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Later, Early & Rig Vedic Period UPSC CSE

Vedic Period

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Summary Of Vedic Period

Lasting from 1750 BCE to 600 BCE, the vedic age began with the Aryan Invasion and decline of the Harappan Civilization. It forms an important part of ancient history. This new society was a rural one primarily relying on cattle. The philosophy, religion, society and social customs of Hindus which form the major population of India have their main source in the Vedic literature texts. It is divided into Early Vedic Age (1500 BC to 1000BC) and later vedic age (from 1000BC to 500BC).

The Vedas are a collection of ancient sacred texts composed in Sanskrit. There are four Vedas:

  • Rig Veda: It is the oldest text of Hinduism also called the ‘First Testament of Mankind’. It was written between the period of 1500 BCE TO 1000 BCE.
  • Yajur Veda: It is a ritualistic Veda and is mainly meant to explain sacrifices.
  • Sama Veda: The Sama Veda is shortest of all vedas and consists of hymns used for rituals and can also be called the ‘Veda of Chants’.
  • Athar Veda: Was the last veda to be written and is the oldest source of Indian medicine. It mentions Ayurveda.

The primary deities of the early Vedic period are Indra (God of rain), Agni (God of fire), Varuna ( god of cosmic order and water). The primary deities of the late Vedic period are Prajapati (creator God), Vishnu, Rudra (the storm God).

During the Early Vedic Period, women enjoyed a relatively high status. However, in the Later Vedic Period, the status of women declined as society became more patriarchal, and their roles became more confined to the domestic sphere.

Background Of Vedic Period

The great Harappan or Indus Valley Civilisation declined as Aryans invaded India from the north west passages through Afghanistan. Thus began the Vedic age. This is called the Aryan Invasion Theory. When Aryans moved in Indian Subcontinent they came into conflict with people whom they referred to as Dasyus or Dasas. The Vedic people (Aryans) distinguished themselves from the non-Aryan people. These social divisions are considered to have arisen towards the end of the early Vedic period. Various professional groups such as warriors, priests, cattle-keepers, farmers, barbers are also mentioned. Thus, various varnas emerged: Brahmans from the mouth, Kshatriyas from the arms, Vaishyas from the thigh and the Sudra from the feet of the Purusha.

About Vedic Period

It is believed that the Vedic Civilization is a mixture of Indo-Aryans and Harappans. Much is known about this culture through the Vedas which were seminal texts of the time and also the source of much of Hindu religious practiced today. Various mention political and social life of the time. They speak about the armies and various battles fought among Aryans and natives.

Battle of ten kings (‘Dasrajanah’) happened between the Bharata clan and ten chiefs. The battle took place on the banks of the river Paurushni, identified with the river Ravi. In this battle, Sudas won and he became important leading to the dominance of Bharata clan. The Purus were one of the defeated clans. The Purus and Bharatas formed an alliance and later they formed Kuru clan. Kurus along with Panchalas established control over the Upper Ganga Valley leading to the Later Vedic Age from 1000 to 500 BCE.

Archaeological Sources: We get an elaborate picture of the vedic civilization from pottery and archaeological sites.

  • Sites: Even though the archaeological evidence is less, certain sites are considered important such as Hastinapur, Rajghat, Atranjikhera, Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh.
  • Pottery: The main pottery associated with the Vedic Civilization are Painted Grey Ware (PGW), Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP), Black and Red Ware (BRW), Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW).

GEOGRAPHY Of Vedic Period

Aryans lived in the Sapta Sindhu area i.e. the land of seven rivers. These rivers are the Indus, Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum, and Saraswati. Rig Vedic literary sources mention many rivers, mountains and the ocean. In them, the Himalaya is called Himvant and the Hindu Kush mountains are called Munjavanta. 40 different rivers are mentioned such as Jamuna, ghaggar, ganga, saraswati, brahmaputra, etc giving us an idea of the spread of the Vedic Civilization.

Features of Vedic Age (1500 BCE to 1000 BCE)

  • Oral History: No evidence of written records is found but knowledge about the time was spread through oral histories. Veda or the Samhita is the first Vedic literary source written many centuries later.
  • Pastoral Society: The dominant occupation was cattle farming. Cattle was the chief estimate of wealth. Gavishti, Gavesana, Gavyat were the various terms used to define conflicts and wars. The Chief or the Rajan of the Early Vedic Age is called ‘Gomati’ (the protector of cows).
  • Metals: Copper and gold were common and later it was supplemented by silver and iron, unlike the Indus Valley Civilzation where no iron was found.
  • Family: The core of early vedic society is Family headed by Grihpati. Group of families make up a village and many villages together make up a tribal unit. Joint family system prevalent. Practice of Monogamy and there are instances of polygamy too but it was rare
  • Warrior Race: The Aryan people are said to have technology and abilities like horses, swords, bows, helmets, coat of mail, chariots, etc which helped them defeat indigenous rulers.
  • Egalitarianism: Vedic society was largely egalitarian that means women were treated equally with men and also varna system was not rigid and not based on birth.
  • VARNA SYSTEM: The Aryan Society had only three castes originally, Brahmin (priest), Kshatriya (warrior), and Vaishya (commoner). But later Shudras (servants) were added. These were divided not based on birth, but based on occupation.

EARLY AND LATER VEDIC SOCIETY

Early Vedic Society Later Vedic Society
Political

Decentralised System of Assemblies

  • Grama (Villages) headed by Gramin.
  • Viz (Distrct)
  • Jana (Group of Viz) headed by Rajan
  • Two assemblies present namely, Sabha (involves the elders who live in the villages) and Samiti (the national assembly).

Strong Kingdoms

  • States started collecting revenue through officers (Bhagadugha)
  • z
  • Importance of the assemblies (sabha and samiti) declined.
  • Central army maintained
  • Priest (Purohita), commander-in-chief (Senapati), charioteer (Suta), treasurer (Sangrahita) and tax collector (Bhagdugha).
  • Regular system of provincial government consisted of Sthapati (Administrator of the outlying areas), Satapati (Administrator of the group of hundred villages), Adhikrita (Village official), Ugras (Police official).
Economy
  • It was largely rural based. Agriculture was the main occupation
  • Cattle were the chief measure of wealth. Head of cattle was ‘Gomat’
  • Gavyuti is used as a measure of distance and Godhuli is a measure of time.
  • Trade is generally seen in local areas and the barter system was prevalent. Traders were known as ‘Panis’.
  • The Rig Veda has mention about potters, carpenters,chariot makers, etc.
  • Trade and industry started to emerge in addition to cattle farming. Mention about corporations (Ganas) and older men (Sresthins) indicated guilds.
  • Big cities emerged such as Mathura, Indraprastha and Ayodhya
  • Niska, Satamana and Krisanala were used as convenient units of value
  • ‘Niksa’ was a term used for a lump of gold
  • Painted Grey ware and Northern Black Polished ware were main forms of pottery apart from the black and red ware and black slipped ware.
  • There is mention about tin, lead and silver in addition to gold and ‘ayas’ (iron)
Religion Naturalistic (nature) and polytheistic (worship of more than one God), the main God was Indra, other Gods include Agni, Surya, Varuna, Sindhu, etc. Some reference of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati is also found. Referred to as the Brahmanical age as Brahmanas emerged as a distinct body of learned men who performed the complicated ceremonies of the yajnas.
  • Gods like Rudra and Varuna became important
Position of Women They enjoyed freedom and they were allowed to participate in the political process. Widow remarriage was prevalent. The status of women was reduced and birth of a daughter was regarded as unlucky (mentioned in the Aitareya Upanishad). Women were no longer allowed to attend the Sabha and they were excluded from inheritance rights.

Literature of the Vedic Age

The term Veda comes from the root ‘vid’ (‘to know’) which means ‘knowledge’.

  • There are four Vedas—Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva. Rig veda along with Yajur veda and Sama Veda is called the ‘Vedatrayi’, meaning trio of the Veda.
  • Vedas are classified into Shruti Literature (that is heard) and Smriti (remembered).
    • Shrutis are thoughts that are expressed by the Rishis in a meditative state or revealed by Gods to them.
    • Smritis include the Vedangas (limbs of the Vedas), Puranas(sacred literature of Hinduism), Epics and Dharmashastras.
  • Each Veda has four parts, i.e, the Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka, and Upanishad.
  • Rig Veda: It is the oldest text of Hinduism also called the ‘First Testament of Mankind’. It was written between the period of 1500 BCE TO 1000 BCE.
  • Yajur Veda: It is a ritualistic Veda and is mainly meant to explain sacrifices.
  • Sama Veda: The Sama Veda is shortest of all vedas and consists of hymns used for rituals and can also be called the ‘Veda of Chants’.
  • Athar Veda: Was the last veda to be written and is the oldest source of Indian medicine. It mentions Ayurveda.
  • Samhitas It is a collection of Vedic hymns. It contains Brahmanas, which are comments on the hymns.
  • Aranyakas are Forest books containing ritual instructions for sages.
  • Upanishad or Vedanta There are a total of 108 Upanishads and the oldest is the Brihadaranyaka. The Mundaka Upanishad has mention of ‘Satyamev Jayate’.
  • VEDANGAS: These are supplementaries to the Vedas for better understanding written in Sutra (thread) form.
  • DHARMASHASTRAS It deals with the code of conduct and moral laws. It is further divided into Dharmasutras and Smritis.
  • EPICS or Mahakavyas Mainly, there are two epics- Ramayana written by Valmiki and the Mahabharata by Ved Vyasa.
  • UPAVEDAS It is described as technical literature or traditional sciences. E.g. Ayurveda for medicine and Arthaveda for science of craft and wealth.
  • PURANAS: It is a mixture of tales, anecdotes, songs, ballads,etc.

VEDIC CULTURE

Vedic knowledge gave insights into scientific, spiritual and psychological behaviour in the modern age. Thus, it is very important that people of the modern age should utilise the values of ancient Vedic sources to deal with spiritual and emotional loss and help build a balanced life.

  • Rituals: Vedic Literature is very important for the understanding of ancient rituals.
  • The Gurukul model of education of the Vedic Period helped develop leadership qualities, management skills, techniques of problem solving, managing ego, understanding of grammar, social science, mathematics, science, etc.
  • Science: The subjects related to astronomy, cosmology, space research, universe, medicine, thermodynamics, etc are mentioned in the Vedic sources.

Conclusion for Vedic Period

After the decline of the urban Indus Valley Civilization a new rural settlement began in the Early Vedic Age. Later as trade developed towns began to rise. Vedic Culture forms the base of the Hindu religion and the oldest texts of Hinduism can be traced from this period such as the Rig Veda, Upanishads, etc. The codification of laws and the system of establishing a powerful kingdom with a standing army was for the first time introduced during this period.

As the Vedic Age went into decline, the Aryan Society gave way to urban settlements and laid the foundation of the Mahajanapadas. The Mahajanapada era was also called the Second Urbanization, after the Harappan Civilization being the first

Mains PYQS Of Later, Early & Rig Vedic Period

What are the main features of Vedic society and religion? Do you think some of the features are still prevailing in Indian society? (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks (2023)

Prelims PYQS Of Later, Early & Rig Vedic Period

With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2017)
1) Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare, whereas the people of the Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
2) Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver, and copper, whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron.
3) Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse, whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer :(C) 1 and 3 only
The religion of early Vedic Aryans was primarily of: ( 2012)
(a) Bhakti
(b) image worship and Yajnas
(c) worship of nature and Yajnas
(d) worship of nature and Bhakti

Correct Answer :(C) worship of nature and Yajnas
The “dharma” and “rita” depict a central idea of the ancient Vedic civilization of India. In this context, consider the following statements: (2011)
1) Dharma was a conception of obligations and of the discharge of one’s duties to oneself and to others.
2) Rita was the fundamental moral law governing the functioning of the universe and all it contained.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer :(C) Both 1 and 2

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