How was the Vedic Age of India? Important revelations | World History EP 07

You know, trains are called Bahan in German. Because the Sanskrit word is similar to Vahan. And not only that. In Hindi, we say Ma. In English, we say Mother. Both are similar words. Brother is a similar word. In Sanskrit, 3 is called Tri. Which is similar to the English word Three. Or the Spanish word Tres. In Sanskrit, teeth is called Dant. Which is related to the English word Dental. All these language similarities are not coincidences. Sanskrit, which is the language of the Vedas, has an ancient origin. And the European old languages, like Greek, Latin, or English, have the same origin. All these languages belong to the same ancient family. And not just the languages. Studies say that the origin of Europe and the people living in the Indian subcontinent is the same. Indus Valley Civilization, which we talked about in the episode 4 of our World History series, and which vanished around 1300 BCE. After that, some migrant tribes from Persia and Europe settled in India. These are widely accepted theories. These people settled in India and created a new civilization. And these people were called Aryans. But there are many counter-theories, especially of the Indian researchers. They say that the Aryans did not migrate from Europe to India. In fact, the Aryans migrated from India to Europe and other places. And spread these languages there. So, in the episode 7 of the World History series, let's talk about the Vedic Age. This Vedic Age starts right after the Indus Valley Civilization. And goes back to around 500 BCE. Today, we'll talk about the Aryans, the Vedas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. And many debates on the Aryans. But before that, one important thing for all the students. If you or any of your friends are preparing for any exam, be it a competitive exam for a government job, a college entrance exam like IIT-JEE, NEET, etc. Or a regular school-college test, exam, or sessionals, then you should definitely attend my 2-hour live masterclass, Secrets to Crack Any Exam. I have given and cracked many tough important exams in my life. Like IIT-JEE, GATE, UPSC. And I have learned many important things from them. Which I wish someone had explained to me earlier. How to make your schedule, what to keep in mind, how to prepare for the exam, and how to crack the exam. I have given the registration link in the pinned comment. Seats are limited in the live class. Register soon. So let's start the story of Vedic Age. Before we move ahead, I want to give a small disclaimer. In today's video, I will only talk about widely accepted theories and facts. Many people may have counter-arguments, counter-beliefs. And I don't want to hurt their beliefs. I am telling what has been proven till date. And it is possible that I am wrong. But please understand, what has not been scientifically proved, it would be wrong to call it as a propaganda in any video. So before talking about Vedic Age, let's understand the origin of people living in Indian subcontinent. In 19th century, there was a popular theory called Aryan Invasion Theory. According to this theory, Harappan Civilization or Indus Valley Civilization, which started declining after 2000 BCE, started declining because Aryan Tribes from Europe and Central Asia came here on their chariots, attacked them and killed them. When more research started happening, and research evolved, then this Aryan Invasion Theory was removed. And it was said that Aryans migrated from Europe, but they did not come as an invader. There were some tribals who came here peacefully, and settled in small groups. They did not settle in a big city, or they did not start a big civilization. Modern theories say that when Aryans crossed Hindu Kush mountain ranges and reached Indus Valley Civilization, then this civilization was already declining. Many cities were already destroyed, no one lived there, it was abandoned. And people used to live in small groups in villages. Harappan Civilization did not decline due to invasion, it declined due to environment changes, due to agriculture, due to changing rivers. On one hand, this theory that Aryans came from outside, is widely accepted. There are many Indian scholars and historians who give counter arguments. They say that Aryan Tribes moved from India to the West, and this theory is called OIT Theory, Out of India Theory. Many arguments are given in support of this, like Cultural Continuity. They say that in Harappan Civilization, the cultural practices, rituals, were continued in India. It means that people who lived in Harappan Civilization, became Aryans. Another argument is that Sanskrit language is more complicated than Greek, Latin or English. It means that Sanskrit is not a derived language, but the mother language of all these languages. And it can be the mother language when Sanskrit was first developed in India, and then spread outside due to Aryans going outside. But the strongest and conclusive proof of this confusion of Aryans, was found in 2019, after an excavation on a site of Harappan Civilization. In Haryana, a female skeleton was found whose DNA analysis was done. After carbon dating, it was found that this skeleton was from 2500 BCE, which means that it was a skeleton of Harappan Civilization. Now, I would like to tell you one thing about DNA analysis, that the people who live in the Indian subcontinent today, a variant of R1 gene is found in them. And it is said that this variant of R1 gene is given by Aryans. And in whichever place there is Aryan DNA, this R1 gene will definitely be found. But on the other hand, when the analysis of this Harappan skeleton was done, this R1 gene variant was not found. This means that the people of Harappan Civilization were not purely the ancestors of the Indian people. Some genes have been mixed from outside in the Indian population. And the second important discovery was that in the people of Europe and Central Asia, this R1 gene variant is found. But in all of them, there is no trace of this DNA of Harappan Civilization. This means that the people of Harappan Civilization did not migrate to Europe and Central Asia. They did not spread their genes. And after the conclusion of this DNA analysis, the whole world believes that Aryans came from outside with the variants of R1 gene. And the same R1 gene variant is found in India today. This means that due to the intermixing of Aryans and Harappan Civilization, the Indian population was formed. Many people may be sentimental about this. How can we Indians be descendants of Europeans? Our India is great. We are world leaders. Those who have seen my World History series old videos, they should not be so sentimental. No one is permanent anywhere. The land where we live today, there used to be dinosaurs before bacteria. All the humans in the world originate from Africa. Homo Sapiens. This means that we are all descendants of Africans. This is also proven. The oldest Indians came from Africa. The proof of this is the Sentinelese tribe They are untouched and pure. Their genes are similar to African genes. The rest of the Indians are a mixture of African, Harappan and Aryan genes. In today's video, we will take this Aryan Migration Theory and move forward in the Vedic Age. Around 1500 BCE, the Aryans migrated to the sites of the Harappan civilization. They brought some languages with them which intermixed and developed in the form of Sanskrit. Some ancient Iranian languages and some ancient European languages have similar roots to Sanskrit. The Aryans brought chariots with them. They were very interested in writing poetry and hymns. They came here and developed it. When they met the Sanskrit, they were called Vedas. Early Aryans intermixed with the villagers of the Harappan civilization. They settled near the Saptashindu region in temporary settlements. They did not build big cities or structures. This is why their traces and archaeological evidences are very rare. Gradually, it spread to Northern India. The Vedic Age started from 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. We will divide this timeline into two parts. Early Vedic Age started from 1500 BCE to 1000 BCE. Later Vedic Age started. Early Vedic Age was still nomadic. It did not have many written records. Rig Veda was born in the same Rig Veda is the oldest written Veda. Rig Veda was completely oral. It did not have any written form. It was passed on from one generation to another from one person to another from one person to another. Later, after many centuries, someone compiled it in written form. Gradually, Indo-Aryans left their nomadic lifestyle and settled in agricultural lifestyles. Later Vedic Age started. These villages became kingdoms. The concept of kings and subjects started. Later Vedic Age, Aryans left Saptashindu and settled in Ganga plains. Let's talk about different aspects of Vedic Age. First, let's talk about their society and political structure. In early Vedic Age, society and political structure were simple. Cow herding was an important occupation. In early texts, women like Lopamudra and Gargi were described as saints. Women were powerful and had a good role in society. But, after 1000 BCE, later Vedic Age changed. Small tribes formed and became kingdoms. Kuru and Panchal are mentioned in texts. Ashwamedha and Rajasuya were used to expand their kingdoms. Later Vedic Age, Varna system started. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras were divided into four classes. First, they were divided according to their work. There was no meaning of Varna in early Vedic Age. But, in later Vedic Age, society divided people into one class. The biggest reason for this was that upper caste, Brahmin and Kshatriya wanted to keep their bloodline pure. Their influence on society increased and they didn't want their family to let their knowledge go out. So, this system became hereditary. Vedic world transformed in 600 BCE. Tribals were converted into big empires. I'll name some of them Kaushal, Videh and Kuru. Let's come to second aspect of Vedic Age, religion and beliefs. Early Vedic Age people were close to nature. People worshipped gods like Indra, Agni, Varun which are found in nature. Wind, Sun and Moon were worshipped. The interesting thing is that major gods of Hinduism like Vishnu, Lord Shiva were worshipped as minor gods. These major gods were formed later. In Vedic Age, rituals were considered as core. It was a part of every spiritual event or cultural event. If you want to worship someone, if you want to bring rain, if you want to bring a baby, if you want to get married, everyone was worshipped. This practice is still alive in Indian subcontinent. In later Vedic Age, rituals became more complex. Many priests, pandits and temples were formed. First, Vedas were written and then Upanishads to understand their meaning. In later Vedic Age, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Brahma came out as superior gods. Now, let's talk about economy and trade in Vedic Age. When Indo-Aryans migrated, they had a pastoral lifestyle a nomadic lifestyle. Feeding sheep and cows was their routine. Although, agriculture existed but it was secondary for them. Their primary occupation was cattle rearing. When they started settling permanently, farming started increasing in Vedic Age. In later Vedic Age, after 1000 BCE, iron tools were introduced to clean forests and establish big farms. Agriculture became a main part of people's life and rice and barley made a place in India's agriculture. In later Vedic Age, many other jobs came out like craftsmanship, clothing, making tools, pottery. Trade routes expanded and barter system developed. From one place to another, salt was developed, metallurgy was developed, jewellery and ornaments were made. Although, in early Vedic Age, barter system was used but in later Vedic Age, currency was made like gold and silver coins. In the next section, we will talk about Vedic Age languages and Vedas. The biggest legacy of Vedic Age is Sanskrit language. When Aryans came here, when they mixed with Indians, a language was developed which was called Sanskrit. In this Sanskrit, all Vedas were written. But Sanskrit written in original Vedas was developed later in a slightly different way. So, Sanskrit written in Vedas was called Vedic Sanskrit. After that, grammar was developed in a structural way Sanskrit is not only the mother tongue of many Indian languages, but it is also the origin of many European languages. Ancient Greek, Latin, English have similar roots to Sanskrit. In fact, Persian languages have similar roots to Sanskrit. This means that Persia, Europe and Western India had similar languages. In this Vedic Sanskrit, the first Vedas were written All these Vedas were transmitted orally. They were not in written form. These Vedas were passed on from one person to another, from Guru to Disciple. In fact, in early Vedic Age, there is no proof of writing or written text. The Vedas have been prevented word to word for centuries just by reminding people. Many mind-blowing techniques have been used for this. It means to speak backwards and to repeat backwards. Many permutation combinations and many rhymes have been made. Any random sequence has been made to remind people. Just imagine how much hard work people must have made to remember these Vedas. In 1500-1000 BCE, Rig Veda was written which is the oldest among all the Vedas. After that, there were Yajur Veda, Sam Veda and Atharva Veda. In all the Vedas, there is God's statement, God's description, rituals, practices, how to live life, etc. Along with these 4 main Vedas, many other writings were written in this era like Upanishad, Brahman. All these had one purpose to understand life. How to live life. Along with this, in Vedic Age, we find two main writings. One was Ramayana and the other was Mahabharata. I can't say that the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata happened in Vedic Age. But the earliest proof of their writing or their earliest sighting or evidence is found in Vedic Age. We can say that Mahabharata and Ramayana are as old as Vedic Age. Now, there is no evidence to say if they are older than Vedic Age. There is no evidence to say how old were the events of Ramayana and Mahabharata. There is no evidence to say if the stories are myth or reality. At the end of Vedic Age, there was a legendary grammarian named Panini who created Sanskrit grammar and gave it structure, rules and meaning. Because of him, Sanskrit became a rule and is still alive. What was the biggest contribution of this age? In Rig Veda, Aryavarta is described as the place where Aryans lived. Bharat used to be a king in Aryavarta and our country's name was Bharatvarsh. In Vedas, Bharatvarsh is only mentioned for Ganga and nearby regions. But in 1949, when our constitution was made, we accepted Bharatvarsh for the entire country's name along with India. So, this was the story of Vedic Age. If you or your friends are preparing for any exam, there is a link in the pinned comment to join the master class. The story of Vedic Age which ended in 500 BCE will be covered in the coming episodes So, subscribe to the channel and press the bell icon. You can watch the entire World History series and Indus Valley Civilization video here. I'll leave now to prepare for the next video. Subscribe to the channel, keep watching and stay curious.