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chapter 9 THe vedIc age

After the decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation, came the Aryans around 1500 BC. With the arrival

of Aryans, India took a step forward from a semi nomadic life to a more settled life. In Indian
history, the period 1500 BC to 600 BC is called the Vedic Age as most of the information about this
period is derived from Vedic literature. This literature includes the four Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda,
Yajurveda and Atharvaveda), the Puranas, and the epics—Ramayan and Mahabharata.
The Aryans : Many historians have given various theories regarding the original place of the
Aryans. However the Central Asia Theory, given by Max Muller is the most accepted one. It

states that the Aryans were semi-nomadic pastoral people and originated from area around
the Caspian Sea in Central Asia. A group of these people entered India around 1500 BC and
first settled down around the region of Punjab. They kept on coming in groups. They also
known as Indo-Aryans.

tHe four Vedas
The word ‘Veda’ means wisdom, knowledge or vision. There are four Vedas—Rigveda,
Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharva-veda. They contain hymns in praise of various Gods and
Goddesses. These hymns were recited and passed from one generation to the next. These
Vedas were composed in Sanskrit and are the literary sources of this period.
1. The Rigveda : It is the oldest and most important Veda. It was composed about 3500
years ago by the Aryans. It is divided into 10 mandalas or books and contain 1028
hymns. These hymns are in praise of different Gods and Goddesses and dedicated to
33 different Gods, called Sukta or ‘well said’. The most often addressed Gods are
Indra (a warrior God), Agni (fire God) and Soma (a plant from which a special drink
was prepared). The hymns were generally composed by rishis (sages). Some were
composed by learned women like Gargi and Vishveshwara.
Initially, the Rigveda was not in written form but was passed on orally. Knowledge
passed on in this way is known as shruti. The Vedic teacher took great care to teach
students to pronounce words and memorise hymns correctly.
2. The Samaveda : It is concerned with upasana, i.e., communication with God. It is also
important from the view point of the history of music as the hymns are in musical
rhythm. It is purely a liturgical collection of melodies (saman).
3. The Yajurveda : It is generally called the book of ‘sacrificial prayers’. It consists of
principles and practices of Yajnas. It includes the customs and habits of the people
in general. There were simple sacrifices performed by everyone and grand sacrifices
were done by the kings and wealthy people.
4. The Atharvaveda : It deals with knowledge in general and medical science in particular.
It ranks as the oldest work of Indian medicines. It contains hymns, mantras and
incantations, largely outside the scope of Yajna.

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