Husky, your essay on origin and progression of 'slave' was very eye-opening. Thanks for sharing that. Also what about Egypt - more details?
Ramana and Husky, you both have opened here, a very interesting discussion. Bharatiya civilization (Mahabharata in particular) and 'Dasa'. I have been troubled and uncomfortable by this topic, and although I had thought about it a few times, and had seen some passing references of it, had not stopped to study, therefore uncomfortable.
Now, let me share some more thoughts.
Let us face it. There seems to be some sort of 'slavery'-like institution, which is referred to in Mahabharata. <i>How</i> bad it was, that will be a matter of study, but it did exist.
Let us read some passages from Ganguly's translation, which is mostly accurate enought on this point. If in doubt, we shall look at Sanskrit source.
1) Invitation to drut KrIdA:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"And Yudhishthira said, 'How can, O Sakuni, a king like me, always
observant of the uses of his own order, refuse, when summoned to dice?
Therefore I play with thee."
"Sakuni answered,--'We have many kine and horses, and milch cows, and an
infinite number of goats and sheep; and elephants and treasures and gold
and slaves both male and female. All these were staked by us before but
now let this be our one stake, viz., exile into the woods,--being
defeated either ye or we will dwell in the woods (for twelve years) and
the thirteenth year, unrecognised, in some inhabited place. Ye bulls
among men, with this determination, will we play."
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So, Shakuni is counting slaves as commodity, like cattle, treasures etc.
2) Context: After chIra-haraNa episode, Dhritrashtra is saddened and guilty. Asks Draupadi to ask for 2 boons. Notice Draupadi's first boon:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"Draupadi said,--'O King of the Bharata, if thou will grant me a boon, I ask the handsome Yudhishthira, obedient to every duty, be freed from slavery. Let not unthinking children call my child as the son of a slave. Having been a prince, so superior to all men, and nurtured by kings it is not proper that he should be called the child of a slave.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Draupadi's first concern is freedom from slavery.
(There are several utterances, e.g. Karna addressing Draupadi as dAsi, and explaining how she should live as a slave etc.)
3) Shanti Parva, Pitamaha Bhishma explaining the policy for bankruptcy:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Having promised to pay, one becomes bound to fulfil his promise. Upon failure, let the self-appropriator be forcibly enslaved.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
4) There is a story of Tuladhar Vaishya and Jajali Brahmana, where Jajali has gone to learn the principles of morality from Tuladhar. Amongst other things, Tuladhar certainly speaks against slavery. (He even lays down the morals and animal rights!)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The subject of duties hath many secrets and mysteries. It is so subtile that it is not easy to understand it fully. Amongst diverse conflicting ordinances, some succeed
in comprehending duty by observing the acts of the good. Why dost thou not consume them that emasculate bulls and bore their noses and cause them to bear heavy burthens and bind them and put them under diverse kinds of restraint, and that eat the flesh of living creatures after slaying them?
Men are seen to own men as slaves, and by beating, by binding, and by otherwise subjecting them to restraints, cause them to labour day and night. These people are not ignorant of the pain that results from beating and fastening in chains. In every creature that is endued with the five senses live all the deities. Surya, Chandramas, the Maruts, Brahma, Prana, Kratu, and Yama, these dwell in living creatures. (Yet) there are men that live by trafficking in living creatures!
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So, slavery must exist for Tuladhara to speak against it.
Husky, Ramana, these are just some unanalyzed references only. Please don't take these uncritically. All I say is, we must do honest analysis, even if it sounds uncomfortable.
Now, some concrete policies on slavery can be certainly found in Artha Shastra of Kautilya. I will try to post that later.
In middle ages though, especially in Sant/Bhakta literature, dasa got an alogether different meaning. As Husky you pointed, Hanuman is dasa of a different kind. So are Kabirdas, Surdas, Tulasidas. In whole of Kabirdasji's literature, Dasa is a very very respectable term. e.g.:
guru samartha sar par khade, kahi kamee tohi 'daas'
riddhi siddhi seva kare, mukti na chhodai paas
(Able Guru's hand is on your head, what more you need O 'daas'
riddhi & siddhi are your servents, and moksha itself is not leaving you alone)
Ramana and Husky, you both have opened here, a very interesting discussion. Bharatiya civilization (Mahabharata in particular) and 'Dasa'. I have been troubled and uncomfortable by this topic, and although I had thought about it a few times, and had seen some passing references of it, had not stopped to study, therefore uncomfortable.
Now, let me share some more thoughts.
Let us face it. There seems to be some sort of 'slavery'-like institution, which is referred to in Mahabharata. <i>How</i> bad it was, that will be a matter of study, but it did exist.
Let us read some passages from Ganguly's translation, which is mostly accurate enought on this point. If in doubt, we shall look at Sanskrit source.
1) Invitation to drut KrIdA:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"And Yudhishthira said, 'How can, O Sakuni, a king like me, always
observant of the uses of his own order, refuse, when summoned to dice?
Therefore I play with thee."
"Sakuni answered,--'We have many kine and horses, and milch cows, and an
infinite number of goats and sheep; and elephants and treasures and gold
and slaves both male and female. All these were staked by us before but
now let this be our one stake, viz., exile into the woods,--being
defeated either ye or we will dwell in the woods (for twelve years) and
the thirteenth year, unrecognised, in some inhabited place. Ye bulls
among men, with this determination, will we play."
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So, Shakuni is counting slaves as commodity, like cattle, treasures etc.
2) Context: After chIra-haraNa episode, Dhritrashtra is saddened and guilty. Asks Draupadi to ask for 2 boons. Notice Draupadi's first boon:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"Draupadi said,--'O King of the Bharata, if thou will grant me a boon, I ask the handsome Yudhishthira, obedient to every duty, be freed from slavery. Let not unthinking children call my child as the son of a slave. Having been a prince, so superior to all men, and nurtured by kings it is not proper that he should be called the child of a slave.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Draupadi's first concern is freedom from slavery.
(There are several utterances, e.g. Karna addressing Draupadi as dAsi, and explaining how she should live as a slave etc.)
3) Shanti Parva, Pitamaha Bhishma explaining the policy for bankruptcy:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Having promised to pay, one becomes bound to fulfil his promise. Upon failure, let the self-appropriator be forcibly enslaved.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
4) There is a story of Tuladhar Vaishya and Jajali Brahmana, where Jajali has gone to learn the principles of morality from Tuladhar. Amongst other things, Tuladhar certainly speaks against slavery. (He even lays down the morals and animal rights!)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The subject of duties hath many secrets and mysteries. It is so subtile that it is not easy to understand it fully. Amongst diverse conflicting ordinances, some succeed
in comprehending duty by observing the acts of the good. Why dost thou not consume them that emasculate bulls and bore their noses and cause them to bear heavy burthens and bind them and put them under diverse kinds of restraint, and that eat the flesh of living creatures after slaying them?
Men are seen to own men as slaves, and by beating, by binding, and by otherwise subjecting them to restraints, cause them to labour day and night. These people are not ignorant of the pain that results from beating and fastening in chains. In every creature that is endued with the five senses live all the deities. Surya, Chandramas, the Maruts, Brahma, Prana, Kratu, and Yama, these dwell in living creatures. (Yet) there are men that live by trafficking in living creatures!
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So, slavery must exist for Tuladhara to speak against it.
Husky, Ramana, these are just some unanalyzed references only. Please don't take these uncritically. All I say is, we must do honest analysis, even if it sounds uncomfortable.
Now, some concrete policies on slavery can be certainly found in Artha Shastra of Kautilya. I will try to post that later.
In middle ages though, especially in Sant/Bhakta literature, dasa got an alogether different meaning. As Husky you pointed, Hanuman is dasa of a different kind. So are Kabirdas, Surdas, Tulasidas. In whole of Kabirdasji's literature, Dasa is a very very respectable term. e.g.:
guru samartha sar par khade, kahi kamee tohi 'daas'
riddhi siddhi seva kare, mukti na chhodai paas
(Able Guru's hand is on your head, what more you need O 'daas'
riddhi & siddhi are your servents, and moksha itself is not leaving you alone)