Vedic Period
4. Vedic Period
4.1. Starting
1000 BC: One of the earliest Holy Scripture, Rig-Veda is composed
750 BC: Indo-Aryans rule over 16 Mahajanapadas (16 Great States) in northern India, from the Indus to the Ganges
700 BC: Beginning of the caste system, with the Brahmans taking the highest class 600 BC: The Upanishads are composed in Sanskrit
4.2. The Vedas
Aryan religion was based on the Vedas. There are four Vedas, each containing sacred hymns and poems. The oldest of the Vedas, the Rigveda, was probably written before 1000 BC. It includes hymns of praise to many gods. This passage, for example, is the opening of a hymn praising Indra, a god of the sky and war.
The one who is first and possessed of wisdom when born; the god who strove to protect the gods with strength; the one before whose force the two worlds were afraid because of the greatness of his virility [power]: he, O people, is Indra.
-from the Rigveda, in Reading about the World,Volume I, edited by Paul Brians, et al
4.3 Later Vedic Texts
Over the centuries, Aryan Brahmins wrote down their thoughts about the Vedas. In time these thoughts were compiled into collections called Vedic texts.
One collection of Vedic texts describes Aryan religious rituals. For example, it describes how sacrifices should be performed. Priests placed animals, food, or drinks to be sacrificed in a fire. The Aryans believed that the fire would carry these offerings to the
gods.
A second collection of Vedic texts describes secret rituals that only certain people could perform. In fact, the rituals were so secret that they had to be done in the forest, far
from other people.
The final group of Vedic texts are the Upanishads (oo-PAHN-ee-shads), most of which were written by about 600 BC. These writings are reflections on the Vedas by religious students and teachers.
Some of the vedic rituals were very elaborate and continue to the present day. Sacrifice was offered to different vedic gods (devas) who lived in different realms of a hierarchical universe divided into three broad realms: earth, atmosphere and sky.
A universal spirit called Brahman created the universe and everything in it. Everything in
the world is just a part of Brahman.
Every person has a soul or atman that will eventually join with Brahman.
People s souls are reincarnated many times before they can join with Brahman.
A person s karma affects how he or she will be reincarnated.
4.4 Hindu Beliefs
The Hindus believe in many gods. Among them are three major gods: Brahma th Creator, Siva the Destroyer, and Vishnu the Preserver. At the same time, however, Hindus believe that each god is part of a single universal spirit called Brahman. They believe that Brahman created the world and preserves it. Gods like Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu represent different aspects of Brahman. In fact, Hindus believe that everything in the world is part of Brahman.
4.5 Life and Rebirth
According to Hindu teachings, everyone has a soul, or atman, inside them. This soul holds the person s personality, the qualities that make them who they are. Hindus believe that a person s ultimate goal should be to reunite that soul with Brahman, the universal spirit.
Hindus believe that their souls will eventually join Brahman because the world we live in is an illusion. Brahman is the only reality. The Upanishads taught that people must try to see through the illusion of the world. Since it is hard to see through illusions, it can take several lifetimes. That is why Hindus believe that souls are born and reborn many times, each time in a new body. This process is called rebirth.
The type of form depends upon his or her karma, the effects that good or bad actions have on a person s soul. Evil actions during one s life will build bad karma. A person with bad karma will be reborn into a lower life form.
In contrast, good actions build good karma. People with good karma are born into a higher form of lives. In time, good karma will bring salvation or freedom from life s worries and the cycle of rebirth. This salvation is called moksha.
Hinduism taught that each person had a duty to accept his or her place in the world without complaint. This is called obeying one s dharma. People could build good karma by fulfilling the duties. Through rebirth, Hinduism offered rewards to those who lived good lives.
Brahmins
Brahmins were India s priests and were seen as the highest varna.
Vaisyas
Vaisyas were farmers, craftspeople, and traders.
Kshatriyas
Kshatriyas were rulers and warriors.
Sudras
Sudras were workers and servants.
As Aryan society became more complex, their society became divided into groups. For the most part, these groups were organized by people s occupations. Strict rules
developed about how people of different groups could interact. As time passed, these rules became stricter and became central to Indian society.
According to the Vedas, there were four main varnas, or social divisions, in Aryan society. These varnas were:
Brahmins (BRAH-muhns), or priests
Kshatriyas (KSHA-tree-uhs), or rulers and warriors,
Vaisyas (VYSH-yuhs), or farmers, craftspeople, and traders, and
Sudras (SOO-drahs), or laborers and non-Aryans. In later stages the Varnas came to be attached to a person by birth
4.6 Kingdoms
The political structure of the ancient Indians appears to have started with semi-nomadic tribal
units called Jana (meaning subjects).The term "Janapada" literally means the foothold of a tribe. The fact that Janapada is derived from Jana points to an early stage of land-taking by the Jana tribe for a settled way of life. This process of first settlement on land had completed its final stage prior to the times of Buddha. The late Vedic period was marked by the rise of the sixteen Mahajanapadas referred to in some of the literature.
1. Kasi 9. Kuru
2. Kosala 10. Panchala
3. Anga 11. Machcha (or Matsya)
4. Magadha 12. Surasena
5. Vajji (or Vriji) 13. Assaka
6. Malla 14. Avanti
7. Chedi 15. Gandhara
8. Vatsa (or Vamsa) 16. Kamboja
The power of the king and the Kshatriyas greatly increased. Rulers gave themselves titles like ekarat (the one ruler), sarvabhauma (ruler of all the earth) and chakravartin ('who moves the wheel'). The kings performed sacrifices like rajasuya (royal consecration), vajapeya (including a chariot race) and, for supreme dominance over other kings, the ashvamedha (horse sacrifice). The coronation ceremony was a major social occasion.
Hinduism Develops
The Vedas, the Upanishads, and the other Vedic texts remained the basis of Indian religion for centuries. Eventually, however, the ideas of these sacred texts began to blend with ideas from other cultures. People from Persia and other kingdoms in Central Asia, for example, brought their ideas to India. In time, this blending of ideas created a religion called Hinduism, the largest religion in India today.
