Vedic Civilization- Important Events

Explore the ancient wonders of the Vedic civilization in our detailed guide. Travel back in time to discover the rich history, culture, and spiritual wisdom of this seminal period in Indian history. Learn about the sacred Vedic texts, including the Rigveda and the Upanishads, and their profound impact on religious and philosophical thought. Discover the complex social and political structures, advanced technology, and deep-rooted spirituality of the Vedic people. Gain insight into the rituals, deities, and practices that shaped their way of life. Whether you are a history buff or interested in the origins of Indian culture, our guide provides a comprehensive view of the Vedic civilization, its lasting influence on modern India, and its profound contribution to human knowledge and spirituality.

The Vedic civilization

Introduction

The Vedic period (or Vedic age) (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE) is the period in Indian history during which the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, were composed. On the basis of literary evidence, scholars place the Vedic period in the second and first millennia BCE, continuing until the sixth century BCE. The associated culture, sometimes referred to as the Vedic civilization, was concentrated in the northern and northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent. Its early phase saw the emergence of various kingdoms of ancient India. In its late phase (c. 600 BCE) it saw the rise of the Mahajanapadas and was followed by the Mauryan Empire (from c. 320 BCE), the classical age of Sanskrit literature, and the Middle Kingdoms of India. The literary heritage from this period does not contain very detailed historical information. To some extent, this places the Vedic era in prehistoric times.

Indo-Aryan migration to Vedic civilization

The Aryans were a semi-nomadic pastoral people. The original homeland of the Aryans is a matter of debate with various experts proposing different regions where they came from. Some say they came from the area around the Caspian Sea in Central Asia (Max Muller), while others think they came from the Russian steppes.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak thought that the Aryans came from the Arctic region. The Vedic age began with the Aryan occupation of the Indo-Gangetic plains. The meaning of the word Arya is noble. They spoke Sanskrit, an Indo-European language. They led a rural, semi-nomadic life compared to the civilized people of the Indus Valley, who were urbanized. They are believed to have entered India through the Khyber Pass.

Early Aryan settlement

India, as it is known, derives its name from Sindhu (Indus). and the earliest civilization of this country, of which we have any definite trace, had its cradle in the valley of the same river. We saw in the last chapter that excavations at several sites in the lower part of the valley revealed the ruins of well-built cities and seals surprisingly similar to those discovered at Eshnunna. Kish and Ur in Mesopotamia, and assigned by archaeologists to the third millennium BC., were found. The identity of the originators of this early Indus culture is uncertain. They seem to have practiced a religion that was iconic and emphasized the worship of a mother goddess and a male deity who seemed to be the prototype of Shiva. The phallic cult predominated, but hearts were conspicuous by their absence.

Far different is the picture of another civilization that had its main home higher up in the Indus Valley. The people who developed this culture were called Aryas, or Aryans. Their earliest literature does not mention living in majestic cities comparable to those whose remains have been discovered in the miter gods of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daru.

Their religion was normally aniconic, and in their pantheon, the feminine element was subordinate to the masculine, and the place of honor was given to such deities as Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Nasatyas, Surya, Agni (Fire), and other supernatural beings who seem to have been entirely unknown to the originators of the culture “Indus” as described in the last chapter.

Unfortunately, the early literature of the Aryans called the Veda cannot be dated even approximately, and it is impossible to say with absolute precision in what chronological relation the civilization depicted in the Veda stood to the Third World “Indus” culture. millennium BC. Max Muller tentatively places the beginning of Vedic literature in the second half of the second millennium BC.

Tilak and Jacobi, on the other hand, tried to push the date much further on astronomical grounds. But as several Indologists have pointed out, astronomical calculations prove nothing if the relevant texts do not admit of an unambiguous interpretation. Tilak himself points out how dangerous it is to act on calculations based on loose claims in the literature about the position of celestial bodies.

In the chaotic state of early Aryan chronology, it is a welcome relief to turn to Asia Minor and other countries of Western Asia and find in certain tablets of the fourteenth century B.C., discovered at Boghaz Keui and other places, mention of kings who bore the Aryans named and invoked gods Indra, Mitra, Varuna, and the Nasatyas to witness and protect the covenants.

It is certain that the tablets belong to a period in the evolution of the Aryan religion, when Indra, Varuna, and the other gods associated with them still maintained their early Vedic pre-eminence and had not yet been cast into the shadow of the Brahmans. Prajapati or epic and Puranic Trimurti.

Classification of the Vedic Age

The Vedic period was generally divided into two categories –

• (i) Early Vedic age or period (1500–1000 BCE), also known as the Rigvedic period
• (ii) Later Vedic age or period (1000-600 BCE)

Characteristics of the early Vedic period

The Indo-Aryans lived primarily in the region or country known as ‘Sapta Sindhu’, also called the ‘land of seven rivers’. The period of Vedic civilization was between 1500 BC to 600 BC. The Vedic civilization was the new dominant civilization after the Indus Valley civilization.

The Vedic Age or Vedic Period (c. 1500 BCE to 500 BCE), was the duration of the Bronze Age and Young Iron Age continuums of India. The Vedic period includes the Vedic literature, the Vedas (c. 1300 BC–900 BC), written in the northern part of the Indian mainland. The Vedas are religious texts created for the modern religion of Hinduism, which also built the Kuru kingdom. The Vedas consist of information and details about life during this period, interpreted as history, and contain primary sources for better understanding of the period. This article will tell you about the characteristics of the early Vedic period and the differences between the early Vedic age and the later Vedic age.

The reconstruction of the history of Vedic India is based on textual internal details. Linguistically, the Vedic texts can be divided into five chronological layers –

(i) Rigvedic text

The Rigveda is by far the most archaic of the surviving Vedic texts and retains many common Indo-Iranian elements, both in language and content, that are not present in any other Vedic texts. It must have been created over several centuries or millennia.

(ii) Texts in Mantra language

This period includes both the mantra and prose language of the Atharvaveda (Paippalada and Shaunakiya), the Rig Veda Khilani, the Samaveda Samhita (containing about 75 mantras not in the Rigveda), and the Yajurveda mantras. Many of these texts are largely derived from the Rigveda but have undergone some changes, both linguistic change and reinterpretation. Notable changes include the change of Vishwa ‘all’ to sarva and the expansion of the kuru-verbal stem (for Rigvedic km-). This is the Early Iron Age period in northwestern India, corresponding to the Black and Red Ware (BRW) culture and the Kuru kingdom, dating from ca. 10th century BC.

(iii) Samhita Prose Texts

This period marks the beginning of the collection and codification of the Vedic canon. An important linguistic change is the complete loss of the injunctive. The Brahmanical part (“commentary” on mantras and rituals) of the Black Yayurveda (MS, KS, TS) belongs to this period. Archaeologically, the Painted Gray Ware (PGW) culture of ca. 900 BC corresponds to the shift of the political center from the Kurus to the Panchalas on the Ganges.

(iv) Brahmanical Prose Texts

The Brahmans proper of the four Vedas belong to this period, as do the Aranyakas, the earliest of the Upanishads, and the earliest of the Srauta Sutras.

(vi) Texts in the Sutras

This is the last layer of Vedic Sanskrit leading to c. 500 BCE, comprising most of the Srauta and Grhya Sutras and some Upanishads (eg Kathu, MaitrU). All but five prose Upanishads are post-Buddhist [4]. Videha (N. Bihar) emerges as the third political center

Epic and Paninian Sanskrit

The language of the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics and the classical Sanskrit described by Panini is considered post-Vedic and belongs to the period after 500 BCE. Archaeologically corresponding to this period is the rapid spread of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBP) throughout northern India. The earliest Vedanta, Gautam Buddha, and the Pali Prakrit dialect of the Buddhist Bible belong to this period. Historical records were created after the end of the Vedic period and are scarce throughout the Indian Middle Ages.

The end of Vedic India is marked by linguistic, cultural, and political changes. Panini’s grammar represents the final pinnacle in the codification of the sutra texts and at the same time the beginning of classical Sanskrit. Darius I’s invasion from the Indus Valley in the early 6th century BC marks the beginning of external influence that continued in the kingdoms of the Indo-Greeks, a new wave of immigration from 150 BC (Abhira, Shaka), the Kushan, and finally the Islamic sultans. The most important historical source for the geography of post-Vedic India is the 2nd-century Greek historian Aman, whose account is based on the Mauryan ambassador to Patna, Megasthenes.

Vedic Religion

The religion of the Vedic period laid the foundation for religious practices that continue to this day in modern India. These religions arose from sacred scriptures that were written during the Vedic period. These scriptures established the very base of Hinduism in India. The scriptures that talk about various religious practices are basically the four Vedas namely Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda.

Religion in the Early Vedic Period

Religion in the early Vedic period revolved around crude forms of worship, which basically included nature worship. This means that people in the early Vedic period worshiped various forms of nature as gods, such as the sun, earth, moon, wind, rain, and other natural phenomena. Since there were no scientific explanations for natural phenomena such as rain, thunder, wind, etc., people feared them and therefore worshiped them. Singing prayers and hymns was a common practice of invoking the gods, and it was normal to sacrifice animals in the name of religion.

Religion in the Later Vedic Period

The later Vedic age saw an increase in the powers of the priests and they formed the highest class in society. Religious practices were refined and the worship of gods in the form of a model gained importance. Animal sacrifices also increased during this period. With rituals and hymns coming into focus, the Hindu religion evolved. The worship of nature gave rise to new faiths and new gods. The duty of imparting religious know-how to the people was the duty of the priests.

Political Organization of the Rig-Vedic Aryans

The patriarchal family was the basis of the political and social organization of the Rig-Vedic people. The next higher units were styled grama, vis, and Jana, and in some rare passages, we even hear aggregates of janas. The exact relationship between Grama, vis, and Jana is nowhere clearly established. That the grama was usually a smaller unit than the vis or Jana seems likely from the fact that the grammar, the leader of the grama (horde or village), who is usually a vaisya, is clearly inferior to the lord of the vis (visit) or protector (Gopa) Jana, who is often the king himself. It is more difficult to say in what relation vis stood to Jana. There is a clear contrast between the two in some Vedic passages, and Iranian analogies seem to indicate that vis is a subdivision of Jana, if the latter may be taken as parallel to Iranian Zant.

Social Life

It has already been said that the basis of political and social structure in the Rig Vedic age was the family. The family members lived in the same house. Houses of this age were probably built of wood or reeds. There was a fireplace (Agnisala) in every house, except for the living room and ladies’ apartments. The lord of the house was called chapati or Ganpati. He was usually kind and gentle, but occasional acts of cruelty are recorded. So we have the story of a father who blinded his son because of his extravagance.

The favorite pastimes of the more masculine classes were horse racing, hunting, and war dancing. The Mesopotamian dancing chariot race was extremely popular and formed an important element of the sacrifice celebrated in later times as the Vajapeya. Hunting was no less popular. Lion, elephant, wild boar, buffalo, and deer were hunted. Birds were also hunted. Another popular pastime was playing dice, which often meant significant losses for players. Other entertainments include boxing, dancing, and music. Women in particular liked to show off their skills in dancing and singing accompanied by the lute and cymbal. Lute players played an important role in the development of the epic in later times.

Economic Life

The Rig-Vedic Aryans were mostly scattered in villages. The word nagara (city) does not occur in the hymns. Indeed, we find references to spurs, which were sometimes of considerable size and sometimes made of stone (Asmamayi) or iron (ayasi). Some were equipped with a hundred walls (Satabhuji). But the spurs were in all probability fortifications or forts rather than towns, and served as places of refuge, especially in autumn, as the epithet Saradi applied to them in some passages suggests. Significantly, unlike later texts, the Rig-Veda does not clearly mention individual cities such as Asandivat or Kampala. As for the organization of the village, we have few details. An official-styled Gramani took care of the fairs. municipalities, civil and military. We also reference a functionary called Vrajapati, who may have been identical to Gramani, who led the battle with various Kulepas or heads of families.

Arts and Sciences

The art of poetry was in full bloom as evidenced by the magnificent collection of texts known as the Rik-Samhita, which consists of hymns in praise of various gods. The number of hymns is 1017. These are grouped into books called ashtakas or mandalas containing eight and ten hymns respectively, which were recited by priests in the style of hotri or reciters. The old hymns are found mainly in the so-called family books (il-VII), each of which is attributed by tradition to a certain family of seers (rishis). Their names are Gritsamada, Visvamitra, Vamadeva, Atri, Bharadvaja and Vasishtha. Book VIII is attributed to Kanvasa and Angiras. Book IX is devoted to Soma. The most recent parts of the collection are found in Books I and X, which, however, also contain some old hymns. Beautiful examples of lyric poetry can be found among the Rigvedic hymns, especially in those addressed to the dawn goddess.

Religion

Early Vedic religion was labeled henotheism or kathenotheism – belief in individual Krishna gods, each of whom appears as supreme. It has also been described as the worship of nature leading to the God of nature. The principal deities of the earlier books owe their origin to the personification of natural phenomena. Abstract deities like Dhatri, the founder; Vidhatri, the Ordinator, Visvakamman, the All-Creator, and Prajapati, the Lord of creatures, Sraddha, Faith; Manyu, Wrath, will appear later. Besides the higher gods, sung by the priests, we have mention of others whose worship was not recognized in orthodox circles. Some scholars find traces of the cult of the linga and even of Krishna in the hymns. Shiva occurs as an epithet of the god Rudra worshiped by the Vedic priests. The Krishna mentioned in the Rig-Vedic hymns can hardly be identified with his epic and Puranic namesake, for the river with which he is associated in the Rig-Veda is not the Jumna, but some stream in the Kuru country, as we learn from the Brihaddevata.

Father Dyaus (Zeus, Diespiter), the shining god of the heavens, and Mother Prithivi, the goddess of Earth, are among the oldest Vedic deities, but the hymns hardly reflect their former greatness. They were overshadowed by Varuna, the encircling sky, and Indra, the god of thunder and rain. Varuna is the most exalted deity of the early Vedic pantheon. She bears the epithet of Asura (Avestan Ahura) and is a great supporter of the physical and moral order of Rita, the idea of ​​which is at least as old as the fourteenth century BC, as we learn from the inscriptions giving the names of the kings of Mitanni. People turned to Varuna for forgiveness of sin just as they did to Vishnu in later life.

“If we have sinned against the man who loves us, if we have wronged a brother, a friend, a comrade, a neighbor who has ever been with us, or strangers, O Varuna, remove the wrongdoing from us,” which we as humans commit against the heavenly host. When through want of strength we transgress thy laws, punish us not, O God, for this iniquity.” The worship of Varuna with the consciousness of sin and trust in divine forgiveness is doubtless one of the earliest roots of the later doctrine. of bhakti.

Archeology of Vedic Civilization

Archaeological evidence of Vedic culture phases such as ocher-colored pottery, Gandhara tomb, black and red ware, and painted gray ware have been found.

• (i) Ocher-colored pottery has been discovered in the Badaun and Bisjuar regions of western Uttar Pradesh. This culture is thought to have become prevalent around the second half of 2000 BCE when the Harappan culture was coming to an end and the Indus Valley Civilization was in transition.
• (ii) The term “Gandhara graves” describes an early cemetery that can be discovered in the Gandhara region that stretches from Bajuar to the Indus. The burial arrangements and “burial practice” in these cemeteries appear to be predetermined, including rigid inhumation and cremation. This civilization developed in three phases: a lower phase, during which graves are covered with huge stone slabs, an upper phase, during which urn burials and cremations are added, and a third phase, the “surface” phase.
• (iii) The phrase “black and red ware culture” was first used by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1946. Apart from parts of western Asia and Egypt, black and red pottery spread throughout India during the Neolithic and persisted into the early Middle Ages. As the name suggests, pottery often has a red bottom half on the outside and a black rim/inner surface. Red pottery often falls into one of two subcategories: cooking pots or offering stands. Most of these clay objects were open-mouthed bowls with one side polished, painted, or painted; however, a few glasses, pots, and dishes-on-stands have also been discovered. An important ceramic type known as painted gray ware has been associated with a group of people who lived in the Sutlej, Ghagger, and Upper Ganga/Yamuna valleys. These people are believed to have been early Aryans who came to India at the beginning of the Vedic period.
• (iv) The Painted Gray Ware culture is believed to have been spread by tribes who also brought iron technology to the Indo-Gangetic plains, making this pottery an important indicator of the North Indian Iron Age.

Conclusion

The roughly 1000 years between 1500 and 500 BC is called the Vedic or Aryan age. The beginning of the Vedic Age corresponded with the end of the Indus Civilization (c. 2500-1500 BCE), although it is not clear what exact role the Aryans played in the final fall of the Indus Civilization. The two peoples belonged to different racial groups, and the urban Indus culture was more advanced than the largely pastoral society of the Indo-European Aryans. The 1000 years after 1500 are divided into the Early and Late Vedic Ages, each lasting about 500 years, due to significant differences between the cultures of the two halves. The earlier period saw the conquest and settlement of northern India by Indo-Europeans who crossed the subcontinent through the Hindu Kush passes into the Indus River Valley, across the Thar Desert, and down the Ganges River Valley. In the second half, a more sophisticated sedentary culture developed. The name Vedic refers to the Vedas, the sacred texts of the Aryans, which are the main source of information of the time.

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