From Kinship to Social Hierarchy: The Vedic Experience (An Old and Rare Book)

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I feel privileged to present this work, From Kinship to Social hierarchy: The Vedic experience, by Dr. Bijoy Kumar Choudhary, Assistant Director, K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute. This is a valuable piece of historical research based on a deep study of the Vedic texts and archaeological sources. Dr. Choudhary presents a perceptive account of the emergence of social stratification in later Vedic times. He shows that the Rgvedic Society was simple and egalitarian, cattle-herding being the prime mode of subsistence. As agriculture became the mainstay of economy in later Vedic times and the settlements became stable, society began to be organized on the principle of hierarchy. The author provides a brilliant analysis of the Vedic kinship, relating it with the problem of social stratification. He argues that in the early Vedic social formation, the structure of kinship was largely undifferentiated; there existed only a few elementary kinship roles embedded in large kin groupings, without a ring of secondary kinsmen intervening between the two. There was no attempt at subordinating one's kin yet. According to the author, in later Vedic society, kinship became well-structured as several kinship roles emerged; systematic attempts were now made to subordinate one's kinsmen. Dr. Choudhary believes that the sajata was the strategic kinship unit which underwent transformation, facilitating the emergence of varna-stratification.

Despite being difficult, or probably because of it, the Vedas have fascinated historians since long. Several generations of historians have arduously worked out the outlines of Vedic history. I pay my tribute to all of them. In the present work, I discuss certain problems which may have some relevance for understanding the evolution of social hierarchy in Vedic society. In my humble endeavour I have received help from numerous sources. I express my deep gratitude to prof. R. S. Sharma who has taught me to strive for excellence. I have greatly benefitted from my discussions with Prof. H. C. Satyarthi, Prof. R. N. Nandi, Dr. P. Gupta and M. K. Shrivastava and wish to express my gratefulness to them. I would also like to thank my colleagues at the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute and in particular to Dr. Jagdishwara Pandey for their encouragement. The library staff of the Bihar Research Society, K. P. J. R. L., Archaeological Survey of India (Patna Branch), and J. N. U. deserve my thanks for their assistance; the authorities of the Bihar Research Society allowed me to use the old and rare volumes of journals and books.

I am indebted to my wife Poonam and children Harsh and Diva for their constant support. My parents and elder brother have always been a silent source of encouragement, and no words of thanks can adequately express my sense of gratitude to them.