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The work 'culture' and 'civilization' are not easy words to understand. Broadly speaking, we can say that 'culture' is the way of life of a group of people. On the other hand, 'civilization' is often viewed as a complex mix of elements that include writing, government, law, cities, monumental architecture and art. The word 'civilization' has its origin in the Latin word 'civilis' which means 'citizen'. The city was an essential feature in the development of a particular civilization. The city was not only the centre of power and organisation, but also of culture and religion. People lived in these cities. The way they lived, the beliefs they held, etc. made them evolve into a particular civilization. The Indo-Aryan civilization [B.C. 2000 to A.D. 700] was different from other civilizations. When other civilizations were busy in art and architecture, Indo-Aryans were busy in forming philosophy. Their philosophy became the tenets of the Hindu philosophy, and is still widely accepted and practised. The Indo-Aryan civilisation was essentially material. The sages of the Rig Veda were not meditative but practical, gifted men of the world. The men of this civilization in the early period [2000 B.C. to 1000 B.C.] did not distinguish themselves in shaping arts like the Egyptians and the Babylonians. We have practically no sculpture, paintings or monuments of the period. But they developed their language (Sanskrit) to a remarkable extent and left behind a vast literature- The Vedas. The Aryans didn't originally belong to India. They came from Central Asia. At the time of the Aryan invasion, Dravidians were living in India. The descendents of this race are now found in South India, around Chennai. The historians assume that Aryans spread out to other countries from Central Asia, when they faced food shortage. They came to India in crowds over the mountains in Kashmir. The Indo-Aryans in the early period were mainly dominated by the military and predatory spirit. The Gods were often called upon to destroy the aboriginal tribes, whom the called 'Black-skinned' Dasyus or Dasas (robbers). And as these people were a community of sturdy warriors, they not only fought with their natural enemies - the aboriginal tribes, but also fought among themselves. Even the Gods were deified as warrior heros like Pitris, Vivasvan, Yama, Trita, Vishnu and Mataricva. The early Vedic people were full of animal spirits and of the joyousness of youth, and their amusements and enjoyments were more or less of a sensuous character- drinking, feasting, singind and dancing. They were fond of fermented beverages, prepared with the juice of a plant called Soma. So great was the worship, that the Soma plant came to be worshipped as a deity and one entire book of the Rig Veda is dedicated to it. In Arts, The Vedic people trailed behind the Egyptians and the Babylonians. We have no examples of decoratively furnished, elegant houses and of tombs. There are references in the Rig Veda to carpentry, weaving, bleaching, gold ornaments, iron and skin utensils and implements of war. But hardly any mention is made of mansions, sculptures and pillars. In fact, poetry was to Indo-Aryans what sculpture and painting were to the Babylonians and Egyptians. In comparison to the other communities, the Vedic community enjoyed considerable freedom. During the early part of the Vedic period, the government was a limited monarchy. The Aryan territory was divided into a number of petty states. Each state was governed by a Rajan who was elected by the people, congregated in an assembly (Samiti). The word 'Rajan' originally meant 'one who had a seat in the Samiti' amd symbolised an autocratic monarch only in the later period. In the social set-up, women were not secluded. They were educated. Several of the hymns of the Rig Veda were composed by female Rishis. A fitting example to support this can be seen in the Ramayana, when, in a meeting of theologians convened by King Janak of Mithila, a learned lady named Gargi carried on a serious discussion with the sage Yajnavalkya. Young ladies even had a voice in their marriage. Numerous cases of 'Swayamvar' (when a lady selected her own husband from a group of eligible-grooms) are mentioned in The Mahabharata and other literary works of the period. Surprisingly, the practice of child-marriage wasn't practised during this period. In a hymn of the Rig Veda, Visvavasu, the God of marriage, is said to have been asked to go to some maiden who has "attained the signs of marriage - whose person is well-developed" and "unite her to a husband". Caste system too didn't prevail during this period. Talent was accoladed. Anyone who can compose hymns which attracted the attention and commanded the admiration of the people was honoured with the appelation of "Brahman". Even the word "brahman" had no caste connotation. It simply meant a sage, an officer of prayer. A man who rose to distinction in a profession of arms was eulogised as "Kshatriya". But both the categories of people were "Vis" i.e. one of the people. As a matter of fact, throughout the Rig Veda, except in one of the last hymns, the whole Aryan colony - the Kings, Priests and others were included under the name "Vis". Knowledge was soon freed from the bonds of dogmatic relgion. It was during this period that the Hindu Philosophy saw its early beginnings. Importance was attracted to truthfulness. So rigid was the urge for truth that even max Muller remarked, "What I admire in Indian philosophers is that they never try to deceive us as to their principles and consequences of their theories. If they are idealists, even to the verge of nihilism, they say so." The four systems of philosophy - The Samkhya, the Yoga, The Nyaya and the Vaisesika are still the grandest monuments of Indian philosophy. In them, we have some of the most important scientific truths of the present day. Despite such large volumes of literature, we do not have exact information in regard to the economic progress. However, we do know that the banking transaction was regularly carried on and loans on security were fixed at 15% per annum. The Aryan territories gradually covered a considerable wider area, population increased and the viscious caste-system took birth. People were divided into four classes - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. The fourth one was excluded from all privileges. The duty ascribed to them was to serve the three higher classes. The plight of the lower class disturbed a few conscientious people. As a result, two important socio-religious movements - Buddhistic Hinduism and Pauranik Hinduism were inaugurated for the elevation of the fourth class. As time rolled on, the hymns, which the bards of olden times had sung, became more and more antiquated. Like all other civilizations, the Indo-Aryan civbilization also crumbled leaving behind a mass of literature and one of the most vivid languages in the world - Sanskrit. |
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