Introduction to Vedic Knowledge

---

The process of urbanisation had begun in these kingdoms, commerce and travel flourished, even regions separated by large distances became easy to access. To the south of their kingdom was Vatsa which was governed from its capital Kausambi. The end of the Vedic period is marked by linguistic, cultural and political changes.

In this culture, kshatriyas were placed higher than Brahmins, and it rejected Vedic authority and rituals. While Vedic society was relatively egalitarian in the sense that a distinct hierarchy of socio-economic classes or castes was absent, [71] [72] the Vedic period saw the emergence of a hierarchy of social classes.

The words Vaishya and Shudra are absent. Verses of the Rigveda , such as 3. O, Indra, fond of soma , would you make me the protector of people, or would you make me a king, would you make me a sage who has drunk soma , would you impart to me endless wealth. The Vedic household was patriarchal and patrilineal. The institution of marriage was important and different types of marriages— monogamy, polygyny and polyandry are mentioned in the Rigveda.

Both women sages and female gods were known to Vedic Aryans. However, hymns attributable to female sages are few and female gods were not as important as male ones. Women could choose their husbands and could remarry if their husbands died or disappeared. Meat eating is mentioned, however, cows are labelled aghnya not to be killed. Clothes of cotton, wool and animal skin were worn. Flute vana , lute vina , harp, cymbals, and drums were the musical instruments played and a heptatonic scale was used.

The emergence of monarchical states in the later Vedic age led to a distancing of the rajan from the people and the emergence of a varna hierarchy. The society was divided into four social groups— Brahmanas , Kshatriyas , Vaishyas and Shudras. The later Vedic texts fixed social boundaries, roles, status and ritual purity for each of the groups.

The Shatapatha Brahmana associates the Brahmana with purity of parentage, good conduct, glory, teaching or protecting people; Kshatriya with strength, fame, ruling, and warfare; Vaishya with material prosperity and production-related activities such as cattle rearing and agriculture; Shudras with the service of the higher varnas. The effects of Rajasuya sacrifice depended on the varna of the sacrificer.

Rajasuya endowed Brahmana with lustre, Kshatriya with valour, Vaishya with procreative power and Shudra with stability. The hierarchy of the top three varnas is ambiguous in the later Vedic texts. Panchavamsha Brahmana and verse The Purusha sukta visualised the four varnas as hierarchical, but inter-related parts of an organic whole. We desire to obtain wealth in various actions. Household became an important unit in the later Vedic age. The variety of households of the Vedic era gave way to an idealised household which was headed by a grihapati.

The relations between husband and wife, father and son were hierarchically organised and the women were relegated to subordinate and docile roles. Polygyny was more common than polyandry and texts like Tattiriya Samhita indicate taboos around menstruating women.

Vedic period

Various professions women took to are mentioned in the later Vedic texts. Women tended to cattle, milked cows, carded wool; were weavers, dyers, and corn grinders. Women warriors such as Vishphala , who lost a leg in battle, are mentioned. Two female philosophers are mentioned in the Upanishads. Early Vedic Aryans were organised into tribes rather than kingdoms. The chief of a tribe was called a rajan. The autonomy of the rajan was restricted by the tribal councils called sabha and samiti.

The two bodies were, in part, responsible for the governance of the tribe. The rajan could not accede to the throne without their approval. The distinction between the two bodies is not clear. Arthur Llewellyn Basham , a noted historian and indologist , theorises that sabha was a meeting of great men in the tribe, whereas, samiti was a meeting of all free tribesmen. Some tribes had no hereditary chiefs and were directly governed by the tribal councils. Rajan had a rudimentary court which was attended by courtiers sabhasad and chiefs of sects gramani.

The main responsibility of the rajan was to protect the tribe. He was aided by several functionaries, including the purohita chaplain , the senani army chief , dutas envoys and spash spies. In the later Vedic period, the tribes had consolidated into small kingdoms, which had a capital and a rudimentary administrative system. Hereditary kingship started emerging and competitions like chariot races, cattle raids, and games of dice, which previously decided who was worthy of becoming a king, became nominal. Rituals in this era exalted the status of the king over his people.

He was occasionally referred to as samrat supreme ruler. The rajan's increasing political power enabled him to gain greater control over the productive resources. The voluntary gift offering bali became compulsory tribute; however, there was no organised system of taxation. Sabha and samiti are still mentioned in later Vedic texts, though, with the increasing power of the king, their influence declined.

War bounty was also a major source of wealth. While gold is mentioned in some hymns, there is no indication of the use of coins. Metallurgy is not mentioned in the Rigveda , but the word ayas and instruments made from it such as razors, bangles, axes are mentioned. One verse mentions purification of ayas. Some scholars believe that ayas refers to iron and the words dham and karmara refer to iron-welders.

The transition of Vedic society from semi-nomadic life to settled agriculture in the later Vedic age led to an increase in trade and competition for resources. Crops of wheat, rice, and barley were cultivated. Surplus production helped to support the centralised kingdoms that were emerging at this time. Panis in some hymns refers to merchants, in others to stingy people who hid their wealth and did not perform Vedic sacrifices. Some scholars suggest that Panis were semitic traders, but the evidence for this is slim.

Some of these might have needed full-time specialists. Book X of the Rigveda refers to both eastern and western oceans. Individual property ownership did not exist and clans as a whole enjoyed rights over lands and herds. Enslavement dasa , dasi in the course of war or as a result of non-payment of debt is mentioned.

However, slaves worked in households rather than production-related activities. The mode of worship was the performance of sacrifices Yajna which included the chanting of Rigvedic verses see Vedic chant , singing of Samans and 'mumbling' of sacrificial mantras Yajus.

Frequently bought together

People prayed for abundance of rain, cattle, sons, long life and gaining 'heaven'. Vedic people believed in the transmigration of the soul, and the peepul tree and cow were sanctified by the time of the Atharvaveda. The main deities of the Vedic pantheon were Indra , Agni the sacrificial fire , and Soma and some deities of social order such as Mitra — Varuna , Aryaman, Bhaga and Amsa, further nature deities such as Surya the Sun , Vayu the wind , and Prithivi the earth.

Goddesses included Ushas the dawn , Prithvi , and Aditi the mother of the Aditya gods or sometimes the cow. Rivers, especially Saraswati , were also considered goddesses. Deities were not viewed as all-powerful. The relationship between humans and the deity was one of transaction, with Agni the sacrificial fire taking the role of messenger between the two. Strong traces of a common Indo-Iranian religion remain visible, especially in the Soma cult and the fire worship, both of which are preserved in Zoroastrianism. Ethics in the Vedas are based on the concepts of Satya and Rta. Satya is the principle of integration rooted in the Absolute.

Around the beginning of the Common Era, the Vedic tradition formed one of the main constituents of the so-called " Hindu synthesis ". Later texts such as the Upanishads and epics, namely the Gita of Mahabharat , are essential parts of these later developments. The reconstruction of the history of Vedic India is based on text-internal details, but can be correlated to relevant archaeological details. Linguistically, the Vedic texts could be classified in five chronological strata: Archaeological cultures identified with phases of Vedic material culture include the Ochre Coloured Pottery culture , the Gandhara Grave culture , the Black and red ware culture and the Painted Grey Ware culture.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Four Vedas – An Introduction, Origin and Brief Description

Madrasian Culture Soanian Culture. Bronze Age — BC.

Iron Age — BC. Late medieval period — Customers who bought this item also bought.

Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. The four original Vedas. Here's how restrictions apply. Be the first to review this item Amazon Best Sellers Rank: Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. The study of Vedic scriptures along history Volume 1. Set up a giveaway.

There's a problem loading this menu right now. Learn more about Amazon Prime. Get fast, free shipping with Amazon Prime. Get to Know Us. English Choose a language for shopping. Explore the Home Gift Guide. Amazon Music Stream millions of songs. Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers. Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon. Alexa Actionable Analytics for the Web. AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally. Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources. Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. Amazon Restaurants Food delivery from local restaurants.

• Immigration Blues
• The Public Life of Queen Victoria
• Disneys My First Songbook - Volume 4
• A Wicked Game of Trust - Two Faced
• Harry and Lola Santa Paws 2 - Harry and Lola Help Santa Paws (Harry and Lola books Book 6)