Early Vedic Age | Complete Ancient History Through Animation | By Aadesh Singh | StudyIQ IAS

Now the preparation is ready, the Early Vedic Age. Welcome to StudyIQ My name is Adhesh Singh Today, we will talk about an important period of Ancient History. Which began with the Aryan's Indian migration The Indus Valley Civilization declined around 1500 BC. After that, the Vedic Period emerged as the next major settlement. Vedic Civilization lasted from 1500 BC to about 500 BC Which is divided into two parts Early Vedic Age, which lasted from 1500 to 1000 BC During this period, the Rigveda was compiled. Therefore, it is also called the Rigvedic Age. Later Vedic Age, which ended between 1000 and 500 BC In this age, the composition of other texts besides the Rigveda took place. Like the other three Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, etc. In this lecture, we will learn about the Early Vedic Age. Arrival of the Indo-Aryans Friends, the beginning of the Vedic Age starts with the migration of the Indo-Aryans and Iranians. Information about the main features of Aryan Culture comes to us through Vedic, Iranian, and Greek texts. It includes the main texts of the Rigveda, Zendavastu, Homer's Iliad, and Odyssey. The Aryans were a semi-nomadic tribe whose society was based on a pastoral economy. It is debatable where the Aryans migrated from. Different historians and experts have proposed different theories. Some believe their origin was in Central Asia. And some believe these came into India from Russia's steps. In Bal Gangadhar Tilak's book "The Arctic Home in the Vedas," he stated that the origin of the Aryans was the Arctic region. It is also believed that the Aryans entered India through the Khyber Pass of the Hindu Kush Mountains. Well, the most accepted theory is that they came to India like Aryan immigrants. They used to live within the borders of Eastern Afghanistan, the North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, and Western UP. The river Kubha and Sindhu, which is the Indus River, and its five tributaries, namely Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Bias, and The mention of Satluj is found in the Rigveda, and the mention of another river, Saraswati, is also made. Which was in the area of Rajasthan, this entire region where the Aryans initially established their settlement It is called the land of seven rivers. Now let's take a look at the most important texts of the Vedic age. The Rigveda is the oldest of the Vedas. It has been included in the UNESCO World Human Heritage. It contains There are 1028 hymns divided into 10 Mandalas. The Rigveda is a collection of prayers dedicated to Agni. Some poets and sages have written about it, from 2 to 7 in the Ten Mandalas. The earliest parts are Mandala 1 and 9. The latest editions are as we mentioned earlier, references to Aryan culture. We also see this in other religious texts, so let's move forward with this aspect. But they still cast a glance at the lips texts attributed to Jane D'Arcy in 1400 BC and to Eliot in 900 to 800 BC. It can be placed in the cultural content of the late Neolithic and early Bronze Ages. Their contents are in Eastern Europe and Covering Central Asia, which is geographically adjacent to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Anatolia, and Greece. They have been using Indo-European languages, specifically the Indo-Aryan language, which is a major portion of the languages in this territory. This is part of the knowledge that the Rigveda was composed only in the Indo-Aryan language, which can be called Vedic Sanskrit, the Sanskrit that we know today. It is derived from. Similar genetic signals are observed among speakers of Indo-European languages, such as in Central Asian steppes and Indo-Aryan speakers. Horse was an important trait of Aryan culture. In the Rigveda, it is called "asva," and similar words can be seen in Sanskrit, Avestan, Greek, Latin, and other Indo-European languages. In the Avesta, there is a continuous mention of horse and chariot in the prayers to Mithra. In the Rigveda, the God Mithra is also revered here. References to horses are also found in the Iliad and Odyssey. The widespread use of horse-drawn chariots is seen in all texts. The Vajpayya sacrifice, which is mentioned in later Vedic texts, was also a Greek practice and Homer provided a detailed description of it. We can see the use of birch wood in Aryan culture. In Sanskrit, birch is called "bhurja" and we can see similar words for it in six Indo-European languages. Cremation was also an important Aryan rite. This practice is also found in Vedic, Avestan, and Homeric texts. But no reference to the mature Harappan culture has been found. Fire worship is considered quite important in both the Avesta and the Rigveda. The Cult of Soma, which is called Homa in the Avestan language, remained confined to Iranian and Vedic people. Similarly, many references can be seen in the Rigveda and other religious texts. Now, let's move on to the political, social, and economic features of the Rigvedic culture. In political life, the tribe was called "jana" in Rigvedic culture, and the tribal chief was called "rajan," "gopati," or "gopa," meaning protector of the cow. The chief queen was called the mahishi. Rajan's main responsibility was to provide protection to people and cattle from enemies. It was also his responsibility to pray from the pulpit of the Alabā. According to historians, during the Rigvedic period, the position of Raja was hereditary, which occurred in a monarchial setup. But there have also been some instances of elections, which were conducted by the tribal assembly, that is, the committee. The political administration was somewhat like this. The priest class mainly performed rituals. In return, they were given donations, that is gifts, and offerings. There was a chief in the army, whom the soldiers called a general. There was an officer in charge of the territory, whom they called a Vardapati. Friends, it is necessary to know that there is no evidence that any officer has been appointed to collect taxes and administer justice. The Rigveda mentions several assemblies. Saba, which was a small body of the Joki elites. Samiti was a large folk assembly consisting of general public members, and its leader was usually Raja. Vidhata, which was a tribal assembly. And Gana, who used to be Joki troops. There was also women's participation in Sabha and Vidhata. Rajan did not have any regular army. But during the war, small tribal groups, that is, Gana, would join together to form a militia, that is, an army composed of common people. Swords, bows, arrows, and helmets were used in war. There were two types of conflicts in front of the Aryans for their survival. First, in which they came into conflict with the indigenous people. There is a mention of a battle like this in the Rigveda, In which Bhart KIng Divodasa ruled over indigenous people, The ruler of Dasas, Sambara, was defeated. The second conflict was one in which Aryan communities themselves were engaged in wars among themselves. Here, the battle of ten kings is mentioned. This battle took place on the bank of the Parushni, also known as the Ravi River. This battle took place between Bhart Chieftain Sudhas and ten other tribes. Of these ten tribes, five were Aryan tribes and five were non-Aryan. Five Aryan tribes were called Pancha Jana. It included Yadu, Turvasa, Puru, Anu, and Druhyu. Well, Bhartia Chief Sudhas defeated the ten tribes in the Battle of the Ten Kings, establishing his supremacy. Bharata later allied with the Puru tribe and established the Kuru tribe. And established its dominance in the Upper Ganges Basin together with the Panchalas. Note that it is this Bharat tribe mentioned in the same Rigveda that gave rise to the name "Bharatvarsha" for the country. Let's now learn about social life. Friends, the basis of the social structure of the Rigvedic society was kinship. The family was the basic unit, and the head of the family was called Kulapa. Every family was part of a large group called "Vis," which was a clan. Some clans formed a people, that is, a tribe. It was the last social unit of the people. The family was a patriarchal family, meaning the father, head, and family. Marriage as an institution had already been established, and there was no evidence of child marriage. The sati and purdah systems were also not in practice. Some instances of re-marriage occur. Marriage was once between one person at a time, but there have been some instances of polygamy. The Suicide Lines were not divided, and the occupation birth was not the best. People from different occupations also belonged to the Sem Clan. There are some indications in the Rigveda regarding people's physical appearance. In the initial stage, the color was associated with the person's color. A possibility of forming a certain social order may arise due to color distinction. The factor of social divisions can be attributed to the conquests made by the Aryans on the indigenous tribes. Only in the Purusha Sukta of the tenth Mandalas of the Rigveda do we find a mention of the four varnas. It can be inferred that the Indo-Aryans entered the varna system at the end of the Rigvedic age. Social mobility was possible in this caste system, and a strict social hierarchy was upheld. This means that society was still tribal and egalitarian, meaning equalitarian. We move forward and see what the economic structure of the Rigvedic society was? Rigvedic Economy Friends, there are so many references to cow and bull in the Rigveda that one can assume that the Vedic people were a pastoral people. The basic purpose of Warz was to capture the Cow, meaning the Cow was the basic wealth. The war that was carried out for the cause of the Kauravas was called the "Gavistha," meaning the "Search for the Kauravas." The importance of the cow is evident from the fact that priests were given cows as donations. Land has never been given importance. Land was not a well-established private property. Gold Coin was called Niksha, which was a unit of currency. It was generally used only for large transactions. Trade was mostly conducted through a barter system, and cow was also a valuable unit through which trade was possible. The Kingdom functioned only on voluntary offerings because there was no regular revenue system. Several types of crafts are also mentioned in the Rigveda, such as carpenters, chariot makers, weavers, potters, leather workers, and others. Charity racing and dice gambling were popular pastimes. The term "ayaj" has been used for copper and bronze, indicating that they were used in this age. No evidence has been found of the use of Iron Technology by Hana. Some references to C and Bots are also visible. So, friends, this is about the basic aspects of the Rigvedic Age society, namely the political, social, and economic aspects. In addition, every society has another important aspect, religion, which basically provides a path for every society. Take a look at the religious aspects of the Rigvedic age. Vedic Religion The Rigvedic Aryans worshipped natural forces such as earth, fire, wind, water, and thunder. These natural forces were seen as different gods and were worshipped. They were worshiped only through Yagya. The Ideal Worsip and Temples were not present. Prayers and sacrifices were the dominant modes of worship. It is important to know that the Aryans did not sacrifice gods for the annual spiritual upliftment, but rather for the people, animals, and food. Some of the days dedicated in the Rigveda are as follows. Indra was called Rishabha Gora, and he was also regarded as the Lord of the War, who led the Aryan soldiers against the demons. They are dedicated to 250 hymns in the Rigveda. Agni is considered the most important deity. They were called Gaudi affairs. She played a kind of intermediary role between Agni, the gods, and the people. It is believed that the smoke from the offerings made during Yajna reaches directly the gods. 200 Hims have been attributed. Sure, the third most important god is considered to be Varun. They are considered the symbol of water. My function was to apply the natural order. Monday, called the day of plants. Maurice, the symbol of Storm. Saraswati was an important goddess mentioned in many hymns. These were all natural forces considered by Deity, and human activities were also assigned to them. Besides these, there were also some female deities, such as Aditi and Usha. But their presence is not seen in the Rigveda. Savitri was a solar deity attributed with the Gayatri Mantra of the Feminine. They are mentioned 300 times in the Rigveda. Because of the patriarchal nature of society, Mail Daiti was given more importance. Some Demigods, also known as Yaksas, are mentioned. Like Gandharvas, Apasaras, Aromans, etc. Then, friends, in this story, we have seen about the Early Vedic Age, that is, the Rigvedic Age. We understood how the Aryans migrated into the Indian subcontinent, Not as an invader, but for the purpose of settlement. It marked the beginning of one of the most important phases of Indian ancient history. The foundation stone of today's mature Indian culture was laid in this period. StudyIQ IAS, now affordable.