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Both change and continuity are important in this chapter.
What changed
What continued
Dynasties and regional powers rose and fell.
The political ideal of a ruler whose authority extended across the Indian subcontinent.
Political organisation grew from kin-based groups to territorial states and empires.
The socio-ethical principle of
dharma
remained important.
Later, we will understand the ideal of a pan-Indian monarch through ideas and practices such as the ashvamedha yajna and the chakravarti samrat .
One more thing about the chapter: it does not try to list every dynasty. It uses representative examples from different regions to explain the broad features of state and society across this long period.
