History · Ch 3 — Kinship, Caste and Class — Early Societies
An alternative social scenario: Sharing wealth
An alternative social scenario: Sharing wealth
In the societies discussed so far — whether in the Dharmashastras or the epics — status was closely tied to wealth and birth. But that was not the only way of thinking about social worth. In ancient Tamilakam, around 2,000 years ago, a very different set of values was celebrated. Here, a person’s standing depended not on how much he owned, but on how much he gave away.
The region of Tamilakam, as you saw in Chapter 2, was organised into several chiefdoms. Chiefs were not just political leaders; they were patrons of bards and poets. These poets composed songs that were later collected in the Tamil Sangam anthologies. The poems give us a vivid picture of social and economic life, and they show that while differences between rich and poor certainly existed, those who controlled resources were expected to share them. Generosity was a virtue; hoarding was a vice.
One poem from the Purananuru anthology (composed around the first century CE) gives us a striking portrait of a poor but generous chief. A bard describes his patron to other poets in these words:
He doesn’t have the wealth to lavish on others everyday
Nor does he have the pettiness to say that he has nothing and so refuse!
… he lives in Irantai (a place) and is generous.
He is an enemy to the hunger of bards!
If you wish to cure your poverty, come along with me, bards whose lips are so skilled!
If we request him, showing him our ribs thin with hunger,
he will go to the blacksmith of his village
And will say to that man of powerful hands:
“Shape me a long spear for war, one that has a straight blade!”
Notice what the bard is doing here. He is not praising the chief for his riches — the chief is explicitly described as not having much wealth. What makes him admirable is his willingness to give, even when he has little. The bard’s strategy is to appeal to the chief’s sense of honour: he shows his own hunger (literally, his thin ribs) and asks for help. The chief, in turn, is expected to go to the blacksmith, get a spear made, and then presumably go on a raid or hunt to acquire wealth — so that he can share it with the bards. Generosity, in this world, is not about giving from surplus; it is about being willing to act — even to fight — in order to have something to give. …
This stone sculpture from Amaravati, in present-day Andhra Pradesh, dates to around the second century CE. It shows two figures: a chief and his follower. The sculptor has made the difference in their status immediately visible through two visual cues — scale and posture.
The chief is shown larger in size, which is a standard artistic convention in early Indian sculpture to indicate higher social rank. He stands in a relaxed, commanding pose, suggesting authority and ease. The follower is smaller and positioned in a subordinate stance, likely with hands folded or in a gesture of respect. No other figures, objects, or background details are described in the caption, so the entire message of the image is carried by the relative size and body language of the two men.
This figure appears in a section of the chapter that discusses an alternative social scenario — one where generosity, not mere wealth, was the basis of respect. The text contrasts this with earlier examples where status came from accumulating property. In ancient Tamilakam, chiefs were expected to share their resources, especially with bards and poets who praised them. The sculpture reinforces that idea: the chief is not isolated or hoarding wealth; he is shown in relation to a follower, implying a social bond and a flow of patronage.
The Amaravati school of sculpture flourished under the Satavahanas in the early centuries CE. Its artists often used relative size to show hierarchy — a technique also seen in Buddhist reliefs where the Buddha is shown larger than surrounding figures. …
Source 14 — The poor generous chief. From the Purananuru, a Tamil Sangam anthology (c. first century CE), a bard describes his patron to other poets:
He (the patron) doesn't have the wealth to lavish on others everyday / Nor does he have the pettiness to say that he has nothing and so refuse! … he lives in Irantai and is generous. He is an enemy to the hunger of bards! If you wish to cure your poverty, come along with me, bards … If we request him, showing him our ribs thin with hunger, he will go to the blacksmith of his village and say: "Shape me a long spear for war, one that has a straight blade!" …