The Vedas are the oldest teachings of India. The ethics told
in Vedas transmited one generation to generation orally until around the 5th
century.
There are four Vedas, and the first one is the Rigveda. As
per Rigved the whole regions in which the Aryans were first settled in India
which was called as the Land of 7 Rivers or SaptaSindhawa.
The other three are Samveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. The
Vedas have verses in praise of gods and others. They also have other
information. At that time, the society was pastoral. After the Rigveda, society
became more agricultural. People became divided into four classes depending on
the type of the work. Brahmins were priests and teachers. Kshatriyas were the
warriors. Vaishyas did agriculture, trading and commerce. The shudras were the
general working class. A common misconception is that the Vaishyas and Shudras
were generally looked down upon, and treated badly by Brahmins and Kshatriyas,
which was true for the later part of the Vedic age. But was untrue for the
earlier part. This type of social division is called the Varna system in
Hinduism.
During the period of the Vedic civilization, there were many
Aryan clans and tribes. Some of them combined and became bigger like the
kingdom of the Kurus.
To be Continued…
