☼ Society during Later Vedic Period:
• As the time passed by Yajnas became elaborate and complicated ceremonial leading to the emergence of learned men known as Brahmanas.
• And as the Aryans expanded to the east and south, group of people known as Kshatriyas emerged to conquer territories and administer them.
• The remaining Aryans formed a separate class known as Vaishyas, a word derived from Vis meaning 'people'.
• The non-Aryan formed the fourth class known as Shudras.
• Neverthless, these divisions of society were not rigid.
• The institution of Gotra i.e. the clan appeared in later Vedic Period.
• The higher castes could marry with the lower ones, but marriage with shudras was not permitted.
• The idea of pollution appeared in society.
• The four Asramas (the stages of life)— (i) Brahmacharya, (ii) Grihastha, (iii) Vanprastha and (iv) Sanyasa— is found in the Jabala Upanishad.
• The Ashrama system was formed to attain four Purusharthas i.e. (i) Dharma, (ii) Artha, (iii) Kama and (iv) Moksha.
• The status of women declined. According to Aitareya Brahamana a daughter is the sources of misery but a son is the protector of family.
• According to Maitrayani Samhita there are three evils— (i) liquor, (ii) woman and (iii) dice .
• Though monogamy (i.e. a man having one wife) was the ideal but polygamy (i.e. a man having more than one wife) was frequent .
• Woman were prohibited to attend the political assemblies.
• YaJnavalkya-Gargi dialogue (Vrihadarnyaka Upanishada) indicates that some women had got higher education.
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