E. when new administrative techniques were introduced after the invasion of the

Persians.

Mahayana was known as the greater vehicle because it opened the road to salvation for large numbers of people

True

Siddhartha Gautama was the Buddha.

True

The Arthashastra is the ancient Indian political treatise.

True

The Bhagavad Gita is the work containing a dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna.

True

The Jainist principle of nonviolence to other living things is ahimsa.

True

The Ramayana is the Indian epic about the adventures of a hero and his wife Sita.

True

The first ruler to unify all of India was Chandragupta Maurya.

True

The founder of Jainism was

Vardhamana Mahavira

The eventual collapse of the Gupta state was partially caused by an invasion by the

White Huns.

During the time of the Aryans, the Indian political landscape was characterized by

a series of small kingdoms.

The Jains adhered to the principle of nonviolence to other living things or their souls, which is expressed in the word

ahimsa.

Ancient Indian religion revolved around ritual sacrifices offered by whom?

brahmins

The two great Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana,

commonly portrayed women as weak-willed and emotional creatures.

One of the biggest financial problems of the later Mauryan period was the ruler's decision to

debase the currency.

When Krishna tells Arjuna, in the Bhagavad Gita, "Having regard to your own duty, you ought not to falter, for there is nothing better for a kshatriya than a righteous battle," he is referring to what Hindu principle?

dharma

The Buddha believed that salvation came from

leading a balanced and moderate life.

Politically, the Guptas

left local government and administration in the hands of their allies.

The beliefs of the Charvakas

reflected the increasingly materialistic character of Indian society.

After the collapse of the Mauryan empire, India

returned to a series of regional kingdoms.

The Charvaka sect believed

that the gods were figments of the imagination

Ahimsa refers to

the Jain principle of nonviolence.

Megasthenes was

the author of the Indika

One of the most pronounced examples of patriarchal dominance in ancient India was

the common practice of child marriage

The greatest social contribution of the Jains was

the fact that they did not recognize social hierarchies based on caste.

Essentially, much of the responsibility for maintaining social order in India during these years fell to

the jati.

Kautalya was

the main advisor to Chandragupta Maurya.

One of the biggest transformations of the caste system during this period was

the rise of guilds, which essentially served as jati.

The success and timing of trade, through the Indian Ocean basin, largely depended on

understanding the rhythms of the monsoon winds

Vardhamana Mahavira

was a great Jainist teacher.