Short & Long Question Answers: India, That Is Bharat | Social Studies for Class 6 PDF Download

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Short Question Answers

Q1: What does Sri Aurobindo say about India’s unity?
Ans:  Sri Aurobindo highlights India’s deep spiritual and cultural unity, formed long ago across the vast land between the Himalayas and the seas.

• He suggests this unity wasn’t just an idea but a living force, shaping the lives of millions in this region.
• Imagine a thread tying the snowy peaks to the southern shores—this bond, he says, made India special.
• It shows that even with different names and rulers, the people shared a strong sense of belonging, a spirit that still echoes in India’s identity today.

Sri Aurobindo

Q2: How is India different today from thousands of years ago?
Ans: Today, India is a modern country with fixed borders, states, and a clear population, easy to spot on a map. Thousands of years ago, it was the Indian Subcontinent—a broader, shifting region with no set edges, known by many names. Back then, rivers and mountains defined it more than lines on paper. Texts and travellers’ stories shaped its past, unlike now, where it’s a single nation with a united identity, showing how time sharpened its outline.

Q3: What was India called in the Rig Veda?
Ans: The Rig Veda, an ancient text, calls India’s northwest ‘Sapta Sindhava,’ or the ‘land of the seven rivers.’ It’s named after ‘Sindhu,’ meaning the Indus River or rivers in general. Picture seven mighty streams carving the land—this name captures that early world. It focused just on the northwest, not the whole Subcontinent, showing how India’s identity began with its rivers, a starting point for the many names that followed.

Northwest Region of India

Q4: What does ‘Bharatavarsha’ mean in the Mahabharata?
Ans: ‘Bharatavarsha’ in the Mahabharata means ‘the country of the Bharatas,’ naming the whole Indian Subcontinent. The Bharatas were a key group from the Rig Veda, later tied to famous kings. This name paints India as one big land, listing places like Kashmir and Kerala, filled with rivers and people. Used from a few centuries BCE, it shows India’s early sense of itself as a united home for its tribes and tales.

Q5: What is the meaning of ‘Jambudvipa’?
Ans: ‘Jambudvipa’ means ‘the island of the jamun tree fruit,’ a name from the Mahabharata and used by Emperor Ashoka around 250 BCE. 

• The jamun tree grows across India, known as jambul or Malabar plum.
•  It pictured the Subcontinent as a lush, fruitful land, stretching from modern India to Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan. 
• This name blends nature and geography, giving India a poetic, earthy identity in ancient times.

Q6: How did the Persians name India?
Ans: In the 6th century BCE, Persians called India ‘Hind,’ ‘Hidu,’ or ‘Hindhu’ after conquering the Indus River area. They adapted ‘Sindhu,’ the river’s Indian name, into their language. Think of it as a new word born from an old one—their inscriptions used ‘Hind’ just for the land, not religion. This name started a chain, spreading India’s fame westward, all thanks to the mighty Sindhu flowing through its northwest.

Q7: How did the Greeks get the name ‘India’?
Ans: The Greeks turned the Persian ‘Hindu’ into ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike,’ dropping the ‘h’ because their language didn’t use it. ‘Hindu’ came from ‘Sindhu,’ the Indus River, after Persian contact in the 6th century BCE. 

• It’s like a game of whispers—each culture tweaked the name to fit its tongue. 
• Greek travellers and writers spread ‘Indoi,’ which grew into ‘India,’ showing how one river’s name travelled far and shaped the world’s view of this land.

Q8: What did the ancient Chinese call India?
Ans: The ancient Chinese named India ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu,’ twisting ‘Sindhu’ through steps like Hindu and Indu. 

• They also used ‘Tianzhu,’ meaning ‘heavenly master,’ honoring India as Buddha’s birthplace. Travelers like Xuanzang, who visited in the 7th century CE, brought these names home with Buddhist texts. 
• Both terms sprang from the Indus River, blending geography with awe, revealing how China saw India as a sacred, distant land.

Xuanzang 

Q9: What does the Indian Constitution say about India’s name?
Ans: The Indian Constitution declares ‘India, that is Bharat,’ pairing the modern name with its ancient root. In English, it starts with this phrase, while the Hindi version says ‘Bharat arthath India.’ ‘Bharat’ echoes the old ‘Bharata’ from texts like the Viṣhṇu Purana, tying today’s nation to its past. This double name celebrates India’s long history and unity, bridging ancient pride with a modern identity across all its languages.

Q10: What are the natural boundaries of India according to ancient texts?
Ans: Ancient texts set India’s boundaries as the snowy Himalayas in the north and oceans in the south, east, and west. The Viṣhṇu Purāna calls Bhārata the land south of the mountains and north of the sea. A Tamil poem adds Cape Kumari as the southern tip, framing India with nature’s edges. These landmarks—mountains and waters—showed ancient Indians knew their land well, defining it by its grand, natural walls.

Long Question Answers

Q1: How did ancient Indians name their land, and what do these names tell us?
Ans:

• Naming with Rivers: ‘Sapta Sindhava’ from the Rig Veda calls the northwest the ‘land of seven rivers,’ tied to the Sindhu (Indus).
• Naming with People: ‘Bhāratavarșha’ in the Mahābhārata means ‘country of the Bharatas,’ a Vedic tribe, covering the whole Subcontinent.
• Naming with Nature: ‘Jambudvīpa,’ used by Aśhoka around 250 BCE, means ‘island of the jamun tree,’ picturing a fruitful land.
• Naming with Boundaries: ‘Bhārata’ in the Viṣhṇu Purāna marks India from snowy mountains to the ocean, still used as ‘Bharat.’
• Listing Diverse Regions: Mahābhārata names Kāshmīra, Kerala, Vanga, showing India’s vast reach.
• Echoing in Poetry: A Tamil poem praises a king ruling from Cape Kumari to the northern mountain, mirroring Bhārata.
• Revealing Geography: Rivers, mountains, and seas shape these names, rooting India in its land.
• Showing Unity: Names blend tribes, nature, and places into one proud identity.
• Telling a Story: Together, they weave India’s ancient spirit into a lasting legacy.

Q2: How did foreigners name India, and how did their names evolve?
Ans:

• Starting with Persians: In the 6th century BCE, they named it ‘Hind’ or ‘Hindu,’ adapting ‘Sindhu’ (Indus River).
• Shifting to Greeks: Greeks turned ‘Hindu’ into ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike,’ dropping the ‘h’ to fit their language.
• Adapting in China: Chinese used ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu,’ twisting Sindhu through Hindu and Indu steps.
• Adding Respect: ‘Tianzhu,’ another Chinese term, means ‘heavenly master,’ honoring Buddha’s land.
• Growing with Time: ‘Hindustān’ emerged 1,800 years ago in Persian, later used by invaders.
• Traveling through Tongues: Sindhu morphed—Hind to Indoi to ‘India’ in English—over centuries.
• Spreading by Visitors: Xuanzang’s 7th-century CE journey carried ‘Yintu’ with Buddhist texts.
• Focusing on a River: All names trace to the Sindhu, India’s northwest gateway.
• Linking to the World: These shifts show India’s fame rippling outward globally.

Q3: Why does India have so many names, and what do they show about its identity?
Ans:

• Born from Indian Texts: ‘Sapta Sindhava,’ ‘Bhāratavarșha,’ ‘Jambudvīpa’ arise from ancient writings.
• Gifted by Outsiders: ‘Hind,’ ‘Indoi,’ ‘Yintu’ come from Persians, Greeks, and Chinese, all from Sindhu.
• Spanning Many Eras: Names grew over thousands of years, marking history’s layers.
• Framed by Nature: Himalayas, oceans, and Sindhu River define its edges in every name.
• Rooted in Culture: ‘Bhārata’ honors its people, ‘Jambudvīpa’ celebrates the jamun tree’s bounty.
• Seen through Foreign Eyes: Invaders and travelers named it by first sights, like the Indus.
• United in Today’s Law: ‘India, that is Bharat’ in the Constitution ties old to new.
• Showing Rich Diversity: Many names blend varied lands into one strong whole.
• Reflecting a Legacy: They reveal India’s deep geography, spirit, and global ties.