Vedic Period-Old Year Questions and Answers

• Aryan is a linguistic term indicating a speech group of Indo-European origin and is not an ethnic or racial term.

• Aryan is a term which means “noble” and was used by Indo-Iranian people to refer to themselves.
• In the olden days, the word Arya was used in India to describe someone who belonged to the upper class.
• Scholars believe that the term was used to refer to religious and cultural beliefs, rather than race.

• In Indian literature, the oldest scriptures are the Vedas, which are four in total: Rig Veda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda.
• Rig Veda is the oldest and most important of these.

• The Rig Veda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda are often referred to as the ‘Vedatrayi’ or simple ‘Trayi’.

• The ‘Varnas’ were mentioned in the Rig Veda in a hymn. This hymn shows the four classes of people  – the Brahmin (Priest), the Kshatriya (noble), the Vaishya (commoner), and the Shudra (servant).
  
• These classes were said to have come from the mouth, arms, thighs, and feet respectively of the first person (Purusha).

Purusha Sukta

Brahmanoasya mukhamasida bahu rajanyakriah

Uru tadasya yadvaishya padabhyam shudro ajayat.

(Rigveda 10.90.12, Yajurveda.31.11).

• The Varnas have been known since the Rig Veda, which tells of four classes of people who were created from the mouth, arms, thighs, and feet of the first person.
• Varna means ‘color’ or ‘class’ in Sanskrit.

• The correctly matched list is as follows –
  

  Atharvaveda	Medicine
  Rig Veda	God’s Grace
  Yajurveda	Sacrifice process
  Samaveda	Music

• The Rigveda have 1028 hymns. The Yajurveda has descriptions of stotras and rituals.
• The Samaveda is full of hymns taken from the Rig Veda that are lyrical and melodic.
• Atharva Veda with 730 hymns presents a detailed description of the lifestyle of vedic period. It is an encyclopedia for medicine, and Ayurveda (the science of life) is considered as Upa Veda (supplementary subject) of the Atharva Veda.

• The Rigveda is made up of 1028 hymns.

• The Rig Veda is an old set of Sanskrit hymns that were written during early vedic period.
• It is one of four special religious texts of Hinduism, called the Vedas.

• The correctly matched order is:
  

  Rig Veda	Aitariya
  Samaveda	Panchvisha
  Atharvaveda	Gopatha
  Yajurveda	Shatpatha

• The correctly matched order is:
  

  Rig Veda	Aitariya
  Samaveda	Panchvisha
  Atharvaveda	Gopatha
  Yajurveda	Shatpatha

• The Gopatha Brahmana is the only Brahmana text related to the Atharvaveda.
• It is connected to both the Shaunaka and Paippalada versions of the Atharvaveda.
• It is a type of prose that provides information about Vedic rituals.

• Yajurveda has two parts – Shukla Yajurveda and Krishna Yajurveda.
• The text of Shukla Yajurveda is called Vajasnami and is written in a poetic form.
• Krishna Yajurveda consists of both poetic and prose.

• The Rig Veda is the oldest Veda and it is made up of 10 sections.
• The 9th Mandala of the Rig Veda contains 114 verses devoted to the god ‘Soma’.

• The 9th Mandala of the Rigveda is known as the Soma Mandala.
  
• It contains 114 hymns related to Soma Pavamana, or “Purifying Soma”.
  
• Soma is the sacred intoxicator and lord of delight. Pavamana is another name for Soma.

• Yajurveda is a Sanskrit word that translates to “wisdom of sacrificie”.
• This Veda was made a few hundred years after the Rig-Veda and includes poems and sayings that were to be spoken by priests during religious rituals and ceremonies.
• It also explains in more detail how to do the rituals and ceremonies using the hymns from the Rig Veda.
• The Yajur Veda has two parts: Shukla (white) and Krishna (black).
• The Shukla Yajur Veda has a text called the Satapatha Brahmana, and the Krishna Yajur Veda has prose text for discussion.

• The first written record of magical charms and spells is found in Atharvaveda.

• The Samaveda is the shortest of the four Vedas, and it is closely connected to the Rig Veda.
• Most of its verses are taken from the Rig Veda, and it is made up of 1875 verses.
• Out of these, only 75 or 99 verses are not from the Rig Veda, and all of them are meant to be used in rituals and ceremonies.

• Atranjikhera is an old, excavated archaeological site on the banks of the Kali River, located in Etah of Uttar Pradesh.
• Sir Alexander Cunningham first noticed it in 1862 but it was not until 1962 that R.C. Gaur did excavation work. 
• The first evidence of iron found here dates back to 1150 B.C.

• The Upanishads are not a religious book, but instead a set of philosophical principles that are meant to be followed by all people regardless of their beliefs.
• They don’t conflict with any faith or interpretation of religious texts, but they have their own special way of explaining their concepts.
• Upanishad means the students sit close to the teacher (guru) to learn.

• Upanishads are the final section of the Vedas and are often called Vedanta.
• They are the textual basis for one of the most significant schools of philosophy from India.
• They are called Jnana-Kanda because they deal with the knowledge portion of the Vedas.
  
• There are believed to be 108 in total, out of which 11 are considered to be the main Upanishads.
  
• They give importance to the worship of one God.

• The term ‘Moksha’ or ‘salvation’ is not mentioned in the Vedas.
• It was first discussed in the Upanishads. It means ‘liberation’.
• The main goal of the human soul is not to keep cycling through life and death.
• The Upanishads say that the true essence of the self is not the body or the mind, but the Atman (Soul).

• The Kathopanishad is a story about a discussion between Yama, the god of death, and Nachiketa, a 12-year-old boy who left his home to learn more about death and the afterlife.
• This story is one of several Upanishads, which is called the Katha Upanishad or Kathopanishad.

• Kathopanishad is the story of a discussion between Yama, the ruler of death, and Nachiketa, the son of Sage Vajasravasa.
• The Katha Upanishad is one of the major Upanishads. It belongs to the Kathaka-Säkhä of Krshna-Yajurveda.
• Modern scholars believe that it propounds a dualistic philosophy.

• The Upanishads mention some wise Kshatriya kings who taught Brahmins.
• These kings included King Janak of Videha, King Pravahanjabali of Panchal, King Asvapati of Kekaya, and King Ajatshatru of Kashi.
• Asvapati was a Kshatriya king who was very knowledgeable and ruled during the time when Janak was king of Videha.
• The Kekaya kingdom was located near the Beas River, east of the Gandhara kingdom.

• The Vedas are split into four sections, in the following order: Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.
• Samhitas and Brahmanas make up the KarmaKanda part.
• Aranyakas and Upanishads are part of the Gyan-Kanda section. This section concentrates on philosophy and spirituality.

• The Sindhu river was very important during the Vedic period, and was talked about a lot in the Rig Veda.
• Vedic people called it the ‘Hiranyani’ because it was so important economically, and the place it flows into, the Arabian Sea, was referred to as ‘Peravat’.
• The Saraswati river was the holiest river for the Rigvedic Aryans, and it was called ‘Naditama’.

• The Askini River from ancient times is now known as the Chenab River, which is also often called Chandrabhaga.
• The Chenab starts at Tandi in Lahul Spiti (Himachal Pradesh), where two rivers, Chandra and Bhaga, join together.

• The Rig Veda mentions four rivers that were located in Afghanistan – the Kubha (Kabul), Kramu (Kurram), Gomati (Gomal), and Suvastu (Swat).
• This shows that the Aryans had strong connections with Afghanistan.

• The Vedic river Kubha is the modern Kabul river. It flows into the Indus river, just above Attock.
• The Kubha’s tributaries are the Suvastu (Swat) and Gauri.

• The rivers given in the options are correctly matched as follows with their modern names –
  

  Kubha	Kabul
  Parushni	Ravi
  Sadaneera	Gandak
  Shutudri	Sutlej
  Sindhu	Indus
  Vitasta	Jhelum
  Askini	Chenab
  Vipas	Beas
  Drishdvati	Ghagghar

• During the Mahabharata era, the name of the Mahanadi river was Mahanad. During the Mahabharata’s Bhishma festival, this river was praised as Punayadayini and Sin Vashinini as well.
• It was also called Chitrotpala. This is supported by a verse from the Mahabharata and the Mahoba copper plate of Someshwar Dev.
• The Mahanadi river has been known by several names throughout different eras, including:
  • Ancient era: Kanaknandini
  • Dvapara Yuga: Chitrotpala
  • Treta Yuga: Nilotpala
  • Kali Yuga: Mahanadi or Mahashweta

• This system of Ashrams (our stages of life: Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sanyasa) is estimated to have been in practice since the 5th century BC, these stages of life are not a requirement, rather an ideal.
• The Purushartha theory (Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha) originated in the Dharmaśāstras, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. 

• Dharma and Rita first appear in the Rig Veda.
• Dharma usually refers to a natural or divine law, and Rita is related to the harmony in the world where everything has a proper place and purpose.
• Dharma is associated with personal actions that help maintain the order of the cosmos, while Rita is an impersonal law. Thus, the correct answer is option (c).

• In Vedic mythology, Brihaspati is a sage and priest or teacher of the gods. He is also called Deva-guru.
  
• He is also known as the “Lord of Sacred Speech”. Brihaspati is the master of sacred wisdom, charms, hymns, and rites.
• He was the counselor of Indra in his war against the asuras.

• Women who strive for the highest philosophical knowledge of Brahman, known as Brahmavadini.
• These included Lopamudra, Vishwawara, Sikta, Nivavari, and Ghosa.
• Lopamudra also known as Kaveri, Kaushitaki and Varaprada, was the wife of the sage Agastya.

• During the Vedic era, the gold necklace was called a ‘Nishka’, which eventually led to the gold coins.
• The coins which were in circulation were “Nishka”, “Satamana” and “Krishnala”.
• The unit value of goods was a gold bar called “nishka” weighing three hundred and twenty ratis, which was also the weight of a satamana.
• A ‘Krishnala’ weighed one rati, i.e. 1.8 grams. 

• In ancient times, the gold necklace was referred to as ‘Nishka’.

• In ancient times, the gold necklace was known as a ‘Nishka’..

• The Boghaz-Koi inscription in Asia Minor, Turkey, is significant because it mentions four Vedic Gods: Indra, Varuna, Mitra, and Nasatyas.

• The Boghazkoi inscription is a 1400 B.C. record of a treaty between the Hittite and Mitanni Kings.
• The inscription mentions four Vedic gods: Indra, Varuna, Mitra, and Nasatyas.
  
• The gods are cited as witnesses to the treaty.
  
• The inscription also establishes the Central Asian Theory as the homeland of the gods.

• The Boghaz-Koi inscription mentions four Vedic gods, including Indra, Varuna, Mitra, and Nasatyas.
• The inscription is mostly written in cuneiform, with Sumerograms interspersed throughout the texts.

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak theorised in his book ‘The Arctic Home in the Vedas’ that the Aryans originated from the North Pole (Arctic region).
• However, historians have largely rejected this idea.

• The Shatpath Brahmana of Shukla Yajurveda and Taittiriya Brahmana of Krishna Yajurveda both mention a ritual called Purushamedha (or Naramedha), meaning human sacrifice.
• Purushamedha was probably symbolic. The Chandogya Upanishad (associated with Sama Veda) states that Purushamedha is a metaphor for life, comparing the stages of life to the oblations that are offered.

• Bharatas, Purus, and Kurus tribes were active in the area of Saraswati.
• According to the Shatapatha Brahmana (Yajurveda), King Videgha Madhava (also written as Mathava) and his priest Rishi Gautama Rahugana traveled east carrying a sacred fire in search of new land.
• He came to Mithila and established the kingdom of Videha on the bank of river Sadanira (Gandak).

• After the Vedic period, the area of Kuru and Panchala was known as the center of Aryan culture because many accomplishments in science, math, astronomy, faith, and philosophy were made here.

• Gotra is a Rigvedic term which means “cow shelter” or “herd of cows”. It more recently started to mean “family, lineage kin”.
• This started in post-vedic period.

• The early Vedic Aryans had a religion that mainly focused on worshipping nature and performing rituals.
• They saw life as something created by nature, so they prayed to different elements of nature, believing that some divine power was behind them, such as fire, water, and wind.

• Sacrifice (or Yajna) was an important part of Rigvedic religion. It was common for people to offer sacrifices at home.
• Kings would put on big ceremonies when offering community sacrifices. It was believed that Gods were pleased when sacrifices were made.

• The Rig Veda contains an old story about a king named Sudas, who was descended from India’s legendary king Bharata.
• Sudas was very successful and was victorious in a battle against ten other kings near the Parushni River.

• The Battle of Ten Kings (दाशराज्ञ युद्ध) was the first recorded battle in Indian history.
  
• It was fought between the Bharata tribe and a confederacy of ten other tribes. The Bharata king, Sudas, led the Bharata tribe.
  
• The confederacy was led by Vishwamitra, a powerful king and sage.
  
• The battle took place near the Parusni River (Ravi River) in Punjab.
• The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Bharatas.
• The battle is mentioned in the 7th Mandala of the Rigveda.
• The Bharatas became known as the Kurus or Kauravas.
  
• The ten tribes in the confederacy were: Puru, Yadu, Turvasa, Anu, Druhyu, Alina, Paktha, Bhalanas, Shiva, Vishanin.
  
• The first five tribes were said to be Aryan (Pancha-Jana), while the last five were said to be non-Aryan.

• In the Rigvedic period, the Saraswati River was seen as the holiest river.
• In the Rig Veda, it was referred to as “Matetama,” meaning the best of all mothers, “Devitama,” meaning the best of all goddesses, and “Naditama,” meaning the widest of all rivers.

• Pancha-Jana named five tribes that started the clans. These were Yadu, Turvasa, Druhya, Anu and Puru. Kikat was not included.
• The Panchajna, were racially Panchajatah living on the banks of the Saraswati.
• It is also supposed that Panchajata are all descendants of the five sons of Yayati.

• Pastoralism and agriculture as the main source of their livelihood of Aryans.

• The Vedas mention many crops:
  
  • Barley: Yav
    
  • Wheat: Godhuma
    
  • Rice: Vrihi
    
  • Sesame: Til
    
  • Millet: Anu
    
• The Vedas also mention different types of rice, including:
  
  • Krishnavrihi: Black rice
    
  • Raktashali: Red rice
    
  • Mahavrihi: Long grain rice

• The correctly matched list is as follows –
  

  Vrihi	Rice
  Mudga	Mung bean
  Yava	Millet
  Ikshu	Sugarcane

• During the Rigvedic period, there was a group of people known as Pani who were traders.

• During the Vedic period, the most common form of government was the royal dynasty.
• There were some examples of people choosing their leader, but most people preferred monarchy.

• During the Vedic period, ‘Sabha’ and ‘Samiti’ were two institutions that kept the king from having complete control.
• ‘Sabha’ was made up of educated and influential people, while ‘Samiti’ had common people.

• The Rigveda mentions several tribal or clan-based assemblies such as the Sabha, Samiti, and Vidatha.
• The Sabha was connected to deciding court cases.
• It is mentioned eight times in the Rigveda. The Atharvaveda says that Sabha and Samiti are two daughters of Prajapati.
• Vidhata, translated as a “family council,” the vidhata included women and elders as participants.

• The Atharvaveda identifies Sabha and Samiti as the two daughters of the Vedic god Prajāpati.

• Ayurveda, which means the “Science of Life”, first appeared in Atharvaveda.
• It is a branch of Atharva Veda and contains information about disease prevention, coordination, loyalty, marriage, and love poetry from the beliefs and traditions of the common people.

• The Rig Vedic religion was polytheistic, meaning they believed in and worshipped many different Gods.
• They viewed nature as alive and gave it a soul. These Gods were divided into three groups: gods of the sky, gods of space, and gods of the earth.
• Whenever they worshipped a God, they saw them as the supreme power, which is called Henotheism (एकैकाधिदेववाद).
• They also supported Ekeshwarvaad, which included Advaityavaad, Sarvadevtavaad, and Bahudevatavaad, but this concept of one supreme God is different from modern Ekeshwarvaad.

• Indra is seen as the most powerful god in the Rig Veda.
• He is the most important god in the Rigveda and he has the most number of hymns dedicated to him, reaching up to 250 hymns, followed by Agni with 200 hymns.

• List of Rigvedic deities by a number of dedicated hymns:
  • Indra – 250
    
  • Agni – 200
    
  • Soma – 123
    
  • Aśvins – 56
    
  • Varuna – 46
    
  • Maruts – 38

• List of Rigvedic deities by a number of dedicated hymns:
  • Indra – 250
  • Varuna – 46
  • Vishnu – 6
  • Rudra – 4 
• Visvedevas (all gods together) have been invoked 70 times

• The Rig Veda has many songs dedicated to the God Indra.
• He is known as the Storm-God, Sky-God, and God of War and is said to carry a thunderbolt.

• The Rig Veda has 250 hymns dedicated to Indra, the God of Storms, the Sky, and War.
• He is described as the one who holds the lightning bolt.

• The Vedas state that Indra is the King of Heaven. He is responsible for lightning, thunder, and rain.
• Lord Varuna looks after the morality (Rit) of the people.
• Some Vedic hymns are prayers to God Indra to punish those who have done wrong.

• The time from 800 B.C. to 600 B.C. is known as the Brahmana era
• Period from 700 B.C. to  300 B.C. is known as the Sutra Period.

• The Gayatri Mantra was first composed in Sanskrit by Brahmarshi Vishwamitra to praise Sun god.
• It is a prayer asking God to give us wisdom and guidance to live a good life.

• Gayatri mantra is found in the third mandala of Rig Veda.
• It is also known as the Savitri Mantra.
  
• It is made up of 24 syllables organized in a triplet of eight syllables.

• The Gayatri Mantra was composed by sage Vishwamitra and most of the third mandala. He is one of the seven Brahmarshi.
• Vishwamitra was a Kshatriya king who later became one of the 7 Brahmarishi with his pure tapa.
• Bhrigu, Angiras, Atri, Vishwamitra, Kashyapa, Vasishta, and Shandilya are the seven brahmarshis
• The word Vishwamitra means friendship or love for everyone.

• The Puranas have five parts: Sarga, Pratisarga, Vansa, Manvantara, and Vanshanucharita.
• Sarga and Pratisarga are about how the world was created and will be re-created.
• Vansa is the story of sages and gods.
• Manvantara is about period of different Manus.
• Vanshanucharit means Genealogy of kings.

• Hinduism has 18 sacred texts called Puranas.
• These are: Matsya Purana, Markandeya Purana, Bhagavat Puranam, Bhavishya Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivrata Purana, Brahma Purana, Vamana Purana, Varaha Purana, Vishnu Purana, Vayu Purana, Agni Purana, Narada Purana and Padma Purana.

• The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, often referred to simply as the Gita, is a Hindu scripture written in the Sanskrit language.
• It contains 700 verses and is part of the epic Mahabharata.

• The Mahabharata was originally made up of 8,800 verses and was known as ‘Jaya’, or Jayasamhita.
• Nowadays, it is made up of 100,000 verses and believed to have been written by Sage Veda Vyaas.

• The Shatasahasri Samhita is a nickname for the Mahabharata, a major Sanskrit epic.
• The Mahabharata is also known as Jaisamhita. 

• The Kuninda dynasty ruled in the Himalayas, Uttarakhand, and North India around the second-third century AD. They were the first political rulers of Uttarakhand.
• The Kuninda kings are mentioned in Indian epics and Puranas. The Mahabharata says that they were defeated by Arjuna. They were also called ‘Dwij Shrestha’.

• Mount Mandara was used as the stirring rod and Vasuki, the king of snakes who lives on Shiva’s neck, was the stirring rope.
• Lord Vishnu, in the form of Kurma Avtar, helped them by supporting the mountain on his back.

• In ancient Indian history, during the early Christian era (known as the Dharmashastra period), the Brahmanical religion was dominant.
• Different customs were strictly followed, including the practice of untouchability. This was the time when various scriptures were written.

• The phrase “Satyameva Jayate” comes from the “Mundakopanishad” and means “truth alone triumphs.”
• It was chosen as India’s national motto and is written in the script at the bottom of their national emblem.
• This motto was officially adopted by the Government of India on January 26, 1950.

• The phrase “Satyameva Jayate” is a Sanskrit phrase taken from the ‘Mundakopanishad’, not from the ‘Mandukopanishad’.
• This phrase means “truth alone triumphs” and was chosen as the national motto of India. It is written in the script at the bottom of the national symbol.
• On January 26, 1950, it was officially made the national motto of India.
• The Mandukya Upanishad and the Mundaka Upanishad are both part of the Atharva-Veda.
• Mandukopanishad discusses the meaning and significance of the syllable Aum (Om).

• The phrase “Satyameva Jayate” comes from the “Mundakopanishad”, associated with Atharvaveda.

• The phrase “Tamsoma Jyotirgamaya” comes from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the largest Upanishad.
• Brihadaranyaka is one of the first Upanishads, along with that of Jaiminiya Upanishad and Chandogya Upanishads.
• It mentions 33 gods, eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, and twelve ādityas, apart from Indra and Prajāpati.
• It focuses on different states of the Self.
• It is contained within the Shatapatha Brahmana, which is part of the Shukla Yajur Veda.
• This phrase means “take us from darkness to brightness or from ignorance to truth”.

• Satyakama Jabala was a boy and then a wise Vedic Sage. He was mentioned in the fourth chapter of the Hindu scripture, the Chhandogya Upanishad.
• He overcame the negative perception of having an unmarried mother.

• None of the Upanishads listed are named ‘white horse’.
• The Shvetashvatara Upanishad is an old Sanskrit text that is found in the Yajurveda.
• The name ‘Shvetashvatara’ means ‘drawn by white steeds.’

• The Rig Veda was written in the Brahmi script, which was created by Brahma.
• The Rig Veda is divided into 10 parts which contain 1028 songs and 10552 mantras.
• According to Patanjali, there are 21 branches of the Rig Veda
• The priests who studied it were called ‘Hota’.

• The Aryans were an Indo-Iranian group who wrote the Avesta and Vedas.
• The Avesta is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism. It contains the teachings of the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster), including: Cosmogony, Law, Liturgy.
  
• The Avesta is written in the Avestan language. It’s sometimes incorrectly called the Zend-Avesta.

• During the Vedic period, the cow was considered so holy that it was given the title of “Aghanya”, meaning it was not allowed to be killed.

• During the Vedic period, the cow was seen as sacred and not to be killed.
• Aghanya is also name of “Goddess Lakshmi, not to be killed under any circumstances”.

• The cow was sacred animal and was given the title of “Aghanya,” which means it was not meant to be killed.

• Raising cattle was the most important business for the Rigvedic people.
• They prayed for more cattle, and used them as currency.
• In some parts of Rig Veda, cows are even viewed as gods.

• The idea of ‘Rit’ is an ancient Indian belief that there is a natural order to things. It is the foundation of Indian culture, law, politics, and thought.
• People believed that God Varuna was in charge of upholding ‘Rit’, or the natural order, which is why he is also known as ‘Ritasyagopa’.

• In ancient Indian culture, Vansha, Gotra, and Kula refer to the family system, but Kosa is linked to the treasury.

• There are a total of sixteen rituals that are practiced. 3 are done before a baby is born,12 during a person’s lifetime, and 1 after death.
• The Upnayan Sanskar is the most important and commonly done of all, including the wedding ceremony and the ritual after death.

• Ganga Dussehra (also known as Gangavataran) is a Hindu festival celebrated in honour of the Ganges river coming down to Earth.
• This happens on Dashami (the 10th day) of the waxing moon (Shukla Paksha) in the month of Jyestha.
• The festival lasts for 10 days leading up to the holy day.

• Upadhyaya made teaching his job to make money, and only taught a portion of the Vedas or Vedangas.

• Rigveda mentions golden and iron armor and helmets which were likely used in battle.
• Indus Valley people did not have many weapons and were probably controlled by merchants.
• No weapons have been found from this civilization,
• Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver, and copper, but the Indus Valley people knew only copper and bronze. Iron started to be used in North India between 1000 BC and 600 BC.
• The Rigvedic Aryans were successful in India because of their horses and chariots, and a site called Bhagwanpura has been found with horse bones.
• Some remains of horses were found in Surkotada, an IVC site in Gujrat.