The Vedic Age

What is Veda? The word Veda is derived from

the word vid which means ‘to know’. The word
Veda means the sacred knowledge contained in
the texts known as Vedic text. Two categories of
texts are included in the corpus of the Vedic
literature. These are Mantra and Brahmana. The
Mantra category forms the core of the Vedic
texts and has four separate collections. These are
the Rigveda, the Samaveda, the Yajurveda, and
the Atharvaveda..
 The Vedas
• The RigVeda-Oldest religious text in the world. It must
have composed around 1700 B.C. Mere collection of
Hymns.
• The Samaveda-Collection of melodies
• The Yajurveda-Is A ritual Veda, it prescribes the rituals
for performing different sacrifices
• The Atharvaveda-Is entirely different from the
other three Vedas and is chronologically the last .It
describes popular beliefs and superstitions of the
folks.
 The Vedic Society
• The family was the basic unit of the Rigvedic society. It was
patriarchal in nature Monogamy was the usual norm of
marriage but the chiefs at times practiced polygamy.
Marriages took place after attaining maturity. After marriage
the wife went to her husband’s house. The family was part
of a larger grouping called vis or clan. One or more than one
clans made jana or tribe.
• The jana was the largest social unit. All the
members of a clan were related to each other by
blood relation. The membership of a tribe was based
on birth and not on residence in a certain area
• Varna or colour was the basis of initial
differentiation between the Vedic and non-
Vedic people. The Vedic people were fair
whereas the non-Vedic indigenous people were
dark in complexion and spoke a different
language. Thus the Rigveda mentions arya
varna and dasa varna. Here dasa has been used
in the sense of a group different from the
Rigvedic people. Later, dasa came to mean a
slave.
• The warriors, priests and the ordinary people
were the three sections of the Rigvedic tribe.
• The women in society enjoyed respectable
position. She was married at a proper age and
could choose a husband of her own choice.
She could take part in the proceedings of the
tribal assemblies called sabha and samiti.
• Sabha was a body of elders and was attended by persons
of noble truth—Brahmanas and rich patrons. Judicial
matters were decided by the Sabha.The Samiti was an
ordinary assembly of the tribe and its members were
called Visha.
• The king attended the Samiti and the most important
work of the Samiti was to elect the king. Justice was
based on dharma and the king was the head of the
judicial set up. The village head, Gramin led the
villagers in time of war and attended the meetings of the
Sabha and Samiti.
• sabha and samiti were the most important
assemblies. All aspects of life were discussed
in these assemblies. These may include wars,
distribution of the spoils of wars, judicial and
religious activities etc. Thus these assemblies
in a way limited the powers of the chiefs.
Interestingly, women were also allowed to
participate in the deliberations of the sabha
and samiti.
 The Vedic polity
• The polity was nothing more than a tribal
chief ship.
• The term Rajan was used for the tribal chief.
• The concept of territory was completely
absent.
• The tribal chief or the Rajan was the leader of
the people belonging to a particular tribe and
not the ruler of any territory.
 Tribal assemblies
• Vidatha- The vidatha was an assembly meant
for secular, religious and military purposes.
• Gana- Gana, the technical word for the
republic,has been interpreted in most of the
Rigvedic references in the sense of assembly or
troop. The leader of the gana is called ganapati
• Parisad- The early Parisad seems to be a tribal
military assembly ,partially matriarchal and
partially patriarchal
 Vedic Economy
• Trade and commerce were major aspects of
the early Vedic economy, which valued both
internal and external trade equally.
• In the Rig Veda, we find unique prayers for
achieving fortune through maritime pursuits.
• Pani was a guild of merchants who monitored
and managed economic activity.
• The medium of weight was Mana, and the car
was an important unit of commerce.
 Later Vedic age
• Later Vedic Age (1000 BC – 600BC)
• In the Later Vedic Period, the Aryans went
even further east. The Satapatha
Brahmana alludes to the spread of Aryans to
the eastern Gangetic plains.
• During the later Vedic era, larger kingdoms arose.
• In the later Vedic period, many jana or tribes merged to form
janapadas or rashtras.
• As a result, the royal power grew in tandem with the
kingdom's expansion. To bolster his status, the king
undertook several ceremonies and sacrifices.
• Rajasuya (consecration ceremony), Asvamedha (horse
sacrifice), and Vajpeya (chariot race) are among them.
• The rulers were also given titles such as Rajavisvajanan,
Ahilabhuvanapathi (Lord of the Earth), Ekrat, and
Samrat (sole ruler).
• In the later Vedic period, in addition to the
existing purohita, senani, and gramani, a great
number of additional officials were active in
administration.
• The treasury officer, tax collector, and royal
messenger are among them. The village
assemblies were in charge of governance at the
lowest levels.
• Iron was widely used during this time period, allowing humans to
remove forests and cultivate additional land.
• Agriculture was the primary employment. For farming, improved
cultivating equipment was utilized.
• In addition to barley, rice and wheat were farmed. Another benefit
was knowledge of manure.
• Industrial activity became more diverse, and specialization
increased. Metalwork, leatherwork, woodwork, and
ceramics all advanced significantly.
• Foreign trade expanded in addition to domestic trade.
• The Later Vedic people were seafaring and traded with places like
Babylon. A class of hereditary merchants (vaniya) emerged.
• During the Later Vedic period, the four divisions of
society (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras), or
the Varna system, were completely established.
• The Brahmin and Kshatriya castes had benefits that the
Vaisya and Shudra classes did not.
• A Brahmin had a greater standing than a Kshatriya, yet
Kshatriyas often claimed superiority over Brahmins.
• During this time, many sub-castes based on employment
emerged.
• During the Later Vedic period, the father's authority in the
family grew. There was no progress in women's status.
• They were still regarded as inferior and
subservient to males.
• Women's political rights to attend assemblies
were likewise revoked. Child marriages were
becoming more widespread.
• A daughter, according to the Aitareya
Brahmana, is a cause of unhappiness. Women
in the royal household, on the other hand, had
significant advantages.
• Early Vedic gods such as Indra and Agni lost their significance.
• During the Later Vedic era, Prajapathi (the creator), Vishnu
(the protector), and Rudra (the destroyer) rose to
prominence.
• Sacrifices remained significant, and the rites associated with
them grew more intricate.
• Prayers became less important as sacrifices became more
important. Priesthood became a profession, and it became
hereditary.
• The priestly elite created and elaborated on sacrificial
formulas.
• The Aryans advanced eastward throughout the
Later Vedic Period. According to the Satapatha
Brahmana, Aryans moved to the eastern Gang
etic plains. The Kuru and Panchala kingdoms
flourished at first. Parikshat and Janamejaya
were two important Kuru monarchs. The Aryans
fully controlled the rich plains nourished by
rivers such as the Yamuna, Ganges,during the
Later Vedic Age (1000-600 B.C.).