GLIMPSES OF
ANCIENT INDIA
B. Vidyadhara Rao
Vedic culture came
into existence with nomadic tribes who domesticated large herds of cows. They
were moving along the river courses constantly in search of fodder for their
animals. Thistle fences were raised around their herds to protect them in the
nights from predators. Such cow-pens were known as Gotras. The animals of a
family were branded with marks of identification. The tribes were eventually
referred with the name of this mark. The mark of the Gotra.
Thus, the Bharadwajas
branded their cows with a small bird called Bhardwaj. Those with a ‘dog’ mark
were the Shounaks, Shunaka being the dog. Kasyaps likewise selected the
tortoise known as Kachhap. The Vedic period had a span of more than fifty to
sixty generations. The later tribes had chosen their earliest known
progenitor’s name as their Gotra conforming with the established tradition.
The Vedic nomads when
they encountered the farming settlers, evolved a composite culture in the
northern regions. The interaction changed their living conditions altogether
possibly into fourth millenium B.C. if not earlier. The caste division was the
foremost by-product, which helped to preserve their initial identities. It was
acceptable to both sections for their own reasons. The drudgery of monotonously
memorising the Vedas was of little benefit to the farmers and traders, and the
Vedic tribes did not like to be traders or cultivators. Caste distinctions were
not imposed by orders and regulations from the ruling classes. Codes only
record the existing customs already in practice for general guidance.
Extraordinary levels
of skill were achieved in a number of crafts and professions, creating a vested
interest for people in their own castes. In course of time it became
fashionable to adopt this caste division by many other people in different
regions, and those who opted to be out of it remained tribals even today,
segregating themselves from the main stream of the social structure. Now, in
spite of the feeling that caste division is a hindrance, it survives because
precept is far removed from practice in India. All Indians seem to know what
others should do. Colonial servitude for too long claims its toll. Tradition,
as a rule has to die hard indeed!
The Vedic tribes were
accustomed to perform sacrifices in fire with the excess products of their
animal husbandry. The traders and farmers used to perform ‘Puja’ which is
worship of small images of terracotta or wood in their houses. This practice
had a tantric origin unrelated to the fire sacrifices known as ‘Yegnas’. In all
probability community worship was not a practice of pre Buddhist India. There
were no temples of lofty dimensions in the pre Buddhist periods.
Jainism and Buddhism
introduced new codes of conduct among their followers. They never claimed
separate identity from Hinduism in their long history before the advent of
British rule in India. Jains were the foremost vegetarians so far known to
history. Vegetarianism was almost impossible during prehistoric times. Again,
in all probability, it was Jain merchants who introduced the Brahmi script to
India because of their trade contacts with western Asia in the first million
B.C. when the historic period began.
The Vedic texts were
propagated through arduous memorising, a process without a parallel instance
from an other country in the entire world. It is futile to argue that the
mention of the word ‘akshara’ in Vedic literature implies the existence of a
script. It was a word used to distinguish different sounds to ensure correct
pronunciation while memorising.
Buddhists used to
worship the Stupa, a cylindrical structure which enshrined a corporeal relic of
Buddha. Emperor Ashoka collected a substantial portion of the sacred relies of
the Lord from seven of the eight stupas, raised immediately after his death and
caused the construction of a large number, distributed all over his vast
empire. A little later, construction of shrines around the
images of Buddha in Buddhist monasteries followed Congregation of a good number
for worship began at such shrines. This custom was adopted by other civilians
in due course, before the architecture of elaborate dimensions of the temples
was perfected. The very early temples of Hindu Gods resemble the Chaitya
Grishas of Buddhist Monasteries.
Buddha never claimed a
divine origin for his teachings, and was unwilling to talk about divinities. He
inducted reason and rationalism into his discourses. The Tarka-Sastra of Hindu
philosophy was a post-development of Buddhist teachings; that too with the help
of Buddhist teachers in the initial stages.
Community worship is a
unifying custom which brings people together. The threat of a war, merciless
slaughter with the sword, a common language and religion, unite people for
short periods. But, a temple is a place, where people have a chance of
forgetting their petty differences and prejudices, particularly when
destructive politicians try to generate strife and hatred to ensure their
leadership.