| Vedic Religion |
Article Index for Vedic |
Shopping Vedic |
Website Links For Vedic |
Information AboutVedic Religion |
|
The religion of the Vedic Civilization is the predecessor of classical ''' Hinduism ''', usually included in the term. Its Liturgy is reflected in the text of the Veda s. The religion centered on a Clergy (the Brahmin s) administering Sacrificial rites. Texts considered to date to the Vedic period, composed in Vedic Sanskrit , are mainly the four Vedas , but the Brahmanas , and some of the older Upanishad s are also considered Vedic. The Vedas record the Liturgy connected with the rituals and sacrifices performed by the Purohita s. To the Rishi s, the hymns of the Rigveda and other Vedic hymns divinely revealed and they were rather "hearers", of divine revelation. ('' Shrauta '' means "what is heard"). The mode of worship was performance of sacrifices and Chant ing of hymns (see Vedic Chant ). The Priests helped the common man in performing rituals. People prayed for abundance of children, cattle and wealth. Elements of Vedic religion reach back into Proto-Indo-Iranian times. The Vedic period is held to have ended around 500 BC , Vedic religion gradually diversifying into the historical Dharmic Religions . RITUALS The Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) has parallels in the 2nd Millennium BC Andronovo culture, in India allegedly continued until the 4th century AD. The practice of vegetarianism may already have arisen in late Vedic times: in Panini, the compound ''gohan'' is taught to refer to a "receiver of a cow" exclusively, avoiding a literal translation of "cow-slaying", while ''gohan'' in the Rig-Veda 7.56.17 appears parallel to ''nrhan'' "slaying men" in reference to the weapon ''vadha'' of the Maruts, :17c ''aaré gohaá nRhaá vadháH vaH astu'' "far be your cow-slaying, men-slaying weapon!" This change of interpretation occurred parallel to the rise of, and possibly under the influence of, Buddhism , which began as a reform-movement of the Vedic religion. In later texts, the cow is often described as ''aditi'' and ''aghnya'' (that which should not be killed). Specific rituals and sacrifices of the Vedic religion include:
MONISTIC TENDENCIES Already the Rigveda , in its youngest books (books 1 and 10) contains evidence for emerging Monotheist ic thought. Often quoted are Pada 1.164.46c, :"To what is One, sages give many a title" (trans. Griffith ) and hymns 10.129 and 10.130, dealing with a creator deity, especially verse 10.129.7: :"He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, / Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not." (trans. Griffith) '''' in 1.164.46c means "One Being" or "One Truth". Such concepts received greater emphasis in classical Hinduism , from the time of Adi Shankara at the latest. POST-VEDIC RELIGIONS Vedic religion gradually diversified into the ' Hindu ' paths of Yoga and Vedanta , a religious path considering itself the 'essence' of the Vedas. The Vedic pantheon was interpreted as a unitary view of the universe with God seen as immanent and transcendent in the forms of Ishvara (God's Personal Feature), Paramatma (God's localised feature) and Brahman (God's Impersonal Energies). Religions considered to be descended from the Vedic religion include: Zoroastrianism shares common Indo-Iranian properties with the Vedic religion but it is not a direct descendant. SEE ALSO |