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| region marking the northern border of the Indian subcontinent; site of Aryan settlements that formed small kingdoms or warrior republics. |
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| lowest caste in Indian society; performed tasks that were considered polluting (street sweeping, removal of human waste, tanning). |
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| major figure in the popular Indian epic, Ramayana. |
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| the caste position determined by an individual's birth; the Hindu system required that one accept one's caste and perform to the best of one's ability in order to advance to a better position in the next life. |
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| the sum of merits accumulated by an individual; determined the caste one would be born into in the next life. |
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| the belief in the successive reincarnation of the soul in different bodies. |
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| the successive rebirth of the soul according to merits earned in previous lives. |
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| creator of a major Indian and Asian religion; born in the 6th century B.C.E.; taught that enlightenment could be achieved only by abandoning desires for earthly things. |
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| the Buddhist state of enlightenment; a state of tranquillity. |
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| established in Indian subcontinent in 4th century B.C.E. following the invasion of Alexander the Great. |
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| founder of the Mauryan dynasty, the first empire in the Indian subcontinent; first centralized government since Harappan civilization. |
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| political advisor to Chandragupta Maurya; one of the authors of Arthashastra; believed in the scientific conduct of warfare. |
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| political treatise written during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya; advocated the use of all tactics in scientific conduct of warfare. |
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| grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; extended conquests of the dynasty; converted to Buddhism and sponsored its spread throughout his empire. |
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| stone shrines built to houses relics of the Buddha; preserved Buddhist architectural forms. |
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| dynasty that succeeded the Mauryas; sponsors of Buddhism. |
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| later books of the Vedas; combined sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas. |
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| Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, and Lakshmi: |
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| the most important Hindu deities. |
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| succeeded the Kushanas in the 3rd century C.E.; built an empire that extended to all but southern Indian regions; less centralized then Mauryan empire. |
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| brahmans who served as teachers to the imperial Gupta court. |
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| the classical and sacred Indian language. |
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| foremost Sanskrit author during the Gupta era. |
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| written by Vatsayana during the Gupta era; offered instructions on all aspects of life for higher caste males. |
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