The Vedic Civilization

1. Where did Aryans come from?

2. Who were Indo Aryans?

3. Which civilization preceded the vedic civilization?

4. Why is vedic age so named?

5. Which period is covered in vedic age?

6. What are the sources of information of the vedic age?

7. What does the word Veda mean?

8. Who composed Vedas?

9. How many Vedas are there? Name them.

10. What are the sources of information about Aryans?

11. Classify the vedic age.

12.  What is Brahmavarta?

13.  What is Aryavarta?

14. Why is the early Vedic period called Rig vedic age?

15.  Who was

1.  Rajan

2.  Senani

3.  Purohit

4.  Gramani

5.  Grihpati

6. Surya

7.  Varuna

8.  Agni

16. Discuss the social life of early Vedic period

17.  discuss the family system in early Vedic period

18.  what was the position of women in early Vedic period

19.  Define

1. Kula

2. Bali

3. Brahmans

4. Kshatriyas

5. Vaishyas

6. Shudras 

7.  Rajsuya Yagya

8.  ashwamedh Yagya

20.  what food did the early Vedic people use?

21.  discuss the dresses of early Vedic people

22.  what was the recreation in early Vedic period

23.  how was the economic life of early Vedic period?

24.  what were the occupations in early Vedic period?

25. Which Vedas what are the source of information of

1.  early Vedic period

2.  later Vedic period

26.  how were the Other offices of of later vedic age maintained?

27.  discuss the social life in in later vedic age

28.  discuss the four ashramas

29.  discuss the Gurukul system of education

30.  discuss the religious life of later vedic age

31.  discuss the economic life of later vedic age

32.  discuss the caste system in the later Vedic period 

33. 
    

34.  Differentiate between Sabha and Samiti

Sabha	Samiti
It was a council of the elder and important members of the tribe.	It was a General Assembly, where all members of the tribe participated.
It advised the rajan on important issues.	Anyone could speak about problems concerning the tribe.

The Sabha and Samiti kept a check on the powers of the rajan. 

35. Differentiate between Brahmacharya and Sanyasa

Brahmacharya	Sanyasa
It was the stage in which a person received education from his guru.	It was the stage in which a person gave up everything.
The child went to a gurukul and stayed till his education was complete.	The person moved from one place to another preaching the higher values of life.

36. Name the sources from which we get our information about the vedic age

• Vedas are chief sources of information about the vedic age (1500 BCE to 600 BCE)

• archaeological excavations at Hastinapur and Atranjikhera in modern UP also give clues about the vedic age

37.  Describe the political organisation of the Aryans in the early Vedic period

The Aryans were divided into many tribes called janas. Each jana settled in particular area and consisted of a number of villages or gramas. Each village consisted of a number of families. 

People were loyal to the jana to which they belonged. The chief of the jana was called rajan. He was chosen for his strength and bravery. He fought wars and offered prayers on behalf of his people. The Rajan was assisted by many officials:

• the senani 

• the Purohit and 

• the gramani

 People offered voluntary tributes called bali to the Rajan. 

38. Write about the functions of each of the four social classes during the early vedic period

The society was divided into four groups:

• The brahmans were the priests who performed religious rituals and imparted education.

• The kshatriyas were warriors who fought wars.

• The vaishyas worked as farmers, craftsmen, merchants and traders,

• The shudras servedd the other three groups. They were treated like slaves.

39. What do you know about the religious life of the Aryans in the early Vedic period?

The early Aryans worshipped the forces of nature like wind, water, rain, thunder and fire. Indra (the god of rain) was the most important god. He was the destroyer of enemies. Surya (the Sun god), Varuna (the god of the sky) and Agni (the god of fire) were important gods of this period. 

People did not worship any idols. They prayed in the open. They recited hymns and prayers in praise of different gods. On important occasions, people performed Yagnas and made offerings to gods. With time rituals became important and every important event was preceded by an elaborate ritual.

40.  Which two important developments associated with the later Vedic period?

The later Vedic period is associated with two important development:

• The later Vedic texts refer to the use of ‘shyam ayas’ or black metal. This has led historians to believe that iron came to be used in this period.

• The Aryans shifted their base from Saptasindhu (Brahmavarta) to the Gangetic valley (Aryavarta).

41. Describe the political organisation of the Aryans in the later Vedic period

Kingship was no longer tribal. Unlike the Rig vedic age, kings now ruled over territories. Several kingdoms were established during this period.

• The Sabha and Samiti lost their earlier importance.  The king became very powerful and kingship became hereditary. The eldest son usually succeeded the king.

• Kings adopted lofty titles such as ‘Adhiraja’ and ’Samrat’. They also performed sacrifices like the rajasuya to confer supreme power on themselves and the ashvamedha a form of horse sacrifice to assert authority over a territory. 

42. Compare and contrast the position of women during the early and the later Vedic period

Women were respected in early vedic society. They attended the samiti meetings and participated in religious ceremonies. Many girls received education. Some women may have composed hymns.

In the later Vedic period the position of women declined. They no longer participated in the samiti. People welcomed the birth of a son.

43.  Write short notes on: 

1. Gurukul System of Education,

The Aryans sent their sons to gurukul (the residence of the teacher)

• here the pupils lived as members of the guru’s family.

• they learnt the Vedas and subjects like logic, mathematics, grammar and medicine.

• education was imparted orally. At the end of one's education, each pupil paid gurudakshina (fee) to the guru according to his capability.

• the gurukul education was confined to the upper three varnas only. The shudras were not allowed to receive education.

2. Religion during the later Vedic Period

The gods of the Rig Vedic Age lost their importance. Brahma (Prajapati), Vishnu and Shiva became important.  Brahma was worshipped as the creator of the world; Vishnu as the preserver; and Shiva as the destroyer. People began to perform elaborate rituals and animal sacrifices to please the gods. Kings performed large community sacrifices. 

3. vedic texts

The word ‘Veda’ means knowledge. The Aryans composed four Vedas -  Rig Veda,  Yajurveda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. these texts contains hymns in praise of different gods and goddesses. The hymns were recited and passed on orally from one generation to the next until they were finally written down. The brahmins, the upanishads,  the two epics -  Ramayana and Mahabharata  and the Puranas give us information about the Aryans.