Contents

Remembering Kosambi (1907-1966) xiii Introduction xxvii

SECTION I Concerning Method 1 Combined Methods in 3 2 Living in India 30 3 On a Marxist Approach to Indian Chronology 49 4 Stages of Indian 57

SECTION O Themes in History 5 The Vedic 'Five Tribes' 75 6 Early Brahmins and Brahminism 87 7 On the Origin of Brahmin Gotras 98 8 Development of the Gotra System 167 9 Brahmin Clans 178 10 Early Stages of the Caste System in Northern India 189 11 The Beginning of the in India 212 12 Ancient and 221 13 The Line of Arthasastra Teachers 260 14 Kaniska and the Saka Era 279 15 The Working Class in the Amarakosa 283 16 Origins of Feudalism in Kasmlr 295 17 The Basis of Ancient Indian History (I) 308 18 The Basis of Ancient Indian History (II) 327 19 The Autochthonous Element in the Mahdbharata 348 20 The Avatara Syncretism and Possible Sources of the Bhagavad-Gtt 373 21 The Historical Krishna 390 22 The Study of Ancient Indian Tradition 407 x Contents

SECTION III Archaeology, Epigraphy, Numismatics and Ethnography 23 Pierced Microliths from the Deccan Plateau 433 24 Megaliths in the Poona District 438 25 Prehistoric Rock Engravings Near Poona 444 26 Staple 'Grains' in the Western Deccan 447 27 Dhenukakata 450 28 The Buddhist Caves of Western India 476 29 Notes on the Kandahar Edict of Asoka 482 30 Indian Feudal Trade Charters 486 31 An Inscription at Palasdev of Saka 1079 498 32 Asokan Pillar: Banaras Mystery 504 33 Scientific Numismatics 508 34 'Indo-Aryan' Nose Index 524

SECTION IV Texts, Words and Literary Criticism 35 On the Authorship of the Satakatrayl 555 36 Some Extant Versions of Bhartrhari's Satakas 568 37 The Parvasarngraha of the Mahdbhdrata 595 38 Parvasarngraha Figures for the Bhismaparvan of the Mahdbhdrata 661 39 The Sanskrit Equivalents of Two Pali Words 670 40 The Text of the Arthasdstra 677 41 The Cintdmanisdranikd of Dasabala 685 42 The Quality of Renunciation in Bhartrhari's Poetry 703 43 Introducing Vidyakara's Subhdsitaratnakosa 721

SECTION V Reviews and Rejoinders 44 The Emergence of National Characteristics Among Three Indo-European Peoples 753 45 Race and Immunity in India 764 46 Caste and Class in India 773 47 GtX&nef s Rgveda 780 Contents xi

48 Marxism and Ancient Indian Culture 784 49 What Constitutes Indian History 790 50 The Basis of Despotism 797 51 On the Development of Feudalism in India 802 52 Primitive Communism 812 53 On Valid Tests of Lmguistic Hypotheses 825 54 At the Crossroads: A Study of Mother-goddess Cult Sites 830 Archaeological Review 1 860 Archaeological Review 2 864