Based on a rigorous analysis of the source material, the present work is the first systematic study of the history of Brahmanas in the post-Maurya and the Gupta periods. An attempt has been made to determine and assess their role in the religious, social, and political life of the times. As the custodians of the Vedic tradition, Brahmanas aimed at a socio-religious transformation by trying to "grasp both the sources of stability and seeds of change". ...
