Examples of Vedic Religion in the following topics:
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- The Vedas are the oldest texts of the Hindu religion and contain
hymns, myths and rituals that still resonate in India today.
- The Vedas are split into four major texts and contain
hymns, mythological accounts, poems, prayers, and formulas considered sacred to
the Vedic religion.
- Although
the focus of the Vedas is on the message rather than the messengers, such as
Buddha or Jesus Christ in their respective religions, the Vedic religion still
held gods in high regard.
- Agni, the Indian God of Fire from the ancient Vedic religion, shown riding a ram.
- A manuscript copy of the Rigveda, the oldest and most important of the four Vedas of the Vedic religion, from the early 19th century.
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- Hinduism evolved as a synthesis of cultures and traditions,
including the Indo-Aryan Vedic religion.
- Sramana,
meaning "seeker," refers to several Indian religious movements, including Buddhism
and Jainism, that existed alongside the Vedic religion—the historical
predecessor of modern Hinduism.
- The Rig Veda describes the varied deities of Vedic religion.
- These gods persisted as Vedic religion was assimilated into Hinduism.
- Hinduism evolved as a combination of various cultures and traditions, including Vedic religion and the Upanishads.
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- Jainism is a pre-Buddhist religion with roots in the Sramana
tradition.
- Jainism
is based on an ancient Indian religious philosophy called Sramana, which began
as an offshoot of the Vedic religion.
- Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate
from, Vedic Hinduism, which followed the teachings and rituals found in the
Vedas, the most ancient texts of the Vedic religion.
- However, other
scholars believe the Sramana traditions were separate and contemporaneous with
Indo-Aryan religious practices of the historical Vedic religion.
- This idea also
appears in other Asian religions, including Buddhism.
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- Sramana
was an ancient Indian religious movement that began as an offshoot of the Vedic
religion and gave rise to other similar but varying movements, including
Buddhism and Jainism.
- The
Vedic Religion was the historical predecessor of modern Hinduism.
- Most history of this period is derived from the Vedas, the
oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion.
- Sramana existed in parallel to,
but separate from, Vedic Hinduism.
- They also led to popular concepts in all major Indian religions, such as saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death, and moksha, liberation from that cycle.
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- After attaining Enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama became known
as the Buddha, and taught a Middle Way that became a major world religion, known as Buddhism.
- Buddhism
is based on an ancient Indian religious philosophy called Sramana, which began
as an offshoot of the Vedic religion.
- Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate
from, Vedic Hinduism, which followed the teachings and rituals found in the
Vedas, the most ancient texts of the Vedic religion.
- In
addition to the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddha’s lifetime coincided with the flourishing
of influential Sramana schools of thought, including Jainism.
- Ashoka
promoted the religion’s expansion by deploying monks to spread Buddha’s
teaching.
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- Sanskrit
is the primary sacred language of Hinduism, and has been used as a
philosophical language in the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
- The Vedas contain hymns, incantations called Samhitas, and
theological and philosophical guidance for priests of the Vedic religion.
- Vedic
Sanskrit was orally preserved as a part of the Vedic chanting tradition,
predating alphabetic writing in India by several centuries.
- At approximately
1000 BCE, Vedic Sanskrit began the transition from a first language to a second
language of religion and learning.
- With this standardization, Sanskrit became a language of religion and learning.
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- A caste system developed among Indo-Aryans of the Vedic Period,
splitting society into four major groups.
- The
caste system in India may have several origins, possibly starting with the
well-defined social orders of the Indo-Aryans in the Vedic Period, c. 1750-500
BCE.
- The Vedas were ancient scriptures, written
in the Sanskrit language, which contained hymns, philosophies, and rituals handed
down to the priests of the Vedic religion.
- By
around 1000 BCE, the Indo-Aryans developed four main caste distinctions:
Brahamin, consisting of priests, scholars, and teachers; Kshatriyas, the kings,
governors, and warriors; Vaishyas, comprising agriculturists, artisans, and
merchants; and Sudras, the service providers and artisans who were originally
non-Aryans but were admitted to Vedic society.
- Society
during the Vedic Period (c.1750-500 BCE) was patriarchal and patrilineal, meaning to trace ancestral
heritage through the male line.
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- Most history of this period is derived from the Vedas, the oldest
scriptures in the Hindu religion, which were composed by the Aryans in Sanskrit.
- Organized
into tribes, the Vedic Aryans regularly clashed over land and resources.
- After
the 12th century BCE, Vedic society transitioned from semi-nomadic to settled
agriculture.
- The Indo-Aryans settled various parts of the plain during their migration and the Vedic Period.
- Describe the defining characteristics of the Vedic Period and the cultural consequenes of the Indo-Aryan Migration
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- Basham, Ashoka's personal religion became Buddhism, if not before, then certainly after the Kalinga War.
- In his edicts, Ashoka expresses support for all the major religions of his time: Buddhism, Brahmanism, Jainism, and Ajivikaism.
- His edicts addressed to the population at large (there are some addressed specifically to Buddhists, which is not the case for the other religions) generally focus on moral themes that members of all the religions would accept.
- In one edict he belittles rituals, and he banned Vedic animal sacrifices; these strongly suggest that he at least did not look to the Vedic tradition for guidance.
- He erected rock pillars at Buddhist holy sites, but did not do so for the sites of other religions.
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- Gupta rule, while solidified by territorial expansion through
war, began a period of peace and prosperity marked by advancements in science,
technology, engineering, art, dialectics, literature, logic, mathematics,
astronomy, religion, and philosophy.
- To
celebrate his conquest, Samudragupta performed the royal Vedic ritual of Ashwamedha, or horse sacrifice.