TN Board Summary: The Vedic Culture - UPSC PDF Download

The Vedic Culture

• The Cities of the Harappan Culture had declined by 1500 B.C.
• Around this period, the speakers of IndoAryan language, Sanskrit, entered the north-west India from the Indo-Iranian region
• Their initial settlements were in the valleys of the north-west and the plains of the Punjab. Later, they moved into IndoGangetic plains
• By 6th century B.C., they occupied the whole of North India, which was referred to as Aryavarta.
• This period between 1500 B.C and 600 B.C may be divided into the Early Vedic Period or Rig Vedic Period (1500 B.C -1000 B.C) and the Later Vedic Period (1000B.C - 600 B.C).

Original Home of the Aryans

• Original home of the Aryans is a debatable question
• include the Arctic region, Germany, Central Asia and southern Russia. Bala Gangadhara Tilak argues that the Aryans came from the Arctic region on astronomical calculations. However, the theory of southern Russia appears to be more probable and widely accepted by historians.
• They entered India in about 1500 B.C. and came to be known as Indo-Aryans. They spoke the Indo-Aryan language, Sanskrit.

Vedic Literature

• Word 'Veda’ is derived from the root ‘vid\ which means to know, term ‘Veda’ signifies ‘superior knowledge’.
• Vedic literature consists of the four Vedas - Rig,Yajur, Sama and Atharva.
• Rig Veda is the earliest of the four Vedas and it consists of 1028 hymns.
• Yajur Veda consists of various details of rules to be observed at the time of sacrifice.
• The Sama Veda is set to tune for the purpose of chanting during sacrifice. It is called the book of chants and the origins of Indian music are traced in it.
• The Atharva Veda contains details of rituals
• Brahmanas are the treatises relating to prayer and sacrificial ceremony.
• The Upanishads are philosophical texts dealing with topic like the soul, the absolute, the origin of the world and the mysteries of nature.
• The Aranyakas are called forest books and they deal with mysticism, rites, rituals and sacrifices.
• The author of Ramayana was Valmiki and that of Mahabharata was Vedavyas.

Rig Vedic Age or Early Vedic Period (1500 -1000 B.c.)

• Rig Veda refers to Saptasindhu or the land of seven rivers.
• This includes the five rivers of Punjab, namely Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej along with the Indus and Saraswathi.

Political Organization

• Basic unit of political organization was kula or family
• Several families joined together on the basis of their kinship to form a village or grama.
• leader of grama was known as gramani.
• group of villages constituted a larger unit called visu. It was headed by vishayapati.
• highest political unit was called jana or tribe.
• tribal kingdoms during the Rig Vedic period such as Bharatas, Matsyas, Yadus and Purus.
• The head of the kingdom was called as raj an or king.
• Rig Vedic polity was normally monarchical and the succession was hereditary.
• King was assisted by purohita or priest and senani or commander of the army in his administration.
• There were two popular bodies called the Sabha and Samiti. The former seems to have been a council of elders and the latter.

Social Life

• Rig Vedic society was patriarchal. The basic unit of society was family or graham. The head of the family was known as grahapathi.
• Monogamy was generally practiced while polygamy was prevalent among the royal and noble families.
• Women were given equal opportunities as men for their spiritual and intellectual development.
• There were women poets like Apala,Viswavara, Ghosa and Lopamudra during the Rig Vedic period.
• Women could even attend the popular assemblies.
• There was no child marriage and the practice of sati was absent
• Both men and women wore upper and lower garments made of cotton and wool.
• A variety of ornaments were used by both men and women.
• Eating of cow’s meat was prohibited since it was a sacred animal.
• social divisions were not rigid during the Rig Vedic period as it was in the later Vedic period.

Economic Condition

• Rig Vedic Aryans were pastoral people and their main occupation was cattle rearing.
• Their wealth was estimated in terms of their cattle.
• When they permanently settled in North India they began to practice agriculture.
• With the knowledge and use of iron they were able to clean forests and bring more lands under cultivation.
• Carpentry was another important profession
• Spinning was another important occupation
• Goldsmiths were active in making ornaments
• Trade was conducted on barter system. In the later times, gold coins called nishka were used as media of exchange in large transactions.

Religion

• Rig Vedic Aryans worshiped the natural forces
• important Rig Vedic gods were Prithvi (Earth), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Wind), Varuna (Rain) and Indra (Thunder).
• Indra was the most popular among them during the early Vedic period. Next inimportance to Indra was Agni female gods like Aditi and Ushas.
• There were no temples and no idol worship during the early Vedic period.

Later Vedic Period (1000 - 600 B.c.)

• Satapatha Brahmana refers to the expansion of Aryans to the eastern Gangetic plains growth of large kingdoms Kuru and Panchala kingdoms
• After the fall of Kurus and Panchalas, other kingdoms like Kosala, Kasi and Videha came into prominence.
• The famous ruler of Kasi was Ajatasatru. Janaka was the king of Videha with its capital at Mithila
• Later Vedic texts also refer to the three divisions of India - Aryavarta (northern India), Madhyadesa (central India) and Dakshinapatha (southern India).

Political Organization

• Larger kingdoms were formed during the later Vedic period
• Many jana or tribes were amalgamated to form janapadas or rashtras in the later Vedic period. Hence the royal power had increased along with the increase in the size of kingdom.
• King performed various rituals include Rajasuya (consecration ceremony), Asvamedha (horse sacrifice) and Vajpeya (chariot race). The kings also assumed titles like Rajavisvajanan, Ahilabhuvanapathi, (lord of all earth),Ekrat and Samrat (sole ruler).
• A large number of new officials were involved in the administration in addition to the existing purohita,senani and gramani.
• At the lower levels, the administration was carried on by the village assemblies. The importance of the Samiti and the Sabha had diminished during the later Vedic period

Economic Condition

• Iron was used extensively
• Agriculture became chief occupation
• They having Knowledge of manure
• Later Vedic people were familiar with the sea and they traded with countries like Babylon. A class of hereditary merchants (vaniya) came into existence.
• Vaisyas also carried on trade and commerce. They organized themselves into guilds known as ganas.
• Besides nishka of the Rig Vedic period, gold and silver coins like satamana and krishnala were used as media of exchange.

Social Life

• four divisions of society (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras) Brahmin occupied a higher position than a Kshatriya but sometimes Kshatriyas claimed a higher status over the Brahmins, power of the father increased during the Later Vedic period.
• There was no improvement in the status of women. They were still considered inferior and subordinate to men.
• Women also lost their political rights of attending assemblies.
• Child marriages had become common. According the Aitreya Brahmana a daughter has been described as a source of misery.
• However, the women in the royal household enjoyed certain privileges.

Religion

• Gods of the Early Vedic period like Indra and Agni lost their importance
• Prajapathi (the creator), Vishnu (the protector) and Rudra (the destroyer) became prominent during the Later Vedic period, importance of prayers declined and that of sacrifices increased. Priesthood became a profession and a hereditary one.
• Rise of Buddhism and Jainism was the direct result of these elaborate sacrifices
• Authors of the Upanishads, which is the essence of Hindu philosophy, turned away from the useless rituals and insisted on true knowledge (jnana) for peace and salvation.