Vedic 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 Vedas. The religion centered on a clergy (the Brahmins) 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 Upanishads are also considered Vedic. The Vedas record the liturgy connected with the rituals and sacrifices performed by the purohitas.
The rishis, the composers of the hymns of the Rigveda, were considered divinely inspired seers (or rather "hearers", shrauta means "what is heard").
The mode of worship was performance of sacrifices and chanting of verses. The priests helped the common man in performing rituals. People prayed for abundance of children, cattle and wealth.
The main deities of the Vedic pantheon were Indra, Agni (fire), and Soma. Other deities were Varuna, Surya (the Sun), Mitra, (the wind). Goddesses included Ushas (the dawn), Prithvi (the Earth) and Aditi. Rivers, especially Sarasvati,
were also considered goddesses. Deities were not viewed as
all-powerful. The relationship between the devotee and the deity was
one of transaction, with Agni (the sacrificial fire) taking the role of
messenger between the two. Strong traces of a common Indo-Iranian religion remain visible, especially in the Soma cult and the fire worship also preserved in Zoroastrianism. The Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) has parallels in the 2nd millennium BC Andronovo culture, in India allegedly continued until the 4th century AD.
Vegetarianism, the practice now thought by many to be so characteristic
of Hinduism, arose only in late or post-Vedic times, possibly already
at the time of Panini: The root-compound goghan "slaying cattle", in RV 7.56.17 used parallel to nrhan "slaying men" in reference to the referring to the weapon vadha of the Maruts,
- 17c aaré gohaá nRhaá vadháH vaH astu "far be your cow-slaying, men-slaying weapon!"
in Panini is taught to refer to a "receiver of a cow" exclusively;
this change 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:
- The Soma cult described in the Rigveda, descended from a common Indo-Iranian practice.
- Fire rituals, also a common Indo-Iranian practice, cf. Zoroastrianism:
- The Agnihotra or oblation to Agni
- The Agnicayana, the sophisticated ritual of piling the fire altar.
- The Agnistoma or fire sacrifice
- The Ashvamedha or horse sacrifice described in the Yajurveda
- The Purushamedha or human sacrifice, probably very early reduced to a symbolic sacrifice.
- The rituals described in the Atharvaveda concerned with demonology and magic.
Post-Vedic religions
Vedic religion evolved 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 and Brahman, projected into various deities in the human mind.
Religions considered to be descended from or influenced by Vedic religion include:
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