Early Vedic Period and Later Vedic period

Early Vedic Period and Later Vedic period are two periods of Vedic period.

Early Vedic period is of a duration of more than 2000 years, starting with the creation of Rig Veda at around 1500 BCE. It ends with Rigveda Samhita. Later Vedic period is a total duration of around 1200 years (1500-500 BCE). Early and Later Vedic are the two major periods in which the vedas were composed  and it is believed that they were composed at continuous intervals.

What is the Early Vedic Period?

The early or archaic Vedic period is the earliest part of the Vedic period, extending from about 1500 BCE to the time of the Rigveda. The Rigvedic hymns were composed from about 1500 BCE to 1100 BCE, after which point the center of Indian culture shifted to the Ganges Plain, with the end of the Brāhmaṇas and before rise of Buddhism in Magadha and Classical Sanskrit in Pāṇini (c. 5th century BCE).

The Early Vedic Period started around 1800 BC and lasted until approximately 1200 BC. It is believed that this period was a formative period for Hinduism as we know it today.

The Upanishads of this age were one of the first individual attempts to formulate the themes of the Upanishads, and many spiritual concepts were developed during this time such as Maya, Atman and Brahman, Karma and Moksha.

This period also saw the development of Vaishnavism. According to Anthony, the Rigveda “shows a clear rise of monotheism in India.”

The term “Early Harappan” is used by archaeologists to denote the first stage of the Indus Valley Civilization, dating to 3000 BCE until 2800 or 2600 BCE. It is called Early Harappan because this period sees the first appearance of a script of Harappan language, the Indus script which was found only in the Mohenjo-daro and Harappa archaeological sites. It is commonly accepted by archaeologists that this period is fairly early from our point of view.

What is the Later Vedic Period?

The later or classical Vedic Period starts with the composition of Rigveda at around 1500 BCE. The end of the Early Vedic period coincides with Rigveda Samhita, which was the last work composed in Bhagavad Gita in 500 BCE or 1000 CE. Later Vedic period witnessed a cultural flowering and the development of Hinduism as we know it today.

The Rigveda has been called the ‘most refined, most perfect and the best of the Vedas.’ It takes the form of a collection of hymns in praise of various gods. During this period, the early Vedic hymns were perfected, forms such as Yajur Veda and Sama Veda were developed and poetic meters became perfected. Later Vedic period is also known as Vedic age.

Difference between Early Vedic Period and Later Vedic period

1) The name of the period of early Vedic period is also called ‘Early Vedic Period’, and later Vedic period is also known as ‘Vedic Period’.

3) The Early Vedic Period covers more than 1800 years, but in the Later Vedic period, it was approximately 1200 years between 1500 and 500 BCE.

4) The Early Vedic people are called by historians as Aryans or Indo Aryans, whereas Later Vedic people are called Hindu people.

5) The Early Vedic period is considered to be a formative period for Hinduism as we know it today. Whereas in the Later Vedic period, Hindu religion has been developed and matured considerably after the classical age of the Rigveda.

6) It is during the Later Vedic period that the concept of Trimurti was developed and first mentioned in ‘Vajasaneyi Samhita’ and later on enriched by the Puranas.

7) The religious texts of Early Vedic Period were developed in a mainly oral society whereas texts of Later Vedic were written in learned sages and Rishis who composed their hymns.  

8) The main language used by Early Vedic people was Sanskrit, whereas during the Later Vedic period the prevalent language used was Prakrit. The Prakrits are a large group of languages that are closely related to Sanskrit such as Pali, Ardha Magadhi, Maharastri etc.

Conclusion:

We have discussed Early Vedic Period vs Later Vedic Period. The Early Vedic people are known as Aryans or Indo Aryans while the Later Vedic people are called Hindu people. The major achievement of the Early Vedic period is the development of Megasthenes’ idea regarding the Brahmanas and Upanishads, which was later depicted by Irenaeus in his work ‘Adv. Haer. III, IV’. The major achievement that stands out during this period is the development of Vedanga hymns in praise of various gods by Hindu sages such as Atharvaveda and Taittiriya Samhita.