Later Vedic Period: Society, Religion and Women

Society

Society in the later Vedic period was divided into 4 Varnas: Brahmanas (priests), Kshatriyas (rulers), Vaishyas (agriculturists, traders, and artisans), and Shudras (servers of the upper three classes). The Brahmanas’ influence was strengthened by the rapidly developing cult of sacrifices.

The Vedic jurist felt compelled to tie the society with certain concerted and rigorous rules and regulations.  For this, they invented several social structures, such as the Varna-system, Marriage-system, Samskara, etc.

• Concept of Purushartha: Every man was expected to follow four key responsibilities in his life: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha
• Concept of Chaturashrama: The concept of Chaturashrama means that a person’s span of life is split into four segments or ‘ashramas’, each with its own set of responsibilities based on his age
• Brahmacharya: The first stage of a person’s life is referred to as Brahmacharya, which is spent in celibate, supervised, sober, and pure reflection under the guidance of a Guru, in order to prepare the mind for spiritual knowledge. In this phase, the pupils studied in gurukulas
• Grihastha: It is the householder’s stage, during which one marries and satisfies Kama and Artha in both married and professional lives, during this phase, a person is also expected to discharge his responsibilities towards his family and children
• Vanaprastha: Vanaprastha is a gradual detachment from the material world which involves the renouncement of responsibilities to one’s children, investing more time in religious traditions, and going on holy pilgrimages
• Sanyasa: In the ascetic period, one renounces all worldly attachments to find the Divine in solitude by detaching from worldly existence and peacefully shedding the body for Moksha
• Concept of Samskaras: Created by jurists to provide socio-religious sanctions to any stage of a person’s physical and psychological growth, as well as the need for his social commitment, from his embryonic stage to his death, every aspect of his life was sanctified by such Samskara
• Concept of Varna- system:    In the Later Vedic Period, Varna-System or the caste system became hereditary, which meant that Varna membership was dependent on birth, the system was organised hierarchically and its structure lacked mobility and flexibility

Four specific castes became prominent in the later Vedic period. The Brahmin caste was the most superior and the intellectual class. The main occupation of those belonging to the Brahmin caste was to perform various ceremonies and yajnas. The Kshatriya caste came next after the Brahmin caste. Those belonging to the former were concerned with the administration, war, and protection of a kingdom. Next came the Vaishyas. This varna included the taxpayers, agriculturists, and merchants who were concerned with occupations such as trading, farming, and business. The three (Brahmans, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas) are considered traivarnikas, or men of higher Varnas. The Shudras, on the other hand, remained weak and were forced to work for the traivarnikas. The people belonging to this caste were considered untouchable. The idea of untouchables began to emerge from the notion of purity alongside these four Varnas and it became hereditary too.

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Dietary Habits

Dietary practices from the early Vedic era persisted into the later Vedic period as well. During this time, however, the proportion of non-vegetarian food increased. This was the time of the Vedic sacrifices, which were massive and time-consuming. Animals were sacrificed on a large scale during such occasions.

Similar to the early Vedic period, the Vedic people followed a patriarchal family system. ‘Inter-Varna’ marriages were frowned upon during this period whereas ‘similar gotra/family marriages’ were forbidden.  Marriages-at-will, on the other hand, were disregarded by jurists in order to maintain the patriarchal family system structure.

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Religion

During the later Vedic period a great change was witnessed in the religious segment. New gods and goddesses emerged during this period. Rites and rituals got more importance than the religion itself.

1. The Gods of the Rig Vedic period- Varun, Indra Agni, Usha, and Surya lost their significance. Vishnu (preserver) and Prajapati (creator) became significant gods. Shiva emerged during this period.
2. Sacrifices became more important than prayers. The importance of prayers diminished and rituals became more elaborate. The citizens were advised that if they followed the sacrifice laws, the Gods would have no choice but to favour the performers. The variety of sacrifices increased in number due to the firm belief that Gods were satisfied by various Yajnas.
3. Besides magic, superstitions and blind faith became part of religious life. The priests devoted themselves to finding the hidden meanings of various rites and rituals. The priestly class grew in authority, and they were able to assert the laws of rites and rituals. People began to have a firm belief in rites and sacrifices. Buddhism and Jainism evolved towards the end of this period as a result of this orthodoxy.

Status of Women

Women’s status had deteriorated, unlike the status enjoyed in the Rig Veda. Women were not allowed to participate in public gatherings such as Sabhas and Samitis. They were deprived of their right to various ceremonies such as the Upanayana ceremony. These newer limitations on women were sanctified by religion. Child marriages became common. Her right to education was revoked when she married at a young age.

Furthermore, women were supposed to be fully chaste as it is considered a family’s honor. A woman was supposed to practice monogamy while her husband was free to have more than one wife. Her social mobility was also limited, effectively imprisoning her in her home. She had no choice but to stay at home and work as a housewife. Remarriages were also prohibited, forcing her to live as a widow until she died. Hence, women lost their honoured position in society.

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Conclusion

So this was the scenario of society, religion, and status of women in the later Vedic period. We can see how the society was divided into varnas and how the status of women started deteriorating in the later Vedic period.

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