The Vedic Era / Vedic Period : Ancient India

VEDIC AGE/ VEDIC PERIOD

• It existed between 500- 1500 BC.
• It gets its name from the Vedas.
• The Vedic society was patriarchal and patrilineal.
• Saw the emergence of a hierarchy of social classes.

Aryans

• The Aryans were semi-nomadic pastoral people.
• They originated from the area around the Caspian Sea in Central Asia.(the Central Asian theory is given by Max Muller)
• Entered India probably through the Khyber Pass (Hindukush Mountain).

The period of Vedic Civilization is divided into two parts:

• Early Vedic Period (1500-1000 BC)
• Later Vedic Period (1000-600 BC)

Early Vedic Period

• Rig Veda was composed.
• Battle of Ten Kings happened; Dasrajan war(King Sudas won)
• Aryans were organized into tribes rather than kingdoms.
• Concept of Varna, along with the rules of marriage, was made quite stiff.
• Cows and bulls were accorded religious significance.
• Brahmins and the Kshatriyas being considered higher than the Shudras and the Vaishyas.
• Standard unit of exchange was Cow.(coins were also there)
• Rishis were considered to be divine.
• Main deities were Indra, Agni and Soma.
• Yoga and Vedanta became the basic elements of religion.

Later Vedic Period

1. Emergence of agriculture as the principle economic activity.
2. Land and its protection started gaining significance and as a result several kingdoms arose.
3. Concept of Varna and the rules of marriage became more rigid than before.
4. The four fold division of society became clear, initially based on occupation which later became hereditary: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (traders), Shudras (servers of upper three).
5. The institution of ‘gotra’ appeared for the first time.
6. Indra and Agni lost their importance. Prajapati became supreme.
7. Vishnu came to be conceived as the protector of the people.
8. Rise of sixteen Mahajanapadas.
9. Rituals like Rajasuya (royal consecration), Vajapeya (chariot race) and Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) became widespread.
10. The tribes had consolidated into small kingdoms, which had a capital and a rudimentary administrative system.

The Vedic Literature

• It was composed in Sanskrit.
• They were called Sruti and Smriti.
• The major literary and religious works of Vedic period are the four Vedas and the Upanishads.

There are four Vedas called

• The Rig Veda
• The Sama Veda
• The Yajur Veda
• The Atharva Veda

• Rig Veda
• Collection of hymns.(contains 1028 hymns)
• Oldest religious text in the world.
• Compiled in 10 mandalas.(second and seventh mandala were the oldest)
• Contains the famous Gayatri Mantra.

• Samveda
• Rhythmic compilation of hymns for Rig-Veda.
• It has only 75 fundamental hymns.
• Veda of melodies and chants.

• The Yajur Veda
• Book of sacrificial prayers.
• Rituals of Yajnas.
• Deals with the procedure for the performance of sacrifices.
• Has been divided into Krishna Yajurveda and Shukla Yajurveda.

• Atharvaveda
• Mantras for magic spells.
• Populate ritualistic systems and superstitions.
• Has been divided into 20 ‘Kandas’.
• Provides freedom from the evil spirit.
• Oldest text on Indian medicine.

Upanishads

• Literary meaning is ‘Satra’ in which Guru Offers a band of knowledge to their disciplines.
• Also called Vedanta.
• They are the main source of Indian Philosophy, 108 in numbers.

The Brahmanas

• Explain the meaning of sacrifices and also the methods of performing them.
• Shahpath Brahmin or Yajur Veda is the largest among Brahmins.

The Aryanakas

• Provides the description of Moral Science and Philosophy.
• They form the concluding parts of the Brahmanas.
• Provides details of saints and hermits who lived in jungles.
• Protest the system of Yajnas.

Epics

• Mahabharata
• It was written in Sanskrit by Ved Vyas.
• It describes a war between Kauravas and Pandavas of 950 BC in Kurukshetra.
• Divided into 18 parvas (books).

• Ramayana
• It was written by Rishi Valmiki in Sanskrit.
• It has 24000 shlokas.
• Ramcharitmanas is written by Tulsidas.

• Puranas
• They are 18 in number.
• It was written during Gupta Age in AD 4^th
• Matsya Purana is the oldest Purana.

The end of Vedic period is marked by linguistic, cultural and political changes.