Study this in the app →

English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Quick recap: The Vedic age on one page

मराठीत स्पष्टीकरण

The Vedic age · Quick recap · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

Both parts condensed for quick revision: the Vedas and the Rig Veda, Sapta Sindhu, tribes, assemblies, economy and gods of the Early Vedic period, and the Later Vedic texts, spread east, Painted Grey Ware, kingship, varna, ashramas and Upanishadic ideas, with one table and eight mixed questions.

Each idea is explained first in Marathi (मराठी), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Marathi and revise it in English.

वैदिक युग सुमारे इ.स.पू. 1500–600; वेद तोंडी चालत आलेली श्रुती. पूर्व काळाचा आधार ऋग्वेद — 10 मंडले, 1,028 सूक्ते; 2–7 जुनी, 9 सोमाला, गायत्री 3 मध्ये, पुरुष-नासदीय सूक्ते 10 मध्ये. घरातील जुन्या अल्बममध्ये मधली पाने जुनी आणि पहिली-शेवटची नंतर चिकटवलेली असावीत तसे. बोगाझकोई (तुर्कस्तान) करारात इंद्र, मित्र, वरुण यांची नावे. (→ English: Rig Veda · shruti · हिन्दी: ऋग्वेद · श्रुति)

In exam EnglishThe Vedic age, roughly 1500 to 600 BCE, takes its name from the Vedas, texts handed down by memory as shruti and recognised by UNESCO for their chanting tradition in 2003. For the Early Vedic centuries, roughly 1500 to 1000 BCE, almost everything we know comes from the Rig Veda. It has ten mandalas and 1,028 hymns: books 2 to 7, the family books, are the oldest, book 9 is given to Soma, the Gayatri mantra is in book 3, and the Purusha and Nasadiya Suktas sit in the late book 10. Its language is Indo-European and close to the Avesta, and the Boghazkoi treaty of about 1380 BCE in Turkey invokes Indra, Mitra, Varuna and the Nasatyas. 'Arya' in the hymns is a label of language and culture.

पूर्व वैदिक लोक सप्तसिंधू प्रदेशात — परुष्णी = रावी, विपाशा = बियास, शुतुद्री = सतलज; सरस्वतीची सर्वाधिक स्तुती. टोळ्यांत (जन) राहत; परुष्णीकाठी दाशराज्ञ युद्धात सुदास जिंकला. राजन गुरांचा रक्षक; बली स्वखुशीची भेट. सभा, समिती, विदथ — स्त्रियाही हजर. गुरे हीच संपत्ती — 'किती गायी आहेत?' असे संपत्ती विचारावी तसे. इंद्राची सर्वाधिक सूक्ते, वरुण ऋत राखतो, पूजा यज्ञाने. (→ English: Sapta Sindhu · sabha · samiti · rita · yajna · हिन्दी: सप्त सिंधु · सभा · समिति · ऋत · यज्ञ)

In exam EnglishEarly Vedic people lived in the Sapta Sindhu, the land of the Indus and its Punjab tributaries: the Parushni is the Ravi, the Vipas the Beas and the Shutudri the Sutlej. The Sarasvati is praised most and the Ganga named once. They lived in tribes, each a jana such as the Bharatas and Purus, and in the Battle of Ten Kings, fought by the Parushni, the Bharata chief Sudas, guided by his priest Vasishtha, defeated a coalition of rivals. The rajan protected the tribe and its cattle with the purohita, senani and gramani, and took bali as a voluntary gift. The sabha, samiti and vidatha, the oldest, met with women present. Wealth was cattle; barley was grown; horses drew spoked-wheel chariots; ayas probably meant copper or bronze. Indra had the most hymns, Agni came next, Varuna guarded rita, and worship was by yajna, without temples or images.

उत्तर वैदिक काळात साम, यजुर्, अथर्व वेद, ब्राह्मणे, आरण्यके, उपनिषद ग्रंथ आले. जीवन पूर्वेकडे — दोआब, कोसल, काशी, विदेह. रंगीत धूसर मृद्भांडी, लोखंड सापडले. टोळी जमिनीवर स्थिरावून जनपद झाली — भाड्याच्या घरातून स्वतःच्या घरात गेल्यासारखे. राजांनी राजसूय, अश्वमेध, वाजपेय केले; विदथ गेले, सभा-समिती दुबळ्या झाल्या, बली सक्तीची झाली. (→ English: Upanishad · Painted Grey Ware · janapada · हिन्दी: उपनिषद · चित्रित धूसर मृद्भांड · जनपद)

In exam EnglishIn the Later Vedic period, about 1000 to 600 BCE, the Sama Veda (melodies), the Yajur Veda (ritual formulas, in Shukla and Krishna branches) and the Atharva Veda (charms and spells) were compiled, with the Brahmanas on ritual, the Aranyakas and the Upanishad texts on philosophy, and later the six Vedangas. Life moved east into the Ganga-Yamuna doab, the land of the Kurus and Panchalas, and on to Kosala, Kashi and Videha; a legend in the Shatapatha Brahmana, in which the fire god Agni leads the chief Videgha Mathava eastward until the Sadanira river, preserves the memory of this move. Painted Grey Ware at Hastinapur, Atranjikhera and Ahichchhatra, with iron objects, matches this area. The jana became a janapada, kings performed the rajasuya, ashvamedha and vajapeya with ratnins around them, the vidatha vanished, the sabha and samiti weakened, and bali became a regular payment.

उत्तर काळात नांगराची शेती, भात-गहू; निष्क, शतमान सोन्याची मापे, अजून नाणी नाहीत. समाज कडक झाला: वर्ण जन्माने, एकाच गोत्रात लग्न नाही, तीन ऋणे. तीन आश्रम टप्पे — ब्रह्मचर्य, गृहस्थ, वानप्रस्थ; संन्यास नंतर. बसमधील जागा आधीच आरक्षित असाव्यात तसे — कोण कुठे बसणार ते आधीच ठरलेले. स्त्रियांचे सभेतील स्थान गेले, तरी गार्गी, मैत्रेयी. उपनिषदे: आत्मा = ब्रह्म, ज्ञानाने मोक्ष. (→ English: varna · gotra · ashrama · moksha · हिन्दी: वर्ण · गोत्र · आश्रम · मोक्ष)

In exam EnglishThe Later Vedic economy rested on plough farming, with rice (vrihi) and wheat added to barley, more crafts, and gold measured by the nishka and shatamana, though there were still no coins. Society hardened: the four varna groups were fixed by birth, the twice-born took the upanayana while Shudras were excluded, marriage within one's own gotra was forbidden, and every man owed three debts, to the gods, the seers and the ancestors. Three of the four ashrama stages, brahmacharya, grihastha and vanaprastha, were known, sannyasa coming later. Women lost their seat in the sabha, yet the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad still shows two women, Gargi and Maitreyi, taking part in philosophical debate. Prajapati, Vishnu and Rudra rose; sacrifice grew elaborate; and the Upanishads taught that atman is brahman and that knowledge, not ritual, brings moksha.
At a glance: Early and Later Vedic
ThemeEarly VedicLater Vedic
Datesc. 1500–1000 BCEc. 1000–600 BCE
TextsRig VedaSama, Yajur, Atharva; Brahmanas; Upanishads
RegionSapta SindhuDoab, Kosala, Kashi, Videha
EconomyCattle, barleyPlough farming, rice; iron; PGW
PolityRajan with sabha, samiti, vidathaKings, big sacrifices, ratnins; assemblies weaken
SocietyLoose varna; women in assembliesVarna by birth; gotra; three ashramas
GodsIndra, Agni, VarunaPrajapati, Vishnu, Rudra; Upanishadic ideas

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. In which mandala of the Rig Veda is the Gayatri mantra found?

  1. Mandala 1
  2. Mandala 3
  3. Mandala 9
  4. Mandala 10
Show answer

Answer: B. Mandala 3

Answer (b). Book 3, linked with the seer Vishvamitra, contains this prayer to the sun god Savitri. Mandala 1 (a) is a later collection, mandala 9 (c) is given wholly to Soma, and mandala 10 (d) holds the Purusha and Nasadiya Suktas.

Q2. The Rig Vedic river Shutudri is the modern

  1. Ravi
  2. Beas
  3. Sutlej
  4. Chenab
Show answer

Answer: C. Sutlej

Answer (c). Shutudri is the Sutlej. The Ravi (a) is the Parushni, the Beas (b) the Vipas and the Chenab (d) the Asikni.

Q3. Consider the following statements:
1. Bali in the Early Vedic period was a voluntary offering.
2. The vidatha became the most powerful assembly in the Later Vedic period.
3. Women attended Early Vedic assemblies.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: B. 1 and 3 only

Answer (b). Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the vidatha disappears in the Later Vedic period rather than growing stronger. Options (a), (c) and (d) all include statement 2.

Q4. Which one of the following sites is NOT associated with Painted Grey Ware?

  1. Hastinapur
  2. Atranjikhera
  3. Ahichchhatra
  4. Mohenjo-daro
Show answer

Answer: D. Mohenjo-daro

Answer (d). Mohenjo-daro belongs to the Harappan civilisation and flourished long before Painted Grey Ware pottery was made. Hastinapur (a), Atranjikhera (b) and Ahichchhatra (c) are all Painted Grey Ware sites of the upper Ganga plain.

Q5. Match the text with its main content:
A. Sama Veda 1. Charms and spells
B. Yajur Veda 2. Melodies for chanting
C. Atharva Veda 3. Ritual formulas
Select the correct code:

  1. A-2, B-3, C-1
  2. A-3, B-2, C-1
  3. A-1, B-3, C-2
  4. A-2, B-1, C-3
Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-3, C-1

Answer (a). The Sama Veda gives melodies, the Yajur Veda ritual formulas and the Atharva Veda charms. Option (b) swaps the Sama and Yajur Vedas, (c) gives charms to the Sama Veda, and (d) swaps the Yajur and Atharva Vedas.

Q6. The Shatapatha Brahmana story of Videgha Mathava is usually read as a memory of

  1. the Battle of Ten Kings
  2. the eastward spread of Vedic settlement
  3. the decline of the Harappan cities
  4. the first use of coins
Show answer

Answer: B. the eastward spread of Vedic settlement

Answer (b). In the tale, Agni leads the chief eastward to the Sadanira, and the land beyond becomes Videha, which recalls the clearing of new land to the east. The Battle of Ten Kings (a) is a Rig Vedic event in the Punjab; the story is not about the Harappan decline (c); and coins (d) appear only after the Vedic age.

Q7. Consider the following statements about Later Vedic society:
1. Shudras were excluded from the upanayana.
2. Marriage within the same gotra was forbidden.
3. Sannyasa was the first of the three ashramas.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Answer (a). Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong: brahmacharya was the first stage, and sannyasa was added as a fourth only later. Options (b), (c) and (d) include statement 3.

Q8. Which one of the following gods rose to the top of the pantheon in the Later Vedic period?

  1. Indra
  2. Agni
  3. Prajapati
  4. Varuna
Show answer

Answer: C. Prajapati

Answer (c). Prajapati, the creator, became the leading god. Indra (a) and Agni (b) were the chief gods of the Rig Veda and lost some standing later, and Varuna (d), guardian of rita, was a major Early Vedic god.

← Part 2All parts

Study this in the Upscore app to keep notes, save it for revision, track your practice scores and follow a plan to the exam date. It's free.

Study this in the app →

Sources