Gem In The LotusA comprehensive and compelling portrait of ancient India In Gem in the Lotus, Abraham Eraly, author of The Last Spring, the best-selling and critically acclaimed history of the Mughals, identifies and explores the significant milestones in the evolution of ancient India. Beginning with an enquiry into the enigma that was the Indus Valley civilisation, he writes of the progression from the Vedic Aryan culture to the age of religious and philosophical ferment, culminating in the tenets of Jainism; the founding and consolidation of Buddhism; Alexander's advance into India; the rise of the Mauryan empire; and Ashoka's unusual political career. In the final section of the book, he describes the -clockwork state' of the Mauryas depicted in Kautilya's Arthasastra and in ancient Greek accounts. |
Contents
The Genesis | |
The Roseapple Land | |
Enigma of the Indus Valley | |
Priestkings and Merchant Princes | |
Gods of the Valley | |
Rigor Mortis | |
Vedic India | |
Indras Legions | |
The Journeys | |
Monkey and the Pitchtrap | |
Ehi Bhikkhu | |
The Patricides | |
A Greek Interlude | |
Live Short Live Much | |
Kautilyas Revenge | |
The Wicked Prince | |
The Vedic Corpus | |
The Domestication of Aryans | |
The Warbegotten King | |
Colour and Caste | |
Chant am I verse thou | |
Unto Us a Happy Mind | |
Across the Void a Dividing Line | |
Twilight of the Gods | |
Neyti Neyti | |
Rebels and Prophets | |
The Fordmaker | |
A Saviour is Born | |
The Middle Path | |
The Fire Sermon | |
All men are my children | |
Beloved of the Gods | |
All for the King | |
The Leviathan | |
Mauryan State Capitalism | |
The Great Tax Heist | |
Kautilyan Commandments | |
Enemy and the Enemy of the Enemy | |
Greek Fables | |
Women Sophists and Cannibals | |
Mlecchas and Sages | |
Incidental Data | |
Notes | |
Acknowledgements | |
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Common terms and phrases
according Agni Ajivikas Alexander Alexander’s Ananda ancient Indian animals army Arrian Arthasastra Aryans ascetic Asoka Atharva-veda battle birth body Brahmin brethren Buddha Buddhist Buddhist texts caste century BC Chandragupta chariots chieftains citadel common culture Curtius death dharma divine earth edicts elephants enemy fire Ganga Gangetic gods Greek Harappa honour horse husband hymns India Indra Indus cities Indus Civilisation Indus Valley Jain Jainism Jatakas karma Kautilya kilometres king king’s kingdom Kosambi Kshatriya land later Vedic living Macedonian Magadha Mahavira maintained marriage Mauryan empire Megasthenes metres Mohenjo-daro monks nirvana panas Pataliputra performed Persian Porus priests prince probably punished Punjab Puranas religion religious Rig-veda Rig-vedic poet rites rituals river royal rulers sacred sacrifice sages sangha Satapatha Brahmana says sects social society Soma speak spirit stone Strabo Sudra Taxila thou trade tree tribal tribes turn Vedas Vedic literature village woman women Yajur-veda