Aryans & The Vedic Aryans & The Vedic Age Age

(1500-500 BC)(1500-500 BC)

Goal Goal How did the Aryans How did the Aryans change early Indian society & change early Indian society &

culture? culture?

What is being What is being described in the described in the

passage?passage?““When they divided Purusha, in how many When they divided Purusha, in how many

different portions did they arrange him? different portions did they arrange him? What became of his mouth, what of his What became of his mouth, what of his two arms? What were his two thighs two arms? What were his two thighs and his two feet called? His mouth and his two feet called? His mouth became the Brahman [priests]; his two became the Brahman [priests]; his two arms were made into the rajanya (or arms were made into the rajanya (or kshatriya) [warriors]; his two thighs the kshatriya) [warriors]; his two thighs the vaishyas [business people]; from his two vaishyas [business people]; from his two feet the shudra [person of the lower feet the shudra [person of the lower working class] was born.”working class] was born.”

Aryans & The Vedic Age Aryans & The Vedic Age (1500-500 BC)(1500-500 BC)

• Aryan Migration – Aryan Migration – Indo-EuropeansIndo-Europeans

- Pastoral - Pastoral cattle, sheepcattle, sheep

- Agriculture- Agriculture

- Wheels, carts, - Wheels, carts, chariotschariots

The Indo-Europeans - nomadic peoples who came from the steppes

Indo-European Migrations

Indo-European Migrations

• English, Spanish, Persian, and Hindi all have origins linked to Indo-European languages

• We can tell where certain tribes settled through their different languages

• Numerous similarities among languages

Indo-European Languages

Indo-European Languages

Sanskrit

writing

The VedasThe Vedas• Sacred literature – four

collections of prayers, spells, & instructions– Rig Veda hymns to Aryan

gods

The Caste System Develops

• Aryan means “noble” (Sanskrit)• Viewed themselves as superior

to native “dasas”

Varna (Social Hierarchy)

ShudrasShudras

VaishyasVaishyas

Kshatriyas Kshatriyas

Pariahs [Dalits] UntouchablesPariahs [Dalits] Untouchables

BrahminsBrahmins

The Caste System

The mouth?

The arms?

The legs?

The feet?

WHO IS…

What is a JATI?

BrahminsBrahmins

Kshatriyas

Kshatriyas

VaishyasVaishyas

ShudrasShudras

Aryan Kingdoms Arise• At first, Aryan chiefs were elected by

the entire tribe• Minor kings struggled for land & power• As a result, the major kingdom of

Magadha developed & expanded

• One of the great epics of India, “Mahabharata”- Reflects the struggles that took place in

India as the Aryans expanded south• This epic indicates that a blending of

culturesbetween Aryans & non-Aryans was taking place

Krishna was a semi-divine hero described as “dark-faced”, and

therefore non-Aryan

Statue of Krishna

Goals of Life = “purusharthas”1) Dharma (right action)2) Artha (Purpose)3) Kama (pleasure)4) Moksha (liberation)

• Excerpt from Mahabharata in which Krishna instructs a young warrior on the proper way to live, fight, and die:

“He who thinks this Self [eternal spirit] to be a slayer, and he who thinks this Self to be slain, are both without discernment; the Soul slays not, neither is it slain…

…But if you will not wage this lawful battle, then will you fail your own [caste] law and your honor, and incur sin…The people will name you with dishonor; and to a man of fame dishonor is worse than death”

How did the Aryans Transform Society in

India?