Aryans, The Vedic Age - Religion

The Aryans evolved a diverse set of religious beliefs, blending Aryan and non-Aryan ideas. The Indus Valley Civilization worshipped the Mother Goddess, the Bull, The Horned Deity and sacred trees. Such ideas continued with the Aryans, and have continued within present day Hinduism. Some of the more abstract ideas of the Vedas appealed to few, most preferred more earthy forms of worship. The religion of the Rig Veda, although sharing many similarities with Hinduism was nevertheless distinct from it.

The earliest religious ideas of the Aryans were as with most ancient civilizations, nature and animal worship. Whatever they feared or they could not explain they attributed to divine forces, and personified them into male and female gods. For instance Indra, was the Aryan 'superman', a powerful God, who could overcome the most powerful enemies. He was the god of thunder, the rainmaker and could defeat forces which the Aryans had not been able to overcome. Another important God of the Aryans was Agni , the God of Fire. Agni was an important God, who the people paid great tributes to. Marriages and other important religious activities were solemnized in the presence of fire, a practice that still continues in Hinduism today. Fire was considered the purest of all the five elements, and was held in high esteem.

The central feature behind Aryan religious ideas of that time, was the practice of sacrifices. Sacrifices could be small private affairs or could be major events in which the entire village or kingdom participated. The sacrifice of animals also began to take place. The Aryans believed that the goodwill of the Gods was necessary for their successful existence, and hence periodic sacrifices were needed to persuade the Gods to grant them boons. A fallout of this practice was that the stature of the priest began rapidly rising, and he was regarded as a person who possessed mysterious and magical powers. Over time, rituals became more and more complicated further increasing the power of the priest, and as a result their influence over people grew. They convinced people to conduct several rituals which over time became more and more expensive. An interesting fallout of these complex rituals was the development of mathematics and biology. As the rituals grew more and more complicated, elaborate calculations had to be made regarding the placement of objects in the sacrificial arena. Also the frequent sacrifice of animals led to the advancement in animal anatomy, and for some time, anatomy was more advanced then physiology or pathology.

The Aryan idea of creation was a limited one. They believed the world grew out of a vast cosmic sacrifice, and continuous sacrifices were required to keep it functioning. However this ideas was not universally accepted, as is evident in the 'Creation Hymn' composed towards the end of the Vedic period.

Then even nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, not heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed? But, after all, who knows and who can say, Whence it all came, and how creation happened? The gods themselves are later than creation, So who knows truly whence it has arisen?

Excerpted from "A history of India" by Romila Thapar. Published by Penguin Books 1966

The mystery of the origin of the life, and the questions thrown up in the 'Creation Hymn' ignited a spirit of inquiry amongst people, and the development of asceticism. However this remained restricted to the upper castes who could afford to follow it.

The Aryan generally either buried or cremated their dead, although the latter became more commonly practiced. The association of fire with purification may have been the reason behind the change. The Aryans also believed in life after death, sinners went to the house of clay, which was the domain of the God Varuna. The good people went to the World of the Fathers. Later in the Vedic age, the Hindu belief of rebirth evolved, as well as the idea of Karma. Karma means your actions, and it is believed that your deeds of the present life will influence your rebirth in the next life. The Aryans used to justify caste, those who had led a good life in their previous birth would be born into a higher caste and those who had led a bad life, would be born into a lower caste.

sceticism. However this remained restricted to the upper castes who could afford to follow it.

The Aryan generally either buried or cremated their dead, although the latter became more commonly practiced. The association of fire with purification may have been the reason behind the change. The Aryans also believed in life after death, sinners went to the house of clay, which was the domain of the God Varuna. The good people went to the World of the Fathers. Later in the Vedic age, the Hindu belief of rebirth evolved, as well as the idea of Karma. Karma means your actions, and it is believed that your deeds of the present life will influence your rebirth in the next life. The Aryans used to justify caste, those who had led a good life in their previous birth would be born into a higher caste and those who had led a bad life, would be born into a lower caste.