Dd Kosambi
Anthropology of Religion DD Kosambi: The Marxist Historian
“Marxism is a tool of analysis and not a substitute for thinking.”
Kosambi’s writings urge today’s historians to also take an intellectual leap with the creative use of Marxism. He explored the essential relationship between faith and socio-economic factor, which gives us yet another facet of understanding Ancient Indian Religion and History. What set him apart from the others was his determination to maintain, indeed the increase in the standard of rigour in his factual and textual research. He did not merely apply Marxism, but minutely scrutinized every situation by placing Marxist ideologies in perspective. Even though Kosambi was a Marxist, he refused to be dogmatically so. It was for him a method, a ‘tool of analysis' and not ‘a substitute for thinking.' His methods combined the use of variety of sources, disciplines and comparative techniques and a valid aim to understand the entirety of Indian History. His treatment of religion is a set of beliefs and practices of a particular time, fundamentally being related to production of material goods of that time. Calling religious rituals, “ritual malpractices” clearly shows Kosambi’s low opinion of Religion. Superstition and ritual malpractices is looking at Ancient Religion for mud and having no regard for the ideal. Whereas, the philosophical part of the religion makes him look at it with a mind which might be material biased. Kosambi gave a very different paradigm for the others to follow. Stating that the foremost historical change in ancient India was not between dynasties but in the advance of village settlements, which snowballed tribesmen into peasant cultivators and craftsmen. Highlighting specifically the urban Indus valley civilization. Taking the instance of this, he believed that there was an unequal sharing of surplus. He believed that religion played an integral part in creating a secure blanket around this civilization. Wherein
“Marxism is a tool of analysis and not a substitute for thinking.”
Kosambi’s writings urge today’s historians to also take an intellectual leap with the creative use of Marxism. He explored the essential relationship between faith and socio-economic factor, which gives us yet another facet of understanding Ancient Indian Religion and History. What set him apart from the others was his determination to maintain, indeed the increase in the standard of rigour in his factual and textual research. He did not merely apply Marxism, but minutely scrutinized every situation by placing Marxist ideologies in perspective. Even though Kosambi was a Marxist, he refused to be dogmatically so. It was for him a method, a ‘tool of analysis' and not ‘a substitute for thinking.' His methods combined the use of variety of sources, disciplines and comparative techniques and a valid aim to understand the entirety of Indian History. His treatment of religion is a set of beliefs and practices of a particular time, fundamentally being related to production of material goods of that time. Calling religious rituals, “ritual malpractices” clearly shows Kosambi’s low opinion of Religion. Superstition and ritual malpractices is looking at Ancient Religion for mud and having no regard for the ideal. Whereas, the philosophical part of the religion makes him look at it with a mind which might be material biased. Kosambi gave a very different paradigm for the others to follow. Stating that the foremost historical change in ancient India was not between dynasties but in the advance of village settlements, which snowballed tribesmen into peasant cultivators and craftsmen. Highlighting specifically the urban Indus valley civilization. Taking the instance of this, he believed that there was an unequal sharing of surplus. He believed that religion played an integral part in creating a secure blanket around this civilization. Wherein