Vedic & Mahajanapadas
Indian History · वैदिक और महाजनपद · 27 facts
4 Vedas: Rig (oldest), Sama (music), Yajur (rituals), Atharva (magic)
Rig Veda = 1028 hymns in 10 mandalas, oldest text in the world
Gayatri Mantra → Rig Veda, 3rd Mandala, dedicated to Savitri
Satyameva Jayate → Mundaka Upanishad
Early Vedic: cow = wealth, Indra = main god, no iron
Later Vedic: land = wealth, Prajapati = main god, iron used
Caste: flexible in Early Vedic → rigid by birth in Later Vedic
Vidatha = oldest assembly. Sabha & Samiti survived.
16 Mahajanapadas from Anguttara Nikaya (Buddhist text)
Big 4: Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa, Avanti
Republics: Vajji (Vaishali) & Malla (Kushinagar)
Gandhara capital = Taxila (famous university)
Magadha dynasties: Haryanka → Shishunaga → Nanda → Maurya
Bimbisara (Haryanka) = friend of Buddha, built Rajgriha
Nanda dynasty = first non-Kshatriya rulers of Magadha
Vedas are called 'Shruti' (heard) — NOT written by anyone.
Early Vedic (1500–1000 BCE): Based on Rig Veda only
Early Vedic (1500–1000 BCE): Pastoral & semi-nomadic (cattle rearing)
Early Vedic (1500–1000 BCE): River Saraswati & Indus region
Early Vedic (1500–1000 BCE): Cow = most important wealth
Early Vedic (1500–1000 BCE): Women had freedom, attended assemblies
Early Vedic (1500–1000 BCE): Caste based on OCCUPATION (flexible)
Early Vedic (1500–1000 BCE): Main gods: Indra, Agni, Varuna
Early Vedic (1500–1000 BCE): Iron NOT known. Used copper/bronze.
Later Vedic (1000–600 BCE): Based on Sama, Yajur, Atharva Vedas
Later Vedic (1000–600 BCE): Settled agriculture (rice & wheat)
Later Vedic (1000–600 BCE): Gangetic plains (Ganga-Yamuna doab)