There are four Vedas – Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. One of the best sources of Ancient Indian History is Vedic literature. Vedas have formed the Indian scripture. The Rigveda is a collection of inspired songs or hymns and is a main source of information on the Rigvedic civilization.
The Vedic period is divided into the Early Vedic Period (1500–1000 BCE) and Later Vedic Period (1000–600 BCE). The Aryans lived in a region or land known as “Sapta Sindhu” or “the land of the seven rivers.” These seven rivers were: Sindhu (Indus), Vipash (Beas), Vitasta (Jhelum), Parushni (Ravi), Asikni (Chenab), Shutudri (Sutlej), and Saraswati.
The Early Vedic period is also known as the Rigvedic period. In this period, the Indo-Aryans lived mostly through pastoral activities and limited agriculture with a smaller economy. They raised cattle, sheep, and goats, which became the symbols of abundance or wealth.
The Vedic period is the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (ca. 1300–900 BCE), was composed in the north between the end of the urban Indus Valley Civilization and a second urbanization which began in the central Indo-Gangetic Plain c. 600 BCE.
The Rigveda contains accounts of conflicts between the Aryas and the Dasas and Dasyus. It describes Dasas and Dasyus as people who do not perform sacrifices (akratu) or obey the commandments of gods (avrata). Their speech is described as mridhra, which could variously mean soft, uncouth, hostile, scornful, or abusive.
The Rigveda is dated as early as 12000 BC – 4000 BC. The Rigveda details the social, religious, political, and economic background of the Rigvedic civilization. The Samaveda is a collection of melodies and is best described as “The Book of Songs”. The Yajurveda, “The Book of Ritual”, is also a collection and was made to meet the demands of a ceremonial religion. The Yajurveda practically served as a guidebook for the priests. The Atharvaveda consists of spells and charms prevalent at its time and portrays a clearer picture of the Vedic society. As the last of the Vedas, this is completely different from the other three Vedas and is next in importance to the Rigveda with regard to history and sociology.
The period that followed the Rigvedic Age is known as the Later Vedic Age. The Aryans had started moving towards the East. They expanded their territory up to the Eastern Gangetic Plains. This expansion is referred to in the Shatapatha Brahmana. Also, several large kingdoms were formed in this period.
The Upanishads were compiled around 600 BC. The Upanishads stressed that one should know atman (self) and realize the relation between atman and Brahman, who was considered the supreme entity at that time. The Upanishads were philosophical texts which taught about right knowledge and belief, and criticized rituals at the same time.
The Later Vedic period came to an end at around 500 BC.
The Vedic people faced many opponents when they expanded; however, they succeeded in their quest for expansion since they used horse-drawn chariots and iron weapons.
Lakshmi Rameshwar Rao
(The writer has a Masters in Adult Education from Jamia Milia Islamia. She has many years teaching experience at the school level as also ten years of experience in book publishing and some published writing in newspapers and more students’ books. Lakshmi has retired and lives in Hyderabad.)
The Gupta Dynasty- Legacy Of Harsha Vardhan: Lakshmi Rameshwar Rao
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