Identify the meaning of the term Vamsha.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Lineage
Option (1) Kula — Incorrect. Kula is another Sanskrit term of kinship: it designates families, not lineage.
Option (2) Janapada — Incorrect. A janapada is not a kinship term at all. It means the land where a jana (a people, clan or tribe) sets its foot or settles; the early states were called mahajanapadas.
Option (3) Lineage — Correct. Sanskrit texts use the term vamsha for lineage, the line of descent of a family.
Option (4) Village Kinfolk — Incorrect. The larger network of kinfolk is called jnati, not vamsha.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 The ideal of patriliny Can we identify points when kinship relations changed? At one level, the Mahabharata is a story about this. It describes a feud over land and power between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who belonged to a single ruling family, that of the Kurus, a lineage dominating one of the janapadas (Chapter 2, Map 1). Ultimately, the conflict ended in a battle, in which the Pandavas emerged victorious. After that, patrilineal succession was proclaimed.… Terms for family and kin Sanskrit texts use the term kula to designate families and jnati for the larger network of kinfolk. The term vamsha is used for lineage.” |