INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY.docx

**Religion of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization** **The Indus-Saraswati Civilization (also called the Indus Valley Civilization) was one of the earliest and largest urban civilizations, dating from around 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, flourishing in what is today northwest India, Pakistan, and parts of Afgh...

**Religion of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization** **The Indus-Saraswati Civilization (also called the Indus Valley Civilization) was one of the earliest and largest urban civilizations, dating from around 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, flourishing in what is today northwest India, Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan. While much about their religion remains speculative due to the undeciphered script, archaeology provides key insights.** **Features of Indus-Saraswati Religion:** 1. **Polytheistic Nature:** **Mother Goddess Worship: Numerous terracotta figurines of what is believed to be a Mother Goddess suggest fertility worship. This might reflect a society focused on agricultural fertility and nature.** **Male Deities: Some seals, like the famous "Pashupati Seal," depict a horned male figure seated in a yogic posture, identified with proto-Shiva, suggesting the worship of male deities linked to nature and animals.** 2. **Animal Worship:** **Animals played a significant role, seen in seals depicting bulls, elephants, and serpents, possibly symbolizing deities or sacred beings.** 3. **Water and Purification:** **Many sites have large public baths, suggesting ritual bathing as a form of purification, which parallels later Vedic practices.** 4. **Fire Altars:** **Some excavated sites (e.g., Kalibangan) have revealed fire altars, pointing toward rituals involving fire, a practice that aligns with later Vedic fire worship or Agnihotra.** 5. **Ancestor Worship:** **Evidence of burial practices (inhumation and cremation) may suggest belief in life after death and the reverence of ancestors, a theme that persists in later Hindu practices.** **Vedic Religion** **The Vedic religion, which emerged during the later Vedic period (c. 1500 BCE -- 500 BCE), evolved as a continuation of earlier religious traditions but with distinct features that shaped the core of Hinduism.** **Core Components of Vedic Religion:** 1. **Polytheism and Pantheon of Gods:** **The Vedic people worshiped a large number of deities, with natural forces personified as gods.** **Indra: The king of the gods, associated with thunderstorms and rain.** **Agni: The fire god, central to sacrificial rituals.** **Varuna: The guardian of cosmic law (Rta) and the god of oceans.** **Soma: The deity associated with the sacred ritual drink.** 2. **Sacrificial Rituals (Yajna):** **Yajna (sacrifice) was the central religious practice. Offerings were made to gods, primarily through fire, with priests chanting hymns from the Vedas.** **Agnihotra: A daily ritual offering of oblations to fire.** **Soma rituals involved pressing the sacred Soma plant and offering the juice to gods.** 3. **Role of Priests (Brahmins):** **The Brahmins were responsible for performing these elaborate rituals. The priests used Sanskrit to chant the hymns and verses of the Vedas, believed to have the power to invoke the gods.** 4. **Vedic Texts:** **The four Vedas --- Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda --- form the foundation of Vedic religion. The hymns (Samhitas) were accompanied by Brahmanas (ritual manuals), Aranyakas (theological discussions), and Upanishads (philosophical explorations).** 5. **Concept of Rta:** **Rta (cosmic order) was the principle that governed the universe, morality, and human life. Maintaining Rta through rituals and righteous behavior was key to sustaining cosmic harmony.** 6. **Importance of Soma:** **Soma, both a deity and a sacred ritual drink, was central in Vedic rituals, believed to bring immortality and divine insight.** 7. **Gods of Abstract Principles:** **Over time, deities of abstract principles emerged. For instance:** **Brahmanaspati: A god of sacred word and speech.** **Prajapati: Lord of all creatures, hinting at a more abstract sense of cosmic creation and control.** **Vedic Philosophy** **Vedic philosophy evolved from the ritualistic practices of early Vedic religion to more profound metaphysical reflections, especially seen in the later Upanishads.** 1. **The Concept of Brahman:** **Brahman is the ultimate reality or cosmic principle that pervades everything in the universe. It is formless, eternal, and transcendent, forming the basis of all existence.** **The philosophical inquiry focused on understanding the nature of Brahman and its relation to the individual soul.** 2. **Atman and Brahman:** **Atman refers to the individual soul or self. In the Upanishads, the realization that Atman (self) and Brahman (universal soul) are one and the same is central to achieving moksha (liberation).** 3. **Karma and Rebirth:** **The concept of Karma (action and its consequences) and the cycle of samsara (rebirth) became crucial. The Upanishads introduced the idea that one's actions in this life determine the circumstances of future births.** 4. **Moksha:** **Moksha, or liberation, is the ultimate goal --- the realization of the unity of Atman and Brahman, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and achieving spiritual freedom.** 5. **Advaita and Dualism:** **Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism) later emerged as a dominant philosophical interpretation, positing that there is no distinction between the self (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman).** **Other schools, such as Dvaita (dualism), emphasized the distinctness of individual souls and God.** 6. **Meditation and Knowledge (Jnana Yoga):** **The Upanishads emphasized self-realization through meditation, reflection, and Jnana (knowledge) over rituals. The path of knowledge leads to enlightenment and the realization of Brahman.** **Connection Between the Two Traditions** **Though distinct, the religious practices of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization and the Vedic tradition may have overlapped. The worship of a proto-Shiva figure, fire altars, and purification through water in the Indus Valley resemble later Vedic traditions. Some scholars argue that elements of Vedic religion may have evolved out of earlier Indus practices, suggesting a continuity between the two, though this remains a debated topic in academia.** **The gradual shift from ritualistic sacrifices to metaphysical inquiry marked the transition from Vedic religion to what we now recognize as early Hindu philosophy.**