Chapter 4 - Maharashtra before the Times of Shivaji Maharaj
1. Complete the following chart.
| Village (Mauja) | Kasba | Pargana | |
|---|---|---|---|
What it
means | __________ | __________ | __________ |
Officers | __________ | __________ | __________ |
Example | __________ | __________ | __________ |
Ans:
| Village (Mauja) | Kasba | Pargana | |
|---|---|---|---|
What it
means | Small village | Big village | Group of villages |
Officers | (1) Patil (2) Kulkarni | (1) Shete (2) Mahajan | (1) Deshmukh (2) Deshpande |
Example | Bavdhan | Wai | Pune |
2. Write the meaning.
(1) Budruk
Ans: The words ‘Budruk’ and ‘Khurd’ are used to show that the two villages are different. The original town is ‘Budruk’ and the new one is ‘Khurd’.
For example: Vadgaon Budruk and Vadgaon Khurd.
(2) Balut
Ans: The peasants gave a share of their agricultural produce to the artisans for the services they rendered to the village community. This share was known as Balut.
(3) Vatan
Ans: Vatan is an Arabic word. In Maharashtra, it is used to refer to hereditary land for which the holder does not have to pay revenue.
3. Find out and write.
(1) People from Africa who had settled along the Konkan coastline
Ans: Siddhi of Africa
(2) The author of ‘Amrutanubhav’
Ans: Sant Dnyaneshwar
(3) Sant Tukaram’s place
Ans: Village near Pune
(4) He composed Bharuds
Ans: Sant Eknath
(5) He explained the importance of physical fitness
Ans: Ramdas Swami
(6) Women Saints
Ans: Sant Soyrabai, Sant Nirmalabai, Sant Muktabai, Sant Janabai, Sant Kanhopatra, Sant Bahinabai Shiurkar.
4. Write about these personalities and their work in your own words.
(1) Sant Namdeo
Ans:
(i) Sant Namdeo was a great saint of the Varkari movement.
(ii) He awakened a sense of equality in men and women belonging to all castes through the medium of his excellent Keertan.
(iii) His abhanga compositions are well-known.
(iv) He traveled to Punjab and propagated his thoughts.
(v) His compositions are included in the ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ of the Sikhs.
(vi) He propagated the message of Bhagwatism (from village to village) in all quarters.
(2) Sant Dnyaneshwar
Ans:
(1) Sant Dnyaneshwar was the founder of the Varkari movement in Maharashtra.
(2) He translated Bhagwad Geeta into Bhavartha Deepika or Dnyaneshwari in simple Marathi.
(3) He also composed Amrutanubhav, wrote many Abhangs, and preached Bhakti Marg, the way of devotion, to the common people.
(4) ‘Pasayadaan, composed in Dnyaneshwari, uplifts the mind.
(5) Though his life was spent in very adverse circumstances, he never lost the calm of his mind or never harboured bitterness.
(6) His brothers Sant Sopandev, Sant Nivruttinath, and sister Sant Muktabai, too, composed many devotional verses.
(3) Sant Eknath
Ans:
(i) His compositions include abhanga, gavalana, bharud, etc.
(ii) He had stated the Bhagvat Dharma in detail in a simple manner.
(iii) His abhangas show the warmth of devotion.
(iv) He presented people’s lives in the Bhavarth Ramayana.
(v) He believed that the Marathi language was inferior to no other language.
(4) Sant Tukaram
Ans:
(i) Sant Tukaram belonged to Dehu, near Pune.
(ii) His compositions, or abhangas, are very pleasing and lucid, reaching the greatest poetic heights.
(iii) His ‘Gatha’ is a precious treasure of the Marathi language.
(iv) He freed many poor families from the bonds of debt.
(v) He criticized the prevalent hypocrisy and superstitions in society.
5. Why were droughts a great calamity for the people?
Ans:
(i) Agriculture was dependent on rainwater. If it did not rain, crops would fail.
(ii) The prices of foodgrains rose. It became difficult for the people to get food, grains, and other things.
(iii) There was no fodder for the cattle.
(iv) Water became scarce.
(v) It became difficult for people to live in the village.
(vi) They were forced to leave the village.
(vii) Therefore, a famine was a great calamity for the people.