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Revision as of 15:45, 26 April 2006 by Babub (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Vedic religion is another name of Sanatana Dharma. Also it indicates the very source of Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma by referring to the Vedas which form the basis of Hinduism.
The Vedas consist of Samhitas, Braahmanas, Aaranyakas and Upanishads. The Vedas record the details connected with the rituals and sacrifices performed by the purohitas. To the rishis, the hymns of the Rigveda and other Vedic hymns were divinely revealed and they were rather "hearers", of divine revelation. Shrauta, which refers to the ancient tradition of Guru- Shishya tradition of handing the Vedas down the generations, means "what is heard".
The mode of worship is performance of sacrifices and chanting of hymns (see Vedic chant). The priests help the common man in performing rituals. People pray for abundance of children, cattle and wealth.
Vedic religion is the source of the diversifying historical Dharmic religions.
Pantheon
The main names of deities of the Vedic pantheon are Indra, Agni (fire), Soma, Varuna, Surya (the Sun), Mitra, Savitr and Vayu (the wind). Goddesses include Ushas (the dawn), Prithvi (the Earth), Uma (consort of Shiva Bhagawan), Lakshmi (consort of Vishnu Bhagawan), Saraswati or Vaak (consort of Brahmaa) and Aditi. Rivers such as Sarasvati, Ganga, Sindhu, Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada, Kaveri are also considered goddesses. Deities are viewed as all-powerful. The relationship between the devotee and the deity was one of transaction, with Agni (the sacrificial fire) taking the role of messenger between the two. Strong traces of a common religion remain visible, especially in the Soma cult and the fire ritual also preserved in Zoroastrianism.
Rituals
The Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) has parallels in the 2nd millennium BC Andronovo culture.
Animal sacrifice, eating of meat, and vegetarianism are all recommended in the Vedas & Puranas depending on occupation and caste. The warrior caste (ksatriya) and kings are instructed to hunt and kill wild animals as practice for fighting, and so they became accustomed to killing for use on the battlefield.
Specific rituals and sacrifices of the Vedic religion include four types of sacrifices: TBD
Monistic tendencies
Already the Rigveda, in its youngest books (books 1 and 10) contains evidence for emerging monotheistic thought. Often quoted are pada 1.164.46c,
- ékam sád víprā́ bahudhā́ vadanti
- "To what is One, sages give many a title" (trans. Griffith)
and hymns 10.129 and 10.130, dealing with a creator deity, especially verse 10.129.7:
- iyám vísṛṣṭiḥ yátaḥ ābabhûva / yádi vā dadhé yádi vā ná / yáḥ asya ádhyakṣaḥ paramé vyóman / sáḥ aṅgá veda yádi vā ná véda
- "He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, / Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not." (trans. Griffith)
Ékam sát in 1.164.46c means "One Being" or "One Truth". Such concepts received greater emphasis in classical Hinduism, from the time of Adi Shankara at the latest.
Religions "descending" from the Vedas
Vedic religion has diversified into the 'Hindu' paths of Yoga and Vedanta, a religious path considering itself the 'essence' of the Vedas. The Vedic pantheon is interpreted as a unitary view of the universe with God seen as immanent and transcendent in the forms of Ishvara (God's Personal Feature), Paramatma (God's localised feature) and Brahman (God's Impersonal Energies).
Religions considered to be descended from the Vedic religion include:
Zoroastrianism shares common Indo-Iranian properties with the Vedic religion but it is not a direct descendant.
