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Nevasa. Similarly he dismisses the identification of the Naimişāranya with Nimsar near Lucknow and proposes that it could be somewhere in the Sultanpur district of U.P.
Rest of the articles have already been well received. It could have been better, however, had this revised edition rectified some misprints in the text.
S. B. DEO
Society at the time of the Buddha-by NARENDRA WAGLE, published by Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1966, pages 314. Price-not mentioned.
This work throws good light on the social structure of the Buddha's period. Dr. Wagle's sources consist of literary material which is mainly religious in character. The author has drawn his material from such works as the Vinaya and the Sutta Nipata and the Nikāyas-Dĩgha Nikaya, Anguttara Nikāya, Majjhima Nikāya and Samyutta Nikāya and this has been supported by the help of archaeological finds. His work deals with the behaviour of groups and individuals who were associates of the Buddha. It also gives the descriptions of groups and life stories of individuals and also the discourses they had with the Buddha and with one another.
CHAPTER I explains his method of study. He writes, “We are fully aware that, unlike some social scientists, we do not aim to draw from our studies any laws either of the society or human behaviour. We must be content, at least for the time being, with a description of Society as depicted in the Pāli Canon, which helps us and others to understand it".
CHAPTER II discusses the patterns of settlements with the help of references found in the Pali texts concerning cities, towns, villages where the Buddha or his disciples stayed for a while and preached to the people. Wherever possible the author has tried to show the economic aspect of the local groupings.
CHAPTER III gives the descriptions of instances of mutual behaviour of various persons. These inter-personal relationships are given in three main categories -(1) Forms of Salutation, (2) the terms of address and (3) the terms of reference used for the persons involved.
CHAPTER IV gives the study of kinship and marriage as reflected in the Pāli Texts.
CHAPTER V is devoted to demonstrating the fact that kinship plays a vital part in the ordering of social relationships in the Buddhist society and the extended family is an important social group within the kinship-system. Thus the kin relationships influence the ordering of economic relationships.
