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Discuss the social & economic factors for the rise of Buddhism. How far was it influenced by Upanisadic thought?

  • UPSC 1987
  • Period of Mahajanapadas

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The sixth century B.C. stands out in Indian history as the age of "second urbanisation," when the middle Gangetic plains threw up not one but many heterodox movements — traditions count as many as sixty-two contending sects — challenging the ritual authority of the Brahmanas. Of these, Buddhism alone grew into a pan-Indian, institutionally organised…

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What the full answer covers

  • Social Strain: The Rigidities of the Varna Order
  • Economic Transformation: Iron, Agriculture and Trade
  • Convergence with Upanishadic Thought
  • Where Buddhism Broke Away
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