Vedic Period: The Aryans and The Vedic Age
The Aryans and The Vedic Age
Introduction
Aryan is in fact a linguistic term indicating a speech group of Indo-European origin, and is not an ethnic term. In Sanskrit, the word Aryan means a noble man . They were tall, fair complexioned, good-looking and cultured people. Groups of Aryans are said to have settled in different countries and developed some of the most remarkable civilizations of the world.
Original Home of the Aryans German scholar Max-Muller thought that the original home of the Aryans was somewhere near theCaspian Sea.
From there they had migrated to the European countries. Two groups of Aryans are said to have come to Persia and India. The Aryans who had migrated to India are known as the Indo-Aryans . They were the first people who entered India through the north-western passes. According to Bal Gangadhar Tilak Aryans originally inhabited Siberia but due to the falling temperature had to leave Siberia for greener pastures.
From there they had migrated to the European countries. Two groups of Aryans are said to have come to Persia and India. The Aryans who had migrated to India are known as the Indo-Aryans . They were the first people who entered India through the north-western passes. According to Bal Gangadhar Tilak Aryans originally inhabited Siberia but due to the falling temperature had to leave Siberia for greener pastures.
Vedic Literature
The vedic literature consists of two parts. Samhitas and Brahmanas. Brahmanas is divided into three parts. Brahmanas, Aryankyas and Upanishads.
Samhitas: are collections of hymns sung in praise of gods. There are four samhitas : Rig Veda Samhita, Sama Veda Samhita ,Yajur Veda Samhita and Atharva Veda samhita.
Rig Veda: It is the oldest, most important because it is the valuable record of ancient India. Divided into ten books or mandalas containing 1017 sung by priest called Hotri . The latest mandalas of Rig veda are I and X . It has many mantras like theGayatri mantras addressed to solar deity Savitri .Many hymns were written in the praise of different Gods of nature.
Sam Veda: It mainly contains verses taken from Rig-Veda(except 75) with reference to Soma sacrifices. Its hymns are set to music sung by the priest Udgatri.
Yajur Veda (yajus or formulae): It contain hymns concerning sacrifices. It consists of various mantras(hymns) for the purpose of recitation by priest called Adharvayu and rules to be observed at the time of sacrifice. This veda is composed in verse and proses.
Atharva Veda (Magic formulas): It is also collection of spells and charms which are popular among the people. This Veda throws light on the beliefs of the people some of the Mantras are meant to bring success in life, while some where used to ward offevil spirits responsible for disease and sufferings.
Brahmanas: These are commentaries on the Vedic mantras. They are written in prose and deal mainly with rituals connected with sacrifices. They are written in easy prose for the benefit of common people. The difficult concepts of the Vedic text have been illustrated through stories to make them easy to understand. The Rig Vedas has two Brahmanas: Aitareya and Kausitaki brahmanas.
Aranyakas: Are the concluding parts of the Brahmanas. Aranyakas meana forest books. They do not deal with rituals but are concerned with mysticism and philosophy. They lay more stress on knowledge of God, soul, world and man.
The Vedic literature also consists of the following:
Upanishads: They are the concluding parts of the brahmanas and are also called the Vedanta, which means the summing up of the Veda. The word Upanishads means to sit close to. It suggests that this sacred material was originally secret. The most important ones appeared between 800 and 600 B.C.
The literary works referred to above are believed to contain sacred knowledge or divine revelation. This knowledge had been handed down by oral transmission by the sages to their pupils by word of mouth. This method of oral transmission is called the shruti or revelation by hearing .
Vedangas: Vedangas mean limbs of the Vedas. They are six in number. They form a part of the Vedas, but they were written by scholars of the later Vedic period.
Vedangas: Vedangas mean limbs of the Vedas. They are six in number. They form a part of the Vedas, but they were written by scholars of the later Vedic period.
- 1) Siksha ( Phonetic)
- 2) Kalpa(Rituals)
- 3) Vyakarna (Grammar)
- 4) Nirukta (Etymology)
- 5) Chandas (Metrics)
- 6) Jyotisha (Astronomy)
Vedangas are called smirti because they are of human origin.
Upavedas: deal with secular subjects. They are
Upavedas: deal with secular subjects. They are
- Ayurveda deals with medicine.
- Dhanurveda with the art of warfare.
- the Gandharva Veda with music
- Shilpa Veda with architecture.
Rig Vedic Period
It is generally believed that the Aryans came to India in groups that settled in the areas of North-Western Province in Pakistan and the Punjab which they had then named Sapt-Sindhu or the land of seven rivers , namely, the Indus, the Sutlej, the Ravi, the Beas, the Chenab, the Jhelum and the Saraswati. The Aryans were found to have been occupying the whole of the present region of Punjab from about 1500 B.C. The first group of Aryans fought against the Dravidians and other inhabitants whom they defeated and are supposed to have been pushed down towards south of India. The Aryans were also victim of infighting and inter-tribal wars. There is an interesting reference to the inter-tribal conflicts in Rig-Veda. The most famous being the Battle of the Ten Kings.fought between Sudas, the king of the Bharat tribe and Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra formed a confederacy of ten tribes and attacked Sudas, but Sudas was victorious. The enemies were described by Aryans as Panis and Dasas. The Panis were troublesome, as they were cattle-thieves and cattle were the main wealth of the Aryans. The Dasas were defeated is clear from the fact that the word Dasa later came to be mean a slave. The Dasas were held to be inferior because of their darker skin and flat features quite unlike theirs.
Later vedic period
The history of later vedic period is based on vedic texts compiled after the age of Rig Veda. These texts were compiled in the upperGangetic basin in circa 1000 – 600 BC. This period is marked by further expansion to eastern Rajasthan, eastern UP and northern Bihar.
The Aryans pushed their way along the river Ganga and Yamuna from Sapt Sindhu and by and by occupied the whole of Northern India from the Himalayas to the Vindhayas. The area was called as Aryavartha or the land of the Aryans. The period between 1000 B.C. and 600 B.C. during which the Aryans settled in the Gangetic valley, was known as the later Vedic age. During this period the Aryans occupied vast areas in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Bengal and other parts of North India. The events relating to Ramayana and Mahabharata took place during the later part of the Vedic period.
The Aryans pushed their way along the river Ganga and Yamuna from Sapt Sindhu and by and by occupied the whole of Northern India from the Himalayas to the Vindhayas. The area was called as Aryavartha or the land of the Aryans. The period between 1000 B.C. and 600 B.C. during which the Aryans settled in the Gangetic valley, was known as the later Vedic age. During this period the Aryans occupied vast areas in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Bengal and other parts of North India. The events relating to Ramayana and Mahabharata took place during the later part of the Vedic period.
Political pattern in Vedic Period
Rig Vedic period
The Kula (Family) headed by Kulapa or grihapati was the basic unit. The next higher unit was gramma or village headed bygramini. The vis or a group of village was headed by vispati. The Highest unit was Jana or tribe headed by Rajan.
The Kula (Family) headed by Kulapa or grihapati was the basic unit. The next higher unit was gramma or village headed bygramini. The vis or a group of village was headed by vispati. The Highest unit was Jana or tribe headed by Rajan.
Later vedic period
the highest unit was rastras or janapadas (territorial kingdom)which consists of many tribes.
The divinity of Rajan was unknown in Rig vedic period. However the royal power increased due to amalgamation of tribes and increase in size of kingdoms. The king performed various sacrifices and rituals to increase his powers. The main sacrifices were Rajasuya (Coronation ceremony), Vajapeya (Chariot race) and asvameda ( horse sacrifice). The growing power is attributed to divinity and this concept took concrete shape in this period. The concept of absolute royal ownership does not arise in this period.
Tribal assemblies
The tribal assemblies of Rig vedic period were Vidata (most popular, men & women attended), Sabha, samiti ( Geneal assembly of whole tribe which elected King) and Gana In later vedic period vidata and gana completely disappeared and the rest came to be dominated by nobles and Brahmins.
Important officials
Purohita, senani,vrajapati (in charge of pasture land), gramini, kulapa were the main officials. Voluntary offerings and spoils of war formed the income of the chief. In later vedic period, the number of officials increased due to large size of kingdoms and economic changes. Bhagadugha(collector of taxes) and sangrihitri (treasurer) were the most important of later vedic period.
Economic conditions
Rig vedic Period : They were mainly pastrol though practised agriculture, trade and industry. They domesticated animals. wild animals known were lion,elephant, bear etc. Tiger was not known. they cultivated wheat, barley, beans, seasmum, cotton etc.The trade in Rig vedic period were mainly carried through barter. Cows were an important means of exchange. They usednishkas, Hiranyapindas and manas as means of exchange though they were not gold coins.
Later vedic period More specialisation took place. In case of crafts, carpentry, metal work, tanning, weaving, pottery etc were practised. Rice was known in the later vedic period. satapatha brahmana decribes various stages of agriculture. In later vedic period, Satamana, Krishnala, nishka ,pada and suverna were used. However these can be regarded as gold ornaments and not as coins. Later vedic period was also marked by advance in metallurgy. They knew lead, tin, silver, gold, copper (ayas) and syama ayas( iron).
Social pattern
The basic unit of social structure is family headed by ghrihapati or dampati or kulapati. The head of the family had vast powers. he could sell his own son. In the later vedic period, the power of father increased and the practise of primogeniture(eldest succeeding his father) came into existence.
Caste and Varna system : During RVP , the castes founded were not based on birth and a person could choose it his own will. Mandala IX of Rig veda, attests to this practise. They were no restriction on intermarriages. The social division based onvarna (colour) existed. It was mainly due to the conquest of indigenous tribes by Aryans. Initially there were three social groups : warriors, priest and commoners. The fourth division sudras appeared towards the end of RVP. The term sudra is mentioned only once in the 10th mandala (Purushasukta). In the Later vedic period, privileges of Brahmins and Kshatriyas increased. The Brahmins occupied the highest position than Kshatriyas. However Aiteraya brahmana mentions the nation does not take kindly to Brahmanas.
Asrama system : The term ashrama means a stage in the long journey of life of a man. Bhramacharya was a first stage of life from birth to twenty five years of age. And in this period he acquired knowledge by leading the life of a student.After the education in the Gurukula, the man entered the second stage of his life that is Grihastha ashrama (householders life) till the age of fifty. During this stage a man was supposed to marry and lead a family life following a set of customs & traditions. After this he entered vanaprastha ashrama (life of service to others) till the age of seventy five. During this third period he was supposed to break the family ties and serve the community. This stage was followed by Sanyasa (a renounced life in the forest) where a person had to abandon his complete social life and devote all his time in the service of God to attain salvation.
Some Important points to remember
Rig Vedic Period
- Monogamy was common.
- widown remarriage was allowed. polygamy was known.
- child marriage unknown.
- no seclusion of women in religious and tribal assemblies(sabha and vidata).
- Slavary was prevalent used mainly for domestic purposes.
- They were illetrate.
Later Vedic period
- Athrava veda mentions gotra. gotra exogamy was practised by Aryans i.e. prohibition of marriage within the same gotra.
- Atharva veda mentions symbolic sati.
- women lost their right to attend assemblies.
- Aiteraya Brahmana describes daughter as a source of misery.
- child marriages come into vogue
Religion
Aryans seem to have believed in monotheism. Some of the hymns express the idea that God is one, but he is called by many names. The early Aryans worshipped phenomena of nature in the form of nature gods. These forces of nature were worshipped as male or female gods.
Indra was the Aryan superman, the god of strength, foremost in battle, always ready to smite dragons and demons and to destroy cities. He was the God of thunder, the rainmaker, and the victor over the forces which the Aryans could not vanquish.
Agni second most important. the God of fire, received many beautiful tributes. he dominated the domestic fireplace, and marriages were solemnized in the presence of fire, as they are to this day in Hindu rites. Fire was the purest of the five elements and was held in high esteem.
Surya (Sun), Savitri (a solar deity to whom the famous Gayatri mantra is dedicated).
Varuna was the god of water. He was the sustainer of plant and animal life. It was his responsibility to uphold the natural order(Rta)
Soma (god of intoxicating juice soma).Yama, the god of death, had a prominent place.
Vayu (the god of winds).Prithvi was the goddess of Earth..Ushas, the goddess of Dawn.
During Rig vedic period, mode of worshipping was recitation of prayers and offering of sacrifices. Both collective consisting of the whole tribe and individual prayers were made. As in the case of prayers, individual sacrifices and big collective sacrifices were made. Agni and Indra were invited to partake the sacrifices made by the whole tribe and offerings of vegetables, barely etc were made to Gods. This type of sacrificial process was not accompanied by sacrificial formulae. They did not worship the gods for the spiritual benefit but for obtaining praja (children), pasu (cattle), health, wealth etc.
Indra was the Aryan superman, the god of strength, foremost in battle, always ready to smite dragons and demons and to destroy cities. He was the God of thunder, the rainmaker, and the victor over the forces which the Aryans could not vanquish.
Agni second most important. the God of fire, received many beautiful tributes. he dominated the domestic fireplace, and marriages were solemnized in the presence of fire, as they are to this day in Hindu rites. Fire was the purest of the five elements and was held in high esteem.
Surya (Sun), Savitri (a solar deity to whom the famous Gayatri mantra is dedicated).
Varuna was the god of water. He was the sustainer of plant and animal life. It was his responsibility to uphold the natural order(Rta)
Soma (god of intoxicating juice soma).Yama, the god of death, had a prominent place.
Vayu (the god of winds).Prithvi was the goddess of Earth..Ushas, the goddess of Dawn.
During Rig vedic period, mode of worshipping was recitation of prayers and offering of sacrifices. Both collective consisting of the whole tribe and individual prayers were made. As in the case of prayers, individual sacrifices and big collective sacrifices were made. Agni and Indra were invited to partake the sacrifices made by the whole tribe and offerings of vegetables, barely etc were made to Gods. This type of sacrificial process was not accompanied by sacrificial formulae. They did not worship the gods for the spiritual benefit but for obtaining praja (children), pasu (cattle), health, wealth etc.
Later Vedic Religion : The two important Rig Vedic gods lost their place to Prajapathi, the creator. The two minor gods of Rig Vedic Period, Rudra and Vishnu came into prominence. Like social division, there was division among gods and Pushan was regarded as the god of shudras. The sacrifice became the important mode of prayer which now involved with killing of animals and accompanied with the careful recitation of formulae by the performer (yajamana). The success of depends upon the magical power of words uttered correctly in the sacrifices. These formulae and sacrifices were invented, elaborated by the priests called Brahmanas. On account of this, Brahmins emerged as an important class in the society.
Important and Interesting Facts About Vedic Age Asked in Different Competitive Exams
Vedic Literature is known to be written between 1000 to 600 BC. Veda means to know or to get knowledge.
Arya means 'Shreshtha Purush'.
Aryas were from:South Russia - Gardan Child & Brandastine. Germany - Penka. North Pole - Bal Ganghadhar Tilak. Middle Asia - Maxmular (Highly Accepted). Hungry - P. Gails. Tibbat - Dayanand Saraswati. Sapta Saindhav Pradesh - Dr. Avinash & Dr. Sampurna Nand. Brahmarshi Desh - Ganga Nath Jha. Kashmir - L.D. Kalla. Madhya Desh - Dr. Rajbali Pandeya.
Vedic Hymns or Types of Veda: Rig-Veda, Yajurveda, Samveda, Atharvaveda
Rig Veda is a collection of praise of Gods or Devtas. Indra was the god of Rig-Veda.
Samveda is a collection of melodies.
Atharveda describes beliefs and superstitions.
Yajurveda is of two types : Shukla Yajurveda & Krishna Yajurveda .
There are 6 vedangas : siksha, Kalpa, Vyakarna, Nirukt, Jyotish, Chhanda. Siksha vedanga is related to Phonetic Education. Kalpa Vedanga is related to Rituals. There are 4 kalpsutra : Sharutan Sutra, Grih Sutra , Dharma Sutra, and Sholva Sutra (First discription about Geomatry). Vyakarna Vedanga is related to Grammar. Nirukt Vedanga is related to Etymology. Chhanda is related to Metrics. Jyotish is related to Astrology.
Dhanurveda (Upveda of Yajurved) was propounded by Vishvamitra and it describes art of War. Gandharvaveda (Upveda of Samved) was propounded by Narad and it describes Music. Shilpveda (Upveda of Atharvaved) was propounded by Vishwakarma and it describes architecture- The Number of Puranas is 18. Ayurveda (Upveda of Rigved) was propounded by Brahma and it is about medicinal science Ayurveda.
Oldest & Reliable is Matsya Purana.
AgniPurana gives discription of Tantra & first discription of Lord Ganesha.
Discription of Dynasties in Puranas:Mourya Dynasty - Vishnu Purana. Shunga & Guptan Dynasty - Vayu Purana. Satvahan Dynasty - Matsya Purana.
The Upnishadas are Mainly 108. The subjects described in Upanishads are God, soul, Birth, Matter, Rebirth, Salvation etc.
The period of Upanishads is supposed to be 800 to 500 BC.-. Prominent Upanishads are as follows: Ish, Ken, Kath, Prashn, Mundak, Mandukya, Taitteriya, Aitereya, Chhandogya, Vriahdaranyaka, Shwetaswara, Kaushitaki, Mahanarayana.
Brahman of Rig-Veda : Aitareya, Kaushitaki. Brahman of Samveda: Tandya, Panchvinsa, Jaiminia. Brahman of Yajurveda: Taitteriya which is of Krishna Yajurveda, Satpath which is of Shukla Yajurveda. Brahman of Atharvaveda: Gopatha.
There are 6 Schools of Philosophy in Vedic Culture: Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Mimansa, Vedanta. They are collectively called shaddarshana.Samkhya school was propounded by Kapil Muni and it describes about real knowledge and atheism. Yoga was propounded by Patanjali which describes Yoga and meditation. Nyaya is propounded by Gautam and it deals with justice and logic. Vaiseshika is propounded by Mahrishi Kanad and deals with materialistic. Mimansa was profounded by Jaiminia and Badrayana and deals with practical religion. Vedanta was profounded by Badrayana and deals with Soul, Brahma and Karma.
Vedic mantras are called Suktas.
Prominent Sages were Gritsamad (IInd Mandal), Vishwamitra (IIIrd Mandal ), Vamdeva (IVth Mandal), Atri (Vth Mandal), Bhardwaj (VIth Mandal) , and Vashishtha (VIIth Mandal), Kanva & Angira (VIIIth Mandal).
Prominent female sages were Lopamudra, Ghosa, Shachi, Poulomi. Prominent Ayurvedacharyas were : Ashwini Kumar, Dhanvantari, Banbhatt, Sushrut, Madhav.
Araynakas deal with life, death and other serious themes, they were read and listened in loneliness of Jungles (Aranya means Forests).
The Samveda and Yajurveda have no Araynakas.
India was a land of seven rivers, called as sapt sindhu and pronounced by the west Asians as Hapt Hindu that is how the Hindu term was coined.- The sapta sindhu were the Indus, Five River of Punjab and saraswati (extinct now).
The doctor or vaidya was called Bheesaj or Mishak.
The goddesses were Usha, Sita, Prithvi, Aranyani, Ratri, Vak.
Traders were called pani.
Cow was the backbone of economy.
Prajapati has been refereed as aadipurush or first male.
The officer of lands was Vrajpati.
Main crops were wheat and paddy.
Rajsuya Yajna was performed to obtain divine power.
Ashwamedha yajna was performed to expand the empire.
Vajpey Yajna for Chariot racing.
Gotra system developed in later vedic ages.
Shatpath Brahman gives account about agriculture procedure.
Rig-Veda is divided among 10 mandalas. IXth Mandal gives discription of development of Class System i.e. Brahmin from Mouth, Kshtriya from Shoulders, Vaisya from Thigh and Kshudra from Feet.
Xth mandala of Rig-Veda gives an account of origin of the universe- Rig-Veda is the oldest religious text in the world and taken under 'World Heritage List' of UNESCO.
The three Vedas except Rig-Veda are collectively called “Trayaveda”.
There were 4 councils : Sabha, Samiti, Vidhata, Gana.Sabha & Samiti has been called 'two daughters of prajapati' in AtharvaVed.
The word Bharat comes first from Rig-Veda.
There are 1028 Vedic texts in Rig-Veda- Language of Vedas was Vedic Sanskrit different from Modern Sanskrit.- Savitri or Sun is worshipped in Gayatri mantra (3rd Mandal of Rigveda).
The social structure was Patriarchal.
Cow was also used as a medium of exchange.
'Satyamev Jayate' is taken from Mundakopnishad- The birth and rebirth is mentioned in Vrihadranyaka.
Animal Theft was the crime mentioned most in Vedas’- 'Om' ( ॐ) has been used for 1028 times in Rigveda- Mahabharat was the largest epic of Vedic period written by Vedvyas in Sanskrit.
Bronze was referred as Ayas.
Barley/Jou was referred as Yava.
Carpenter was called Takshak.
Maker of bows was called dhumvakrit.
Rice was referred as Vrihi/Brihi.
Goldsmith was called as Hiranyakata.
Jana word was used for 275 times & Visha for 171 times in Rigveda.
Indra word was used for 250 times.
Agni was used for 200 times & Varun for 30 times.
The potteries used were Black and Red ware, Black Slipped ware, painted Grey ware and Red ware.
Vedic Name of Indus RiversKurram - Krubhu. Kabul - Kumbha. Swat - Suvastu. Chenab - Askini. Jhelam - Vitasta. Ravi - Purushni. Satluj - Shatudri. Vyas - Vipasha. Ghaghghar - Drushdvati/Sarasvati
River Described as the Holiest River in Rigveda - Sarasvati.
River having Maximum Discription - Sindhu.
Yamuna - 2 times and Ganga word came 1 time.
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