HISTOBLOG: UGC NET HISTORY NOTES

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

UGC NET HISTORY NOTES

THE CONCEPT OF PURUSHARTHAS

The Hindu attitude to life and daily conduct is oriented towards four noble ends of man.these four nobles ends are exemplified in the Hindu dharmashastras as the “purusharthas”.the concept of puruushartha is the fundamental principle of the Indian social ethics.the word purushathas implies attainments or life purposes.according to this concept ,the aim of every person is to attain four noble ends or purusharthas.they are ARTH,DHARMA,KAMA AND MOKSHA.these purusharthas govern the Hindu view of life.they are the guiding principle of life for the Hindus at all stages of their life.the entire Hindu social organization is built on the foundation of the prusharthas.

Importance of purusharthas

1-purusharthas signify the hindu attitude towards life.

2-Harmony between the material and the supreme.

3-Coordination among various desires ,needs and interest.

4-No attempt to decry sex and disregard material aspirations.

5-It constitute the basis of varnasrama dharma.

DHARMA(the principle of righteousness)

Dharma is the supreme principle of life.it is the major end in humans life.the word dharma is derived from the Sanskrit root DHRI meaning to hold together ,to sustain or to preserve.it holds together the whole universe.it is essential for maintaining the stability of society.as Dr.Radhakrishnan has pointed out “every form of life ,every group of men has its dharma which is the law of its beings.dharma or virtue is conformity with the truth of things,adharma,rice,is opposed to it”.gita ,veda,upanishads equated dharma with rta or truth and treated it as a cosmic principle .

From the point of view of mimasa philosophy ‘dharma means moral code of conduct to be observed by all human beings in every sphere of the is activity and it holds good for all times to come.dharmashastras also insists upon on the universal form of dharma.it was intended to enable man to reach was deemed to be the goal human existence.

To mahbharatha “dharma is created for the well being of all creation”.dharma is not a religion.it is a living experience.it is the guiding principle of life,a complete rule of life.it leads way towards ultimate reality.dharma is often connected with happiness and liberation.scholars have spoken different types of dharma like SAMANYA,RAJA,STREE,VARNA,ASHRAMA,ETC.vedas constitute main source of dharma.

ARTHA(wealth)-purusharthas

The term ‘artha refers to wordily prosperity such as wealth and power.it is acquiring wealth by honest man.A man is unable to conduct his life so long as the material means of living are not available.Without artha no desire(kama)can be satisfied.Poverty is no ideal.Economic stability is the basis of social stability,individual advancement and spiritual attainment. The pleasure of giving charity comes only when there is something to give.Hence artha or wealth helps to sustain and enrich life.
The importance of wealth in this world was fully raised by koudilya.To him wealth is the basis of human requirements and that social well being depends ultimately on material prosperity.To Manu”the whole vedas constitute the first source of artha”.The practice of virtuous men,smritis,the truth are other source of artha.

KAMA(pleasure or desires)

Kama refers to the desires in man for enjoyment and satisfaction of the life of the senses.It refers to some of the innate desires and urges in man.It springs human mind,the moment one is born.It is the essence of life.With the passing of the time desires increased.These desires influence and determine social action in many ways.Without it living would appear to be very cruel and meaningless.The theory of purusharthas makes sufficient provision for the enjoyment of life.
Kama involves sexual,emotional and aesthetic life.The healthy development of personality calls for the expression of emotions.Kama represents such an emotional expression.It is often regarded as one of the six enemies if human beings.But it is equally true that human being cannot continue as a race without the realisation of kama which helps the propagation of species.

MOKSHA(liberation or spiritual freedom)

Moksha is the ultimate aim.When the end of human action is salvation or liberation from the bondage of the world ,it is called moksha.It is the supreme aspiration of man.All our activities are directed to the realization of this end.The trivargas (arth,darma.kama) are the means for the attainment of this supreme end.Moksha is alone called Chaturvarga.Through meditation,knowledge,devotion and correct action,moksha or salvation can attain.

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JOBS 4 HISTORY STUDENTS

Career options for students who have finished their graduation in history are quite high.Students can appear for the UPSC or the state wide PSC tests.Almost 40 % of I.A.S examination questions are taken from history.Those who like the teaching profession can get the B.Ed (after BA) or M.Ed (after MA) degree and apply for teacher or Assistant Professor positions. Many other job options are available for B A history Student. A few include:Archivists,Information Managers, Librarians, Public Relations officer,Records Managers, Teaching,Law, Research, Diplomacy,Public service,Journalism, Ministry,Insurance, Politics,Publishing,Archaeologist,Archivist,Historical researcher, Museum work,Secondary school teacher,Tour guide,University lecturer etc.

"Gandhi as the ascetic defender of property,the mascot of the bourgoisie and in actual achievement -statistics as the Jonah of Revolution"..By R P Dutt.... “I became the stage for the great argument between Nietzsche and Rousseau. I was the extra ready to take on all the roles”.by Jacques Derrida."History is the witness of the times, the torch of the truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messenger of antiquity."- By Cicero, Roman Oratore "All the ancient histories, as one of our wits say, are just fables that have been agreed upon" By Voltaire.“D D Kosambi and R S Sharma,together with Daniel Thorner,brought peasants into the study of indian history for the first time”.Comment of Irfan Habib."I only accept awards from academic institutions or those associated with my professional work,and not state awards".[Romila Thapar on her refusal to accept padma bhshan in 1992.......]"If HUME and other English liberals hoped to use Congress as a SAFETY VALVE ,the Congress leaders hoped to use HUME as a lightening conductor".[Words of BIPIN CHANDRA...]

HISTORICAL FACTS.

1-Facts are importand for the constuction of history.2-Anything which gives us some idea about the past or present or future can be termed as fact.3-it is also called sources.4-sources are two kinds PRIMARY AND SECONDARY.5-Primary or Direct sources are anything which gives us information directly.6-Secondary sources or Indirect sources provides information indirectly.7-TERTIARY sources are used to describe a work which is a compilation of primary and secondary sources.It focused on the identification of scholarly work than on content. For example :bibliography,library catalog,directories etc.8-That is why RANKE said”NO SOURCES,NO HISTORY”.9-To Ranke “all kinds of sources should be subjected to criticism.10-HEURISTICS means searching of facts or sources.11-HERMENEUTICS aims to find out the authenticity or veracity of the sources.12-DEDUCTIVE METHOD is a type of reasoning from general to particular.13-INDUCTIVE METHOD is a reasoning from particular to general.

HISTORIAN OF THIS MONTH

K.P.PADMANABHA MENON Born in October 1857. Father: Diwan Peshkar Sankunny Menon. Mother: Parvathy Amma. K.P. Padmanabha Menon was the son of Diwan Peshkar Sankunni Menon who for the first time attempted to write the history of Travancore. Through his work Kerala Charithram (History of Kerala), Padmanabha Menon surpassed the talents of his father. Padmanabha Menon was an eminent Advocate, Judge and Historian. He also wrote Kochi Rajya Charithram (History of Cochin). He was also the Advocate General of Madras Government and member of Marumakkathayam Committee. He died on 1 May 1919.

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