The Aryans and the Vedic Age

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The Aryans and the Vedic Age
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Decline of the Indus River Valley civilizations

• Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were the largest cities
• Civilizations participated in long-distance trade
• Possible causes
• Monsoons destroyed irrigation and farming
  prospects
• Invasions
• Long distance trade collapsed

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Aryans

• Root of the word is arya meaning noble or
  pure
• Spoke an early form of Sanskrit
• This Indo-European language is closely related to
  Persian, Latin, Greek and modern Romance
  languages
• Nazis glorified Aryans as a superior race because
  they were credited with this important language
  development

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Aryans

• Where did they come from?
• Most scholars argue that the Aryans descended
  upon North India through the Hindu Kush around
  1500 BC
• Some scholars now think that they arrived much
  earlier, and perhaps descended from the Harappan

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Aryans and Vedas

• Vedas
• A collection, in multiple volumes, of hymns,
  rituals, and philosophies
• The vedas include stories that attempt to explain
  how the world was created, who the gods are, etc.
• Thought to be the earliest written texts

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Aryans and Vedas

• Rig Veda
• The earliest Veda
• Originally was recited orally and passed down
  generation to generation
• Children began learning the Rig Veda at an early
  age, would learn to chant each syllable in
  perfect order

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Aryans and Vedas

• Portrays Aryans as fierce warriors with military
  skill
• Aryans did not spread through India quickly, did
  not carry out well organized military campaigns
• Aryans were a collection of tribes who gradually,
  over generations of warring with each other came
  to power in North India

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Aryans and Social Order

• Each tribe was headed by a raja, or chief
• Priests were next in importance
• They learned complicated rituals
• Rituals typically focused on honoring or
  appeasing the gods

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Aryans and Social Order

• Warrior class
• Farmers
• Non-Aryans made up the lowest class
• They were not slaves
• They were only allowed to perform the most menial
  tasks

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Early Indian Society

• 1000-500 BC
• Tribal rajas were no longer necessary because
  tribal life was in decline
• Kings controlled large pieces of territory
• The Aryan-influenced areas extended all the way
  to the Ganges River

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Caste System

• The system of dividing society into hereditary
  groups that limited interaction with each other,
  especially marriage between castes
• The hierarchical strata into which Indian society
  was divided is called varna

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Caste System

• Brahmans (priests)
• Kshatriya (warriors and officials)
• Vaishya (merchants and artisans)
• Shudra (peasants and laborers)
• Dalit, or untouchables outside the caste system

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Varna
Social Hierarchy
Brahmins
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Shudras
Outcasts Harijan ? Untouchables
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The castesupper class
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BRAHMAN

• They are the priestly class, who are entitled to
  study the Vedas, which are the sacred scriptures,
  and perform rites rituals for themselves and for
  others.
• They are the men between the gods and the people.
  They are expected to show excellent behavior and
  spend their lives in the pursuit of divine
  knowledge and preservation the traditions of
  Hinduism.

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KSHATRIYAS

• They are the warrior class, who are commanded to
  protect the people,  give gifts to the Brahmins,
  offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors, study the
  Vedas, and dispense justice.
• It was their responsibility to protect the caste
  system and the social order and lavish the
  priests with generous gifts at every
  opportunity. 

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The castesmiddle class
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VAISYAS

• They are the merchant and peasant classes, who
  are expected to tend cattle, offer sacrifices,
  study the Vedas, trade, lend money and farm the
  land.
• They had the right to perform and participate in
  certain Vedic rituals but they were not allowed
  to marry women of higher castes. 

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The casteslowest classes
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SUDRAS

• The are the laboring class, whose only duty is to
  serve the other three castes. 
• They were not required to observe any Vedic
  rituals. They were not allowed to study the Vedas
  or even hear the sacred chants.
• They were not allowed to eat food in the company
  of higher castes or marry their women. 

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HARIJAN/DALITS
also called Untouchables

• The lowest of the sudras were called harijan or
  the untouchables. They were outside of the caste
  system because of their religious practices,
  rites and unclean habits.
• In ancient times they were not allowed to enter a
  village or city during day time or walk in the
  same street where men of other castes walked.

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HARIJAN/DALIT (cont)

• Even their shadow was considered impure and
  seeing an untouchable was considered bad luck.
• So they lived mostly on the edges of society,
  unknown and uncared for, and working in
  graveyards or as hunters, butchers and
  professional cleaners of human waste.

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Leprosy A disease that still exists, but used
to be considered a sign of unclean spirits.
Those infected were shunned. It is a
bacterial infection that causes open skin scores,
and nerve damage.
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