In this post, we are providing you notes related to Vedic civilization . You will get to read this topic in the subject of Ancient Indian History, so if you want to read this topic well, then definitely remember the other notes once because you will not find such notes on other platforms.
Vedic Civilization
Rise :-
– The civilization which emerged after the decline of Indus Valley Civilization is known as Vedic or Aryan Civilization.
– The sources of information about Vedic civilization are the Vedas, of which the Rigvedic is the oldest and the largest source.
– It is considered to be the first rural civilization of India. (Iron Age)
– The founders of this civilization have been called Aryans in the Vedas.
Aryans :-
– Arya is a Sanskrit word which is made up of “Ari + ya”.
– Aryan is a language indicative word, it is not a race indicative word.
– The literal meaning of Arya is- Cultured /person born in high class/Superior.
Original home of Aryans:-
| Scholar | Opinion |
| Bal Gangadhar Tilak | North Pole |
| Dayanand Saraswati | Tibet |
| Max Muller (Scholar from Germany) | Central Asia (considered to be the most famous religion.) |
| Ganganath Jha | Brahmarshi Pradesh |
| Avinash Chandra | Sapta Saindahv Pradesh |
| Rajbali Pandey | Madhya Pradesh |
| Gilles | Hungary or Danube River Valley |
| Penka and Hart | Germany |
Vedic Literature Notes
– In the Vedic period, complete information is obtained from the Vedic literature.
Ved :-
– The word “Ved” is derived from the”ved” root and “Dha” suffix. Whose literal meaning is knowledge/store of knowledge.
– Creator of Vedas: Apaurusheya (meaning Vedas were not composed by any particular person)
– Vedas are considered as part of divine knowledge.
– Its compilation – Maharishi Krishna Dweipayana Vedavyasa.
There are four types of Vedas-
1. Rigveda
2. Yajurveda
3. Samveda
4. Atharvaveda
– Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda are also called Vedatrayi.
– Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda are the compositions of the Uttar Vedic period.
Rigveda :
– It is the oldest religious text in the world.
– The hymns of the Rigveda are generally addressed to the god of fire; these hymns are divided into ten books or ‘mandalas’.
– Rigveda is a collection of compositions related to the praise of the gods.
– It is divided into 10 mandals. The first and the tenth divisions are added last and 2 to 7 divisions are also known as ‘Vansh Mandals’.
– It has a total of 1028 hymns (sukta), and 10562 mantras (about 10600).
– The ‘Gayatri Mantra’ is dedicated to the deity Savita (Savitri). It is mentioned in the third mandala of the Rigveda. Its creator is Vishwamitra.
– Somaras is considered the best among beverages, which is mentioned in the 9th mandala of Rigveda.
– The sage or priest who recited the hymns of Rigveda was called “Hota” (Hotri).
– Four Varnas are mentioned for the first time in the Purusha Sukta in the 10th Mandala of Rigveda.
Yajurveda :
– Yaju means yagya.
– A total of 40 chapters and 1990 mantras are compiled in Yajurveda.
– Yajurveda describes the methods of yagya.
– The language of Yajurveda is both poetic and prosaic. It contains some of the oldest works of Sanskrit prose.
– The priest who performed the rituals of Yajurveda is called “Adhvaryu”.
Brahman texts (1) Shukla Yajurveda – Shatapatha (2) Krishna Yajurveda – Taittiriya
– Yajurveda has two parts:-
1. Shukla Yajurveda –
– This Veda is only in mantra poetry.
– Popular in North India.
– This is the most authentic branch.
2. Krishna Yajurveda –
– These Vedas are in both poetry and prose.
– Most recognized in South India.
– It is also called Vajasaneyi Samhita.
Samveda :
– The Samveda was composed with the aim of making the hymns sung in the Rigveda.
– “Sam” means “singing , chanting”
– The one who chants the mantras of Samaveda is called “Udgata”.
– The total number of mantras is 1549 and the original mantra is 75.
– Samaveda has the distinction of being the first musical book of India, it is also called ” The Father of Indian Music”.
Atharvaveda :
– Atharvaveda was composed by Atharva Rishi.
– In this, information about magic, sorcery etc. has been given as a means of disease and its prevention.
– It is believed to be the work of non-Aryans.
– The Aranyaka texts were composed by the sages in the forests.
– There are total 5849 Mantras and 20 Kandas in this Veda.
– The phrase ‘Satyameva Jayate’ has been taken from the Mundakupanishad.
– It is often considered a treatise giving intimate insight into folk beliefs and practices.
– There are four upvedas of the Vedas:-
| Veda | Upaveda | Author |
| Rigveda | Ayurveda | Dhanvantri |
| Yajurveda | Dhanurveda | Vishwamitra |
| Samaveda | Gandharvaveda | Bharatmuni |
| Atharvaveda | Shilpveda (architecture) | Vishwakarma |
– Aranyaka: The texts written during the Vanprastha Ashram are called Aranyaka texts. These are also called ” The Forest Books”.
– Brahman texts:- The texts giving special interpretation of the Vedas.
– Upanishads: – Composed of three words-
Upa + Ni + Shad (sitting down near techer)
– Its literal meaning is to sit attentively near the Guru.
– Vedas came to an end with the Upanishads, hence it is also called Vedanta.
– The Upanishads mainly describe “Atman” and “Brahm”.
Total Upnishad – 108
Main Upnishad – 12
Main 12 Upnishad – Isha, katha, Ken, Prashana, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittriya, Chandogya, Kaushitaki, vridha, Shvetasvatara, Aitareya Upanishad, Brahmasutra and Gita are collectively called ”Prasthan-trai”.
Vedangas and Sutra Sahitiya:-
– Vedangas are total 6 in number – Education, Grammar, Kalpa, Nirukt, Chhanda, Astrology.
– Sutra Sahitiya is helpful in understanding it, despite not being a part of Vedic literature.
Rigvedic period:
– We get all the information about this period from Rigveda.
– In the Rigveda, the word Sapt Saindhava has been used for Aryan place, which means – the area of seven rivers- Sindhu, Saraswati, Parushni (Ravi), Vitasta (Jhelum), Shatudri (Satluj), Asikini (Chenab) and Vipasa (beas).
– The geographical extent of the Aryans was as far as Punjab, Afghanistan, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh or the western part of the Yamuna river.
– Dasrajan War took place on the bank of Parushni (Ravi) river.
– Unlike the Indus civilization, the Vedic civilization was basically rural. The early life of the Aryans was based on cattle feeding.
Dasrajan War(battle of ten kings)
– The description of the battle of Dasarajan comes in the 7th mandala of Rigveda. This war was fought on the banks of river Purushani Ravi. This war was fought between King Sudas of Bharata dynasty and ten other people (5 Arya and Aryatar).
– In the battle of Dasaragya, the priest of Sudas, the king of Bharata, was Vashistha and the priest of the defeated king was Vishwamitra.
– Information is received about the election of the king by the tribal assembly. Sabha, Samiti and Vidatha are mentioned in Rigveda.
– The assembly and committee used to work for control over the king.
– The Sabha was an organization of elite people, while the Samiti was a general public representative meeting, in which all the people of the people were involved.
– The chairman of the committee was called “Ishaan”.
– There was no regular tax system during this period.
– The oldest number in Rigveda was “Vidatha”
– “Vidatha” was also the most important institution
– The sabha and the samiti were the institutions of public representation, consisting of the elite class, whose function was to advise the king.
Social Status :
– The smallest unit of Rigvedic society was the family. Many families together form the village and many villages together form vish and many vish together form the people.
– Unit → Family → Kul → Village → Vish → Jan
Varna System :-
– The mention of the Varna system is found in the 10th Mandala PurushaSukta of the Rigveda.
– According to the ‘Purusha Sukta’ of the Dasam Mandal of Rigveda, Brahmins originated from mouth, Kshatriyas from arms, Vaishyas from thighs and Shudras from feet. For the first time all four characters are mentioned.
– The Rigvedic varna system was based on karma.
| Varna | Origin | Work |
| Brahmin | By mouth | Yagya, Havan, Chanting etc. |
| Kshatriyas | By arms | rule, protect other characters |
| Vaishya | By thighs | trade, commerce |
| Shudra | By feet | The functions of this class is to serve the above 3 characters |
Ashramas Arrangement :-
– Considering the entire human life as 100 years, it is divided into 4 equal parts.
– First of all, there is a mention of the initial 3 ashrams in ‘Chandogya Upanishad’, but the mention of all the four ashrams is found in ‘Jabalupanishad’.
– The Ashram system was fully developed in the later Vedic period.
| Brahmacharya Ashrama | 0-25 year |
| Grihastha Ashrama | 26-50 year |
| Vanprastha Ashrama | 51-75 year |
| Sanyasa Ashrama | 76-100 year |
Later Vedic Period:
– The period in which Yajurveda, Samveda, Atharvaveda, Aranyaka and Upanishad were composed is called Uttarvedic period (1000-600 BC).
– This period marked the beginning of the Iron Technology Age.
Ancient Name and Modern name of rivers:-
| Ancient Name | Modern Name |
| Vitasta | Jhelum |
| Asikani | Chenab |
| Vipasa | Beas |
| Parushnni | Ravi |
| Sutudri | Sutlej |
| Kubha | Kabuk |
| Krumu | Kurram |
| Gomati | Gomal/Gumal |
| Drishadvati | Ghaggar/Rakshi/Chitang |
– The Reva (Narmada) and Gandak rivers are mentioned in the Shatapatha Brahmana, as well as its center increased from Punjab to the Ganges Yamuna Doab.
Political status:
– Many tribes together formed nations or janapadas. During this period the tribes started emerging as regional states. The word ‘Rashtra’, which is an indication of the state, first appeared in this period.
– The monarchy was the basis of the system of governance in the later Vedic period. During this period the position of the king became hereditary.
– The king was worshiped as the representative of the Gods.
– To organize the administrative system, the king established a system in which people from the king’s charioteer to the patrani were included, they were called Ratnin.
| Name of Ratnin | Work of Ratnin |
| King (Ruler) | Supreme Administrator |
| Purohit | The chief advisor of the king who was exempted from doing. |
| Mahishi | king’s favorite queen (Patrani) |
| Yuvraja | Crown prince |
| Suta | The royal herald / the charioteer |
| Senani | The general |
| Sangrahitri | Treasurer |
| Akshavapa | Courier |
| Palagala | Friend of king, Vidushak |
| Govikarta | Head of cow department |
| Bhagadudha | Collector of taxes |
| Kshatri | Gateman |
– Ratnis – High officials of the state (ministers)
– 12 Ratnis are mentioned in the Shatapatha Brahmana.
– Eight types of marriages have been mentioned in Manusmriti.
1. Brahma Vivaha : Parents after finding a suitable groom for the girl child they marry her to him. (Most valid and popular marriage)
2. Arsha Vivaha: The father does marriage of her daughter in exchange of one or two cows for the yagya.
3. Daiva Vivaha : Marriage of a girl with a priest who performed the Yagya.
4. Gandharva Vivaha : Girls and boy used to marry under the influence of love or sensuality. (love marriage)
5. Asura Vivaha : Selling of girl child by the father in exchange of money.
6. Prajapatya Vivaha : The groom himself used to marry the girl by asking her father.
7. Rakshasa Vivaha : Taking away the girl by force and marrying her.
8. Paishacha Vivaha : Marrying a girl in sleep or after seducing.
– Smriti have given the number of samskaras as 16-
| 16 Samskaras | |
| 1. Garbhadhana | 9. Karna Bhed |
| 2. Pumsavanna | 10. Vidyarmbha |
| 3. Simantonnayan | 11. Upanayana |
| 4. Jatakarma | 12. Vedarambha |
| 5. Namkaran | 13. Keshant or Godan |
| 6. Nishkramana | 14. Samavartana |
| 7. Annaprashna | 15. Vivaha |
| 8. Chudakarma | 16. Antyesti |
Religious Status:
– In the later Vedic period, there was an increase in yagya rituals and ritualistic activities.
– There were also religious orders for the people to perform Panch Mahayagya-
1. Brahma Yagya – Study and Teaching.
2. Dev Yagya – Praising of the gods by doing havan.
3. Pitra Yagya – Offering to the ancestors.
4. Manushya Yagya – guest hospitality and wish for the welfare of man
5. Bhoot Yagya – Observance of living beings.
– There were three rhin(Loan) – Dev rhin (obligations to gods and material forces), Rishi loan and Pitru loan (obligations to ancestors).
– The principle of reincarnation is mentioned for the first time in the Shatapatha Brahmana.
– Four Purusharthas – Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha.
Many philosophies emerged in the later Vedic period-
– Major Philosophies and their Origins
| Philosophy | Originator |
| Nyay (Justice) | Gautam |
| Yoga | Patanjali (Yogsutra) |
| Sankhya | Kapil |
| Vaisheshiak | Kanad or Ulook |
| Purvi Mimansa | Jamini |
| Uttar Mimansa | Badrayan |
| Charvak | Charvak |
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