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# MODULE-1: Ancient India ## THE VEDIC AGE (1500BC-600BC) In the previous lesson, you read about the Harappan Civilization. The Harappans lived in cities and had a well organized trade and craft activities. They also had a script which we have been so far not able to decipher. However, around 1900...

# MODULE-1: Ancient India ## THE VEDIC AGE (1500BC-600BC) In the previous lesson, you read about the Harappan Civilization. The Harappans lived in cities and had a well organized trade and craft activities. They also had a script which we have been so far not able to decipher. However, around 1900 BC these cities began to decline. A number of rural settlements appeared afterwards. These rural settlements show continuity of certain Harappan elements. Around the same time we find archeological evidence of the arrival of new people known as Aryans or Indo-Aryans on the outskirts of the Harappan region. In the present lesson, we shall study the circumstances under which these new people arrived and also learn about the main features of their culture as depicted in the literature called the Vedas. ### OBJECTIVES After studying this lesson, you will be able to: * Learn about the Vedic texts and the nature of their contents * Know about the Aryans and identify the region from where they migrated * Locate the regions inhabited by the Early Vedic (1500BC-1000BC) and the Later Vedic people (1000BC-600BC) * Explain the importance and impact of the use of iron implements which began in Later Vedic period * Identify the changes which appeared in the economic, social, religious and political structures and institutions of the Vedic people over a period extending from 1000 BC to 600 BC. ### 4.1 THE VEDIC TEXTS What is veda? The word veda is derived from the root vid which means 'to know'. The word veda means the sacred knowledge contained in the texts known as Vedic text. Two categories of texts are included in the corpus of the Vedic literature. These are Mantras and Brahmanas. * The Mantra category forms the core of the Vedic texts and has four separate collections: * The Rigveda * The Samaveda * The Yajurveda * The Atharvaveda * The Brahmanas are not to be confused with Brahminical class are prose texts containing the explanations of the mantras as well as the sacrificial rituals. * The four Vedas together with their Brahmanas are also known as shruti 'hearing', that which was directly heard by the sages. * The Aranyakas (literally 'forest writings') and Upanishads (sitting down beside) are mainly appendices to the Brahmanas. * These are also known as the Vedanta (end of the Veda) and contain philosophical discussions.