The Vedic Age/The Vedic Period _Social life, Religion, home & more topics

THE

VEDIC AGE or VEDIC PERIOD

The Vedic Period 

                 The cities of the Harappan Culture had declined by 1500 B.C. Consequently, their economic and administrative system had slowly declined. Around this period, the speakers or Indo-Aryan language, Sanskrit, entered the north-west India from the Indo-Iranian region. Initially they would have come in small numbers through the passes in the northwestern mountains. Their initial settlements were in the valleys of the north-west and plains of the Punjab. Later, they moved into indo-Gangetic plains. As they were mainly a Cattle-keeping people, they were mainly  in search of pastures. By 6th century B.C., they occupied the whole of the 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

           The original home of the Aryans is a debatable question and there are several views. Different scholars have identified different regions as the original home of the Aryans. They 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 more probable and widely accepted by historians. From there, the Aryans moved to different parts of Asia and Europe. 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  

                The word 'Vedic is derived from the root 'vid', which means to know. In other words, the term 'Veda' signifies 'superior knowledge'. The Vedic literature consists of the four Vegas Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. The Right Veda is the earliest of the four Vedas and it consists of 1028 hymns. The hymns were sung in praise of various gods. The Yajur Veda consists of various details of rule 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. 

         Besides the Vedas, there are other sacred works like the Brahmand, the Upanishads, the Aryanakas and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharat. The Brahmans are the treatises relating to prayer and sacrificial ceremony. The Upanishads are philosophical texts dealing with topic like the soul, the absolute, the origins of the world and the mysteries of nature. The Aryanakas 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 of Early Vedic Period

  (1500 - 1000 B.C.) 

            During the Rig Vedic period, the Aryans were mostly confined to the indus region. The Rig Veda refers to Saptasindhu or the land of seven rivers. This includes the five rivers of Punjab, namely Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi Beas and Satluj along with the Indus and Saraswathi. The political, social and cultural life of the Rig Vedic people can be traced from the hymns of the Rig Veda. 

Political Organization

               The 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. The leader of grama was known as gramani. A group of Villages constituted a larger unit called  𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡. It was headed by vishayapati. The highest political unit was called Jana or Tribe. There were several tribal kingdoms during the Rig Vedic period such as Bharatas, Matsyas, Yadus and Purus. The head of the kingdom was called as  𝙧𝙖𝙟𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜. The Rig Vedic polity was normally monarchical and the succession was hereditary. The king was assisted by  𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙖 𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙞 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, a general Assembly of the entire people. 

Social life 

          The Rig Vedic society was patriarchal. The basic unit of society was family or  𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙢. The head of the family was known as  𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙞. Mono gamy was generally practiced while polygamy was prevalent among the royal and noble families. The wife took care of the household and participated in all the major ceremonies. Women were given equal opportunities as men for their spiritual and intellectual development. There were 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. Wheat and barely, milk and it's products like curd and ghee, vegetable and fruits were the chief articles of food. The eating of cow's meat was prohibited since it was scared animal. Chariot racing, horse racing, dicing, music and dance were the favourite pastimes. The social divisions were not rigid during the Rig Vedic period as it was in the later Vedic period. 

Economic conditions. 

           The rig Vedic Aryans were pastorol people 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 ise of iron they were able to clean forests and bring more lands under cultivation. Carpentry was another important profession and the availability of wood from the forests cleared made the profession profitable. Carpenters produced chariots and ploughs. Workers inwtal made a variety of articles with copper, bronze and iron. Spinning was another important occupation and cotton and woolen fabrics were made. Goldsmiths were active in making ornaments. The potters made various kinds of vessels for domestic use. 

               Trade was another important economic activity and rivers served as important means of transport. Trade was conducted on barter system. In the later times, gold coins called nishka were used as media of exchange in large transactions. 

 

 Religions

         The Rig Vedic Aryans worshiped the natural forces like earth, fire, wind, rain and thunder. They personified these natural forces into many gods and worshipped them. The important Rig Vedic gods were Prithvi (Earth), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Wind), Varuna (Rain) and Indra (Thunder). India was the most popular among them during the early Vedic Period. Next in importance to Indra was Agni who was regarded as an  intermediary between the gods and people. Varuna was supposed to be the upholder of the natural order. There were no temples and no idol worship during the early Vedic Period. Prayers were offered to the gods in the expectation of rewards. Ghee, milk and grain were given as offerings. Elaborate rituals were followed during the worship. 

Later Vedic Periods (1000 - 600 B.C.) 

             The Aryans further moved towards east in the Late Vedic Period. The Satapatha Brahmana refers to the expansion of Aryans to the eastern Gangetic plains. Several tribal groups and kingdoms are mentioned in the later Vedic literature. One important development during this period is the growth of large kingdoms. Kuru and Panchala Kingdoms flourished in the beginning. Parikshat and Janamejaya were the famous rulers of Kuru Kingdoms. Pravahana Jaivali was a popular king of the Panchalas. He was a patron of learning. 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 Maithila

His court was adorned by scholar Yajnavalkya. Magadha, Anga and Vanga seem to be the Easternmost tribal kingdoms. The later Vedic texts also refer to the three divisions if India - Aryavarta (Northern India), Madhyadesa (central India) and Dakshinpantha (southern India). 

Political Organization

           Larger Kingdoms were formed during the later Vedic Period. Many  𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙨 were amalgamated to form  𝙟𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙖𝙨 in the later Vedic period. Hence the Royal power had increased along with the increase in the size of kingdom. The king performed various rituals and sacrifices to strengthen his position. They include  𝙍𝙖𝙟𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙮𝙖 (consecration ceremony),  𝘼𝙨𝙫𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙝𝙖 (horse sacrifice) and 𝙑𝙖𝙟𝙥𝙚𝙮𝙖 (chariot race). The kings also assumed titles like Rajavisvajanan, Ahilabhuvanpathi. (Lord of the all earth), Ekrat and Samrat (sole ruler). 

         In the later Vedic period, a large number of new officials were involved in  the administration in addition to the existing  𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙖, 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙞 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞. They include the treasury officer, tax collector and roayal messanger. At the lower levels, the administration was carried on by the village assemblies. The importance of the  𝙎𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙞 and  𝙎𝙖𝙗𝙝𝙖 had diminished during the later Vedic period. 

Economic Condition

          Iron was used extensively in this period and this enabled the people to clear forests and to bring more land under cultivation. Agriculture became the chief occupation. Improved types of implements were used for cultivation. Besides baley, rice and wheat were grown. Knowledge of manure was another improvement. Industrial activity became more varied and there was greater specialization. Metal work, leather work, carpentry and pottery made great progress. In addition to internal trade, foreign trade became extensive. The Later Vedic people were familiar with the sea and they traded with countries like Babylon. A class of hereditary merchants (𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙮𝙖) came existence. Vaisyas also carried on trade and commerce. They organized themselves into guilds known as  𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙨. Beisdes  𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙠𝙖 of the Rig Vedic period, gold and silver. Coins like  𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖 and  𝙠𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙖 were used as media of exchange. 

Social life

       The four divisions of society ( Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras) or the Varna system was thoroughly established during the later Vedic period. The two higher classes - Brahmana, and Kshatriya enjoyed privileges that were denied to the Vaisya and Sudra. A Brahmin occupied a higher positions than a Kshatriya but sometimes Kshatriyas claimed a higher status over the Brahmins. Many sure castes kn the basis of their occupation appeared in this period. 

            In the family, the 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 subordinates to men. Women also lost their political rights of attending assemblies. Child marriages had become common. According the  𝘼𝙞𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙮𝙖 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖 a daughter had been described as a source of misery a however, the women in the royal house hold enjoyed certain privileges. 

Religion 

        God's of the Early Vedic Period like Indra and Agni lost their importance. Prajapati (the creator), Vishnu (the protector) and Rudra (the destroyer) became prominent during the Later Vedic period. Sacrifices were still important and the rituals connected with them became more elaborate. The importance of prayers declined and that of sacrifices increased. Priesthood became a profession and a hereditary one. The formulae for sacrifices were invented and elaborate by the priestly class. Therefore, towards the end of this period there was a strong reaction against priestly domination and against sacrifices and rituals. The rise of Buddhism and Jainism was the also direct result of these elaborate sacrifices. Also, the author of the Upanishads, which is the essence of the hindi philosophy, turned away from the useless rituals and insisted on true knowledge (𝙟𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙖) for peace and salvation. 

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