A Comparison of the Values of Classical India, China, and Persia

A Comparison of the Values of Classical India, China, and Persia

During the era known as the time of the classical civilizations, there were numerous noticeable changes occurring in many civilizations and city-states around the world. In India, China, and Persia in particular, one could see the influence of religion and philosophy on the political and social structure of the time.

In India, the religion of Hinduism in particular, provides two sources of support in regards to the social structure of the era. These sources are the Vedas and the Upanishads. According to The Rig Veda when Purusha’s body was divided “his mouth became the brāhman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shūdra was born (Reilly, 92).” By splitting up the body in this way, there was a justification for the creation of the varna or caste system. The highest class or Brahmin’s were the priest class, who were also known as the most pure. In this role, they were the connecting figures between Purusha and his people, which is reflective of them being his mouth. The next upper division class was the Ksatriya or warrior/leader class. In the class, the role was to do the fighting which was reflective of them being Purusha’s arms. The artisan/farmer or middle class was known as the vaisyas. In this class, members represented the role of the thighs of Purusha, who were responsible for doing the brunt or tougher jobs in society. The nethermost social class was the sudra, who were serfs and servants. They represented the feet of Pursha, which is reflective of their status as the lowest class. Along with the Vedas, the Upanishads served as a written guideline for the varna. These works urged the concept of doin...

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...o the practice of other religions throughout his empire because his religion allowed for him to be a more moral and upright leader. However, Darius was a firm believer in the punishment of evil-doers. This can be seen by the inscription on the relief above the Royal Road, which stated that “The Lie made them rebellious, so that these [men] deceived the people. Afterwards Ahuramazda put them into my hand; as was my desire, so I did unto them (Primary Source, 131).” This supports the idea that Zoroastrianism, created benevolent yet firm political dignitaries.

In conclusion, while there were many changes occurring throughout the world during the time of the classical era, the most prevalent changes took place in India, China and Persia. These changes involved religion and philosophy being a means for justifying the class, gender, and political roles of citizens.