Skip to main content

Later early Vedic Period


Later Vedic period (1000 BC - 500 BC)

The period of 1500 B.C and 600 B.C was divided into Early Vedic Age (Vedic Period) and Later Vedic Age. Vedic Period: 1500 B.C- 1000 B.C; It was in this period, Aryans were supposed to have invaded India. This period is based on the Vedic texts compiled after the Veda.

The history of the later Vedic period is based mainly on the Vedic texts which were compiled after the age of Rig Veda.

1. Later Vedic Texts

a. The Veda Samhitas
i. Sama Veda – The book of chants with hymns taken from Rig Veda. This Veda is important for Indian Music.

ii. Yajur Veda – The book consists of sacrificial rituals and formulae.
iii. Atharva Veda – This book consists of charms and spells to ward of evils and diseases

b. The Brahmanas – Consists of the explanatory part of the Vedas. Sacrifices and rituals have also been discussed in great detail.
i. Rig Veda – Aitreya and Kaushitiki Brahmana

  • Consists of 1028 hymns divided into 10 mandalas (books).
  • In IIIrd Mandala, Gayatri mantra is addressed to solar deity Savitri.
  • X Mandala addressed to Purusha Sukta

ii. Yajur Veda – Shatapata and Taittariya
iii. Sama Veda – Panchvisha, Chandogya, Shadvinsh, and Jaiminaya
iv. Atharva Veda - Gopatha

c. The Aranyakas – Concluding portions of Brahmanas, also called as Forest texts written mainly for the hermits and students living in forests.

d. The Upanishads – Appearing at the end of the Vedic period, they criticized the rituals and laid stress on right belief and Knowledge.

Note- Satyamev Jayate has been taken from Mundaka Upanishad.

2. Vedic literature – Following the Later Vedic age, a lot of Vedic Literature was developed, inspired from the Samhitas which follow the Smriti – Literature which was written in comparison to Shruti – Word of Mouth tradition. Important texts in Smriti tradition are further subdivided into

a. Vedangas
i. Shiksha - Phonetics
ii. KalpaSutras – Rituals

  • Sulva Sutras
  • Grihya Sutras
  • Dharma Sutras

iii. Vyakarna - Grammar
iv. Nirukta - Etymology
v. Chhandha - metrics
vi. Jyotisha - Astronomy

b. Smriti
i. Manu Smriti
ii. Yajnavalkya Smriti
iii. Narada Smriti
iv. Parashara Smriti
v. Brihaspati Smriti
vi. Katyayana Smriti

c. Mahakavyas
i. The Ramayana
ii. The Mahabharata

d. The Puranas
i. 18 Maha Puranas – Dedicated to specific deities such as Brahma, Surya, Agni, Saiva and Vaishnava. They include Bhagavata Purana, Matsya Purana, Garuda Purana etc
ii. 18 Upa Puranas – Lesser known texts

e. The Upvedas
i. Ayurveda - Medicine
ii. Gandharvaveda - Music
iii. Arthaveda - Vishwakarma
iv. Dhanurveda - Archery

f. Shad-Darshanas or Indian Philosophical Schools
i.  
Samkhya
ii. Yoga
iii. Nyaya
iv. Vaisheshika
v. Mimansa
vi. Vedanta

3. The PGW-Iron Phase Culture and Later Vedic Economy

The settlements covered the whole of the North India with the Ganges being the center of culture. The appearance of Iron implements in Dharwar, Gandhara and Baluchistan region from 1000 BC. Iron was called as Shyama or Krishna Ayas and was used in hunting, clearing forests etc.

a. Territorial Divisions
i. Aryavarta – North India
ii. Madhya Desa – Central India
iii. Dakshinapah – South India

b. The transition of chief source of livelihood from Pastoralists to well-settled and sedentary Agriculture based economy. Rice (Vrihi), Barley, Wheat, and Lentils were chief produce.

c. Arts and Crafts improved with the use of Iron and Copper implements. Weaving, leatherwork, pottery and carpenter’s work also made great progress.

d. The growth of Towns or Nagaras were seldom found. The Later Vedic phase didn’t develop into an urban Phase. Kaushambi and Hastinapur are called as Proto-Urban Sites.

e. Seas and Sea Voyages are also mentioned in the Vedic texts.

4. Political Organization

a. Assemblies – Popular assemblies lost their importance. The character of Sabha and Samiti changed while Vidatha disappeared. Rich nobles and chiefs started to dominate these assemblies.
i. Women were no longer allowed in these assemblies. They lost their importance gradually.

b. Formation of bigger kingdoms led to Kings becoming powerful and tribal authority becoming territorial. Rashtra indicates territory appears first in this phase

c. Though Election of the chief appears in the text, the post tends to become hereditary. But the Bharata Battle shows Kingship knows no Kinship.

d. The king performed various rituals to strengthen his powers. Some of them are
i. Ashvamedha – Unquestioned control over an area in which the royal horse ran uninterrupted.
ii. Vajapeya- Chariot race
iii. Rajasuya Sacrifice to confer supreme powers
e. Sangrihitri – An officer appointed to collect taxes and tributes
f. Even in this phase, the King did not possess a standing army and tribal units were mustered in times of war.

5. Social Organization

a. Chaturvarna System developed gradually due to the increasing power of Brahmanas as Sacrifice rituals were becoming more common. But even now the Varna system had not advanced very far.

b. The Vaishyas were the common people who paid tributes while the Brahmanas and Kshatriyas lived on the tributes collected from the Vaishyas. The three Varnas were entitled to Upanayana and the recitation of Gayatri Mantra which was deprived to Shudras.

c. Gotra started to appear with Gotra Exogamy begun to be practiced.

d. Ashramas (Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, and Sannyasinwere not well established.

6. Gods, Rituals, and Philosophy

a. The cult of Brahminical Influence developed with growing rituals and sacrifices.

b. Indra and Agni lost their importance while Prajapati acquired the supreme position with Rudra and Vishnu having important positions

c. Signs of idolatry started to appear

d. People worshipped god for material reasons

e. Sacrifices became more important with sacrificial rituals and formulae accompanying sacrifices

f. The guest was called as Goghana or one who was fed on cattle.

g. Brahmans demanded golds, cloth, horses along with territories/lands as part of their sacrificial gifts.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE FIRST COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO HUMANS IN DREAMS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED

Pioneering Communication in Lucid Dreams: REMspace's Historic Achievement Silicon Valley startup REMspace has reached a remarkable milestone by enabling the first-ever communication between two individuals in separate lucid dreams. This innovative feat not only expands our understanding of sleep but also opens new avenues for dream-based interaction. How It Works: The Science of Dream Communication On September 24, 2024, two participants engaged in a groundbreaking experiment while they slept in their own homes. Utilizing advanced neurotechnology, their brain activity was monitored as they entered lucid dream states—moments when they are aware they are dreaming and can often exert some control over their dreams. In the experiment, once the first participant became lucid, they received a “Remmyo” word through earbuds. The participant then repeated this word in their dream, and the response was recorded on a server. Shortly after, the second participant, also ...

Tumbbad: A Cinematic Journey into Greed, Generations, and Unspoken Political Commentary

Tumbbad: A Cinematic Journey into Greed, Generations, and Unspoken Political Commentary Tumbbad, a haunting and visually arresting film, offers much more than just a thrilling story. While the film has earned widespread recognition for its gripping narrative and unique cinematography, there are deeper layers within the movie that deserve closer inspection. In this blog, I’ll explore how Tumbbad tackles themes of greed, generational legacies, and political commentary that often go unnoticed. These layers elevate it from a mere horror-fantasy to a profound commentary on society and human nature. The Core Theme of Greed At its heart, Tumbbad revolves around one key theme: greed . The entire plot unfolds around this destructive force, shaping characters and their decisions. Vinayak, the protagonist, is driven by an insatiable desire for wealth. His greed for gold mirrors that of Hastar, the ancient deity cursed for coveting both food and treasure. This generational curse of g...

Bringing Back the Beast: Colossal Biosciences’ Dire Wolf Experiment Sparks Global Buzz

Bringing Back the Beast: Colossal Biosciences’ Dire Wolf Experiment Sparks Global Buzz A futuristic lab with scientists working on DNA editing Caption: Inside Colossal Biosciences’ lab – where science meets the Ice Age In a move straight out of science fiction, Colossal Biosciences, a Dallas-based biotech company, has taken the internet by storm after unveiling three genetically engineered canines designed to resemble the extinct dire wolf. Named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, these pups are part of the company's bold venture into the world of de-extinction.  Side-by-side comparison of a dire wolf skeleton and a modern gray wolf Caption: How dire wolves differ from today’s gray wolves Using ancient DNA from dire wolves that vanished around 12,000 years ago, Colossal’s scientists employed CRISPR gene-editing technology to alter the DNA of gray wolves. They focused on 20 specific genetic sites, adding traits like a larger skull, stronger build, and distinc...

Stanford students build chatgpt-4 AR Glasses

In an impressive feat of technological innovation, a team of Stanford University students has built a prototype of ChatGPT, a next-generation conversational AI, into augmented reality (AR) glasses. The ChatGPT is a cutting-edge AI model designed by OpenAI, a leading AI research laboratory. It uses deep learning to generate human-like responses to text prompts, and has been used in a variety of applications such as chatbots, customer service, and language translation. The Stanford students took this technology to the next level by integrating it into AR glasses, allowing users to have natural and interactive conversations with the AI as if it was a real person. The glasses are equipped with microphones and cameras that pick up the user's voice and movements, allowing the AI to respond in real-time. The students worked on the project for several months, and faced numerous technical challenges along the way. They had to create a customized interface for the...

First Bionic Eye Created by MVG

First Bionic Eye About It Hey guys this is very good news for every one who wants to see the world by there own eyes.And it is done the MVG(Monash Vision Group) of Monash University. They work hard on this project from decades. And they finally succeeded to achieve there goals. In previous decades many scientists found bionic solutions to help people.But it not useful for large scale. And in future we replace the natural eye to bionic eye. And it is fully work on the  Al based system, we see all types of color which human eye can't see . Where it developed Australian University Develops World's First Bionic Eye To fully cure the blindness of any people in the world.It is developed by professors and there team in Monash University. How it Work Basically it transmitted the optic nerves signals to the brain which is very useful area for vision .And brain the signals from Ratina. In this device user should wear a headgea...

Maurya Period (UPSC-NOTES)

                       Mauryan Empire.          The Mauryan Empire started from Magadha was founded in 321 BC by  Chandragupta Maurya . Mudrarakshasha written by Vishakadatta beautifully summarizes the rise of Chandragupta Maurya with the help of Chanakya. Chandragupta Maurya patronized Jainism. Pataliputra, modern-day Patna was the capital city of Mauryan Empire. .Expansion of Mauryan Empire Mauryan Empire was one of the world's largest empires of that time and expanded to an area of 5,000,000 km2. Leaving the parts of NE India, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Mauryans ruled over the rest of Indian Subcontinent. .Imperial Organization Accounts of Megasthenes in his book  Indika  and the  Arthashastra  (written by Kautilya) describe the elaborate arrangements made in the Mauryan administration, society and economy. The empire was divided into provinces which were under Pr...

Let's Pay Back To Society

A man wearing a torn dhoti and torn shirt arrived at a large hotel with his 15-16 year old daughter. Seeing both of them sitting on a chair, a waiter placed two glasses of clear cold water in front of them and asked - what to bring for you? The man said- "I promised my daughter that if you come first in class 10 in the district , I will feed you a meal in the largest hotel in the city." It fulfilled the promise. Page bring a plate for this. The waiter asked- "What to bring for you?" "He said-" I have only one plate of money. "Hearing the whole thing, the waiter went to the owner and told the whole story and said-" I want to feed both of them a meal. Right now I have no money, so you deduct the bill amount from my salary. "The owner said-" Today we will party the success of this promising daughter on behalf of the hotel. " The hoteliers celebrated a table well with the wedding and very brilliantl...

KAILASH KATKAR The Computer Healer

Know, how did this person who read 10th made a big company making antivirus If any person gets up in one direction, then slowly progressing, he attains his destination. Such are the figures by cutting Kailash of Pune, who despite having only tenth pass conch shells, save crores of computers, mobiles from viruses. Kailash Katkar was born in Rahmatpur, a small village in Maharashtra, his home was in poor financial condition. His father worked as a machine center in Pune. Due to poor financial condition of the family, Kailash Katkar had to quit his studies after 10th standard. After this, he started working in a mobile repair shop to help his family financially. Here they used to get around 400 rupees per month. In the early days he worked from cleaning the shop to fetching tea, as he has a penchant for learning about the inside.] For a long time he worked there and after that he moved to Mumbai where he spent a few months Took mobile and computer training. Alon...

Padamshri Shamshad Begum

Once a fight was fought against the land mafia alone, today ' Shamshad Begum ', who made women self-reliant by educating women, was honored with the Padma Shri Who says women are weak. If a woman is determined to do any work, she can make the impossible possible. A direct example of this is Shamshad Begum, a resident of Balod district of Chhattisgarh. Who not only worked for the upliftment of women but also raised his voice single-handedly to remove the evils spread in the society. He did the work of making women self-reliant and has also fought alone against people like land mafia. She along with her colleagues have made 12,269 illiterate women literate. In view of his social work, the Government of India has honored him with the Padma Shri. It was not so easy for Shamshad Begum to do the work of uplifting the society alone. Let's know the inspirational journey of his life. Dedicated her life to improve the societ...

DragGan AI: Revolutionizing Drag Artistry with Artificial Intelligence

Title: AI DragGan: Changing Drag Imaginativeness with Computerized reasoning As of late, man-made consciousness (simulated intelligence) has made critical headways across different fields, and its effect on the imaginative business is no exemption. DragGan AI, a ground-breaking technology that is reshaping the drag artistry industry, is one such illustration. DragGan AI creates stunning and novel drag looks by combining the skill of drag performers with the power of deep learning algorithms. In this article, we will investigate the abilities of DragGan man-made intelligence and the effect it has had on the drag local area. The Origin of DragGan AI DragGan AI was created by a group of researchers and drag fans who saw the potential of artificial intelligence to improve and broaden the art form of drag. The group utilized a procedure called Generative Ill-disposed Organizations (GANs), a type of AI, to prepare the simulated intelligence model. The generator and discriminator ...