History of
Hinduism: Pre-Vedic and Vedic AgeDomenic
Marbaniang, 2015
[A summary]
History of Hinduism:
1.
General Understanding: ‘Hindu’ was not historically
associated with its present position as a religion.
2.
According to Nehru, ‘Arya Dharma’ term was used
in general to inclusively identify Indian originated religious systems. [A
claim of Buddha’s way to salvation said to be Arya Path]
3.
Nehru held that ‘Sanatana Dharma’ could refer to
any ancient religion in India
4.
‘Dharma’, which is understood today as religion,
was actually a duty, way of righteousness, or a right way of living.
5.
Burton Stein, in his book A History of India,
necessitates distinction between Arya Brahmanism and Hinduism that took form in
early centuries of present era.
6.
Brahmanism-related with caste-oriented system of
religion to be the Superior priestly class but now immensely criticized by
lower caste people
7.
‘Hindu’, a geographical term for Historians used
to denote inhabitants beyond Sindhu or Indus river
8.
Hindu was derived from Sindhu. India was derived
from Indus. They were same.
9.
Hindu has been used in connection with a
religion only in recent times.
10. John
Keay, in his book India: A History, notes Sindhu as Sanskrit word for River
i.e. Sapta-Sindhu means Seven rivers to which Vedic Arya called Punjab.
11. In
ancient Persian language, a near relative of Sanskrit, initial ‘S’ of Sanskrit
was rendered as aspirated ‘h’. Hence, Sindhu became Hindu.
12. When
the word found its way to Greek in which initial aspirate was dropped, it
appeared as ‘Ind’. [India, Indus, etc. and this form reached Latin and European
language]
13. In
Arabic and related language, ‘h’ sound was retained giving name Hindustan by which
Mughal and Turks knew India.
14. The
land is twice referred as Hoduw in the Bible during extension of kingdom of
Persian king Xerxes to India in 5th century BC.
15. There
seems many similarities among Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian and Indian
Polytheism. Gods-goddesses seemed identical but myths and theology differed
along Linguistic, Historic and Geographic lines.
16. Classical
Hinduism differ from other polytheistic religions in term of elevation of
Brahmin and caste-system.
17. Later,
a number of philosophical interpretations were allowed in Hinduism to fit in
inclusivist pluralism. Thus making it look like anything other than foreign and
Indian Heterodox religions.
18. Essence
of Brahminic Hinduism: Sacredness of Vedas, Caste, belief in various forms of
practices or devotion, and belief on naturalistic theology i.e. God and nature
differ in degree and experience but not in substance.
India: The Land of Hindus only?
1.
Since history, present India has been home for
many tribes that have had nothing to do with Aryan Hinduism,
2.
Tribal religions of North-Eastern region, Chota
Nagpur Plateau and Himalaya region had no contact with Hinduism until late 20th
century.
3.
Hinduism, as known and practiced among people of
Plain regions in Aryan and Dravidian regions was unknown to them.
4.
Recently, movement among the Southern Dravidians
is going against Historical Sanskritization of their language, culture and
religion and Brahmin missionaries.
5.
Earliest Tamil literature developed before onset
of Sanskritization and distinct from it.
6.
Sanskritization began influencing the South
after first few centuries CE and Tamil deities and worship forms got adapted to
Northern Sanskrit forms.
7.
However, flourishing thriving Tamil culture made
Tamilnadu the central region for development of Hinduism after establishment of
Muslim Mughal Empire in the North.
8.
Indigenous Tamil deities got absorbed into
Aryan, Vedic deities.
9.
Some Dravidian groups opposed Sanskritization
against damages made to Dalits by Cast-promoting Brahmanism.
10. BR
Ambedkar publicly condemned Manusmriti due to oppression over Dalits by 20th
century.
11. He
was though influenced with Biblical message of liberation, never considered to
be in Christianity because the converted ones did not reflect life like Jesus
and caste-system was prevailing even in churches.
12. Even
other reformers and revivalist condemned Manusmriti admitting it as plot of
Muslim rule and accepted Bhagavad Gita as Adi Manusmriti.
Historical Overview:
1.
Itihaasas try to give historical timeline of
Hindu world but modern Historians do not accept it as authoritative but mere
mythology.
2.
Hindus generally consider Manu as their
progenitor who survived the great flood. He is considered as first king and
first law giver. Manusmriti is hence considered the first law book in the
history.
3.
Historicity of Manu has not yet been established
but the date of Great Flood discovered was found close to Biblical date of
Great Flood [3012 BC]. However, Manusmriti has been dated to 2nd or
1st century BC.
4.
There are few similarities but many differences
between Manu and Biblical Noah. The stories of Great Flood can also be traced
back to almost many ancient civilization cosmologies.
Pre-Vedic Age [c3000-1700 BC]
1.
Earliest traces of some form of Indian
sub-continent religion were discovered at Harappan civilization.
2.
Modern scholarship favour a theory that the
civilization was closer to Dravidian than to Aryan.
3.
Parpola, a specialist in Indus script from
Helsinki University, suggested that underlying Indian script language was
proto-Dravidian and their deities were later borrowed by Aryans.
4.
Iravatham Mahadevan, Indian scholar on Indus
script, presented evidences that Indus language was actually an early form of
the Dravidian. He concludes, migration of Indus population Southwards, the
Indus Dravidian influenced South Dravidian languages. Vedic age succeeded Indus
civilization and Rig Vedas itself is a product of composite culture. The time
period between Indus text and Rig Veda must have been long to account for
mythologisation seen in Vedic equivalent of Indus names and title.
5.
It is still unknown what happened to Harappan
civilization and the reason Vedic writings doesn’t mention it.
6.
As discontinuities between Harappan and Vedic
culture: absence of horse and chariots from Harappan that were definite
features of Indo-Aryan societies, essential character of Harrapan urbanization,
commerce system and civic life never mentioned in Vedic writings, no mention of
script or seals in Rig Veda and
sculpture representation of the human body seems unknown to Rig Veda.
7.
Harappan seemed to believe in divine immanence
to a naturalistic extent, polytheistic environment, idolatrous, priest craft
and burial custom.
8.
Historians now has found evidence of the
presence of Harappan merchants in Sumer during Ur iii period. It seems from
various seals that they had contact with Lagash, Ur, Kish, Umma during which
Abram left Ur to move towards Palestine.
9.
Harappan religion was as polytheistic,
idolatrous, and nature-related as was the Sumerian and Chaldean.
10. Both
Dravidians and Aryans had their origin in Sumer or plains of Shinar from where
they dispersed. This might explain the similarity among Great Flood of Manu,
epic of Gilgamesh and Great Flood of Noah.
Vedic Age (c. 1750-600 BC)
1.
Whether Aryans really immigrated or they were
original inhabitants is still a debatable issue.
2.
Brahminic Mission theory and Asura composition
of Rig Veda theory. However, we have no established facts except theories
regarding the origin.
3.
Aryan religion as practiced in the Rig Veda was
simpler and devoid of the caste-system.
4.
James Wheeler in book History of India separated
Vedic age from Brahminic age/Puranic age. No caste system during Vedic age and
Brahmins were hardly a separate community. In Brahminic age, Brahmins were of
high level with vast spiritual powers. Cste system introduced. Old Vedic gods
passing away from memory and giving rise to leading Brahminic deities Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva.
5.
But, BR Ambedkar thought that it is untrue to
consider caste-system was absent from Vedic age. He tried pointing that forth
caste Shudra was not original to Vedic age. Even if Vedas had shlokas about
caste system, it has been thought to be later interpolation by Brahmin priests.
6.
However, the claim of absence of caste system in
Vedic age is not accepted due to mentioning of four castes many times.
Important point is that Rig Veda doesn’t mention Shudra as separate varna.
7.
The Vedas are considered to have been orally
passed on and put to writing only later.
8.
Four main divisions of Vedas: Samhitas,
Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. Rig, Sama, Yajur, Atharva were four
Samhitas.
9.
Max Muller, an authority on Sanskrit language,
considered Vedic religion primarily involved in worship of Sky God or Heavenly
Father.
10. He
thought that personification of natural elements (rain, fire, air, et al.) turned
to deification of these as deities.
11. James
Wheeler classified Vedic gods as Rain, Fire, Air and Death.
12. Surendranath Dsgupta thought that Vedic
deities were impersonal in nature. He classified gods as terrestrial,
atmospheric and celestial.
13. Subodh
Kapoor divides Vedic gods into gods of earth, gods of atmosphere and gods of
heaven.
14. Evidence
also shows that various names considered now as deities were not different
deities but assigned to one particular god indeed.
15. Self
itself is considered to be only true reality in Upanishads having both form and
formless,
16. Oneness
verse of Vedas seem to fit well with later non-dualistic interpretations of
reality.
17. To
know Creation and Dissolution at the same time means to transcend the
phenomenal world of time, birth, death, and history and be eternal. The Veda
aims at eternal life; but finds a possibility only in the inherent immortality
of the Self.
18. Gods
and demons seem co-equal in power in Vedic literature but later demons became
less powered. According to Conway, demons in Indian literature were previously
gods who were demonized later.
19. Possibly,
the politics of demonization began in Persia leading to migration of some
tribes, whose gods were demonized, into Asia. The word deva for Brahmins mean
deity but devil to Parsees.
20. Muller
considered Asura to be oldest name for living gods, another theory presents
them as original inhabitants of India that absorbed Aryan influx and became Rig
Vedas authors, whereas as per C.N. Rao, they were first gods of India.
21. Humans
regarded mortals in Vedas and Manu’s race. There is no mention of reincarnation
yet during Vedic period.
22. Concept
of sacrifice is integral to Vedic religion. A means of obtaining blessing,
protection and ascendance to realm of gods.
23. No
mention of temple in Vedic period and no record of idol worship. There is
mention of altars. Altars had cosmic relationship: it was earth’s extremest
limit and sacrifice was center of world. Astronomical, geographical and
mathematical calculations came into play during its construction.
Shatapatha Brahmana
1.
Meaning: Hundred paths
2.
Orally passed from generation to generation
until written in about 300 BC.
3.
Valuable source of information about thought and
life of the Vedic people.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: 7th
century BC.: philosophical mind of Vedic period, distinct from Vedic Karmic
practices and takes recourse to mystical musings, rebels against hegemony of
gods over humans, declares human self to be the source of even gods and
salvation through self-realization.
We have
seen the Vedic age to be an age of altars, sacrifices, gods, demons, and
spirits. But,
a breakthrough is seen in the denunciation of both the altar and the caste through
the proclamation of the non-dual Self in the Upanishad.
Summary
1. The four Vedas are the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva
Vedas.
2. Vedic religion seems to be popularly polytheistic, with
deities such as Indra, Mithra-Varuna, Surya, and Agni being prominent; however,
there is also evidence that these were but names of the One God that the Vedas
worshipped (RV.1.164.46).
3. Vedic religion saw a gradual division of the Devas (gods)
from the Asuras who were demonized later on. 4. The caste-system seemed to be slowly developing through the Vedic period.
5.
Vedic sacrifices were offered for the expiation of sins, for natural blessings,
for protection from enemies, and for salvation of soul.
6.
There is yet no indication of the doctrine of reincarnation of souls.
7.
While the Brahmanas are karmic in nature and have detailed instructions for those who wish
to perform sacrifices through the Brahmans, the Upanishads look at karmic religion as secondary and proclaim Self-realization
as true salvation.
8.
The quest of Vedic religion is truth, light, and immortality.
9.
There is seen a rise of the Brahmana class above the Kshatriyas and an
intensification of sacrificial rites and dakshina system.
Conclusion:
1. Modern Hinduism different from Vedic
age,
2. Prevalence of Anti-Vedic philosophies
at beginning,
3. In 6th and 5th
century, naastika darshana like Jainism and Buddhism emerged,
4. Aryan deities began to gain prominence,
5. Various schools of Vedic philosophies
began,
6. Temples only appeared quite later in
history as myths got woven,
7. Avatara theology emerged with Vaisnaism
and Shavism,
8. Era of Muslim gave rise to various
synchronization and monotheism,
9. Interaction with Christians eradicated
social taboos and brought reformation,
10. Protest against devaluing Hinduism and
bringing revival to importance of Vedic identity,
11. Upanishads actually taught non-dualism
and not monotheism,
12. Syncretistic movements, fundamentalist
and cultural movement, Popular Hinduism influence by temple culture and gurus
movement emerged,
13. Rebirth fiction, daily astrology continue
to assume modern outlook on social medias,
14. Anti-superstition movements,
15. Popular
Hinduism is more about family and social rituals, festivals, temple worship, and cultic
following rather than practically accepting Vedic Hinduism as the seal of
religion.
[Note: This summary has not been published to hurt anyone's religious sentiment but merely presenting a researcher's result and conclusion]
[My gratitude goes to brother Abhisek Vical who shared me this file]
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