Concept of Varnasrama (Varnashrama)

The word dharma generally understood as ‘the religious and moral duties’ of a person in his or her life. We must have to remember that dharma is a key concept in most of the World’s religions with various meaning, specifically in Hinduism.

 

In Hinduism, dharma is an organising principle that applies on human beings in their interaction with other humans and nature as well as between inanimate objects to all of Cosmos and its parts. It talks about the order and customs which make life and universe possible and includes behaviours, rituals, rules and ethics, which govern a society. In its true essence, dharma means “to expand the mind”. Furthermore, it represents the direct connection between the individual and the societal phenomena that bind the society together.

 

In Hinduism, dharma generally includes various aspects like Sanatana Dharma, Varnasrama dharma, Sva dharma, Sadharana dharma, Yuga dharma, etc. If we talk about Varnasram and it’s various aspects, we find that, the concept of Varnasram or Varnashrama dharma can easily understand by examine two core words – Varna and Ashrama, as these two social institutions combine to form Varnasram dharma.

 

When we talk about first core word – Varna, we found a lot of debates and opinions about its origin and specially its effect on Indian society. As it is a debatable topic, so here we take generally accepted definition and views about Varna. The literal meaning of Varna is Colour but later it solidified into caste system. We traced the Varna concept from the Purusha Sukta verse of the Rig Veda; which classify society as the Brahman, Rajanya (instead of Kshatriya), Vaishya and Shudra classes forming the mouth, arms, thighs and feet at the sacrifice of the Primordial Purusha, respectively. In the post-Vedic period, the Varna division is described in the Dharmashastra, Mahabharata and in Puranas, also. The Varna system In Dharma-shastras divides society into four varnas (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya and Shudras). Those who fall out of this system because of their grievous sins are Untouchables and considered outside the Varna system. Barbarians and those who are unrighteous or unethical are also considered outcastes.

 

Note 1: There are misconceptions regarding varnas and Holy book Bhagavad Gita and generally people considered that, Lord Krishna divide and create caste in society. Actually, when we examine text and acquire meaning, we found it true that Bhagavad Gita mentioned about varnas and division in society, but Lord Krishna said that "The fourfold order was created by Me, according to the divisions of quality and work (karma)”. So, this is a division by karma of a person not by birth of a person; it also means that one can create his position in society by hard work.

 

Now, we talk about second core word i.e. Ashrama dharma, according to Hinduism, there are four stages in human life which are called Ashramas. These are the four stages of learning and advancing for a human being. And it is believed in Hinduism that Ashrama dharma provide an opportunity to prepare oneself to reach enlightenment (or Moksha), which is the highest aim of human life. Following are the four Asramas:-

(a). Brahmacharya Ashrama (Student) (Age ranges from Birth to 25 years old) (Students take entry into Gurukul by Upanayana rituals and leave Gurukul by Samavartana rituals)

- Brahmacharya represented the bachelor student stage of life. This stage focuses on education and included the practice of celibacy.

 

(b). Grhastha Ashrama (Household) (Age ranges from 25 to 50 years old) (Usually begin with Marriage)

- This stage referred to the individual’s married life, with the duties of maintaining a household, raising a family, educating children, and leading a family-centred and a dharma oriented social life. It was a most important sociological stage and represented most intense physical, sexual, emotional, occupational, social and material attachments exist in a human being’s life.

 

(c). Vanaprastha Ashrama (Forest Walker or Retired Life) (Age ranges from 50-75 years old)

- This was retirement stage, where a person handed over household responsibilities to the next generation, took an advisory role, and gradually withdrew from the world.

- This Vanaprastha stage was a transition phase from a householder’s life to Moksha (spiritual liberation).

 

(d). Sanyasa Ashrama (Renunciation) (Age above 75 years old or anytime after 25 years old as this stage can be followed after Brahmacharya stage directly)

- This stage was marked by renunciation of material things, and focused on Moksha, peace and simple spiritual life.

 

Now, when we talk about Varnasrama dharma, we found that, it is a Sanskrit word, means “Caste and Stages of life”. It consist two social institutions -Varna system and Ashrama dharama. Varna system talks about four social orders or division (Caste) while Ashrama dharma talks about four stages of life. They both mingled to form Varnasrama dharma. Varnasrama dharma consist a set of personal duties and social responsibilities for an individual, as describe above. It is very important to note that dharma like Varnasrama present in Hinduism offers a complete healthy lifespan. By healthy, we mean, by following rules and adopting teachings of dharma in life, a human can happily live his/her life.

 

We just tried to define Varnasrama dharma in simple words with help of its some important aspects; however this topic is a matter of time and further study, which is not required here. If you further want to study this topic we suggest that you first read Rigveda. All suggestions, queries and comments are welcome through comment section; you can also contact us through below form.

 

 

Note 2: In India, Communities which belong to one of the four varnas or classes are called Savarna Hindus. The Dalits and Tribals who do not belong to any varnas were called Avarna.

 

Note 3: The Laws of Manu was one of the first Sanskrit texts to be translated into English in 1776, by British philologist Sir William Jones, and was used to construct the Hindu law code.

 

 

 

- Bibliography

1. Bahadur, Rakesh. Varna Ashram and Hindu Scriptures.

 

2. Bharati, Swami Paramananda. Mahaparivrajaka (A Novel Based on Shankaracharya`s Life and Philisophy. Chaukhamba Surbharati Prakashan. India. 2014.

[ISBN-10: 9383721790 /ISBN-13: 978-9383721795]

 

3. Dahiya, Poonam Dalal. Ancient and Medieval India. McGraw Hill Education (India) Private Limited. Delhi. 2^nd Edition. 2020.

[ISBN10: 9390113644 /ISBN13: 978-9390113644]

 

4. Das, Harivilas. Varnashrama Dharma-Perfect Organization of Society.

 

5. Exotic India. Varnashrama Dharma: A Logical View. Exotic India Pvt Ltd. Newsletter/Article. 2015.

 

6. Flaherty, Wendy Doniger O`. Rig Veda (Black Classics). Penguin (India) Books. New Delhi. 2000.

[ISBN10: 9780140444025 /ISBN-13: 978-0140444025]

 

7. IGNOU. MGP003. Gandhi`s Social Thought. Indra Gandhi National Open University. New Delhi.

 

8. Kadlabal, Ravindranath. Purusha Suktam : With the original Sanskrit Commentary of Sri Vadiraja Teertha Swamiji. Notion Press. 2022.

[ISBN-13: 979-8888158630]

 

9. Prabhu, R.K. Mind of Mahatma Gandhi. Navajivan Publishing House. India. 2007.

[ISBN10: 8172291493 /ISBN13: 978-8172291495]

 

10. R. Ramachandran. Hinduism: In the Context of Manusmriti, Vedas and Bhagavat Gita. Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd. 2010.

[ISBN13: 978-8189766498]

 

11. S. Radhakrishnan. The Bhagavad Gita. HarperCollins Publication. Thomson Press (India) Ltd. Noida. 2014.

[ISBN10: 8172238983 /ISBN13: 978-8172238988]

 

12. Singh, Upinder. A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India From the Stone Age to the 12^th Century. Pearson Publications. New Delhi. 2009.

[ISBN10: 9788131716779 /ISBN-13: 978-8131716779]

 

13. Smith, Brian, and Doniger, Wendy. The Laws of Manu. Penguin Classics Publication. England. 1991.

[ISBN-10: 0140445404 /ISBN-13: 978-0140445404]

 

 

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Boghazkoi Inscription of Asia Minor: Linkage Between Vedic Civilizations.

|||The earliest decipherable foreign inscription important for Vedic India|||

All around the World, we found a number of inscriptions that told story of past civilization or in particular about Empires and their religion, culture, administration and important events. Inscriptions are believed to be reliable sources of History and is part of Archaeological Sources of history. Some inscriptions are indigenous and other are foreign. A foreign inscription is important as it provide a linkage between different civilization of the World apart from traditional importantance of an inscription. One such inscription which support Central Asia Theory of Aryans origin, is Boghazkoi (Asia Minor, Turkey ) Inscription. This Inscription is important for India as it mentioned about the names of the Vedic Gods and Goddesses; and enable historians to establish more detailed account of theory of origin of Aryans or relations with Asia Minor in antiquity.

Asia Minor (Anatolia) had a long back history of empires and comprising various historical sites. One such historical site is Boghazkoi or Boghazkeui; which is a village in north-central region of Turkey, located 27 km north-west of Yozgat. During the Bronze Age, this site was the capital of the Hittites empire in Anatolia and northern Syria in the 2nd millennium BCE. 

Going back in history, we found that, Hittites were ancient Anatolian people; they formed an empire between 1600-1180 BCE. It is important to note that, the Hittites were Indo-European people, who spoke a language related to Sanskrit- the ancient language of India. Apart from this, they are characterized by advanced iron good manufacturing. They ruled through government officials with independent authority over various branches of government, indicating well developed administration. Religious worshipped of storm gods were practised in their kingdom. From various evidences, scholars conclude that, the Hittites were able to travel long distances and migrate to other lands due to the domestication of horses; as one of the special quality of Indo-Europeans. 

The Hittite Empire was known for its sophisticated system of writing, which used cuneiform script. In 1916, Prof. Bedrich Hrozny deciphered the Hittite language and it was concluded that Hittite script had close relationship with Indo-European scripts. For example, the inscriptions found at Boghazkoi (1400 B.C.) include the names of several Vedic Gods and Goddesses, such as Indra, Varuna, and Mitra. This suggests that there may have been some cultural and linguistic connections between the Hittites and the Vedic people of India in antiquity.

Basically, Boghazkoi Inscription was about World's First known Peace Treaty, which was the result of Hittite's conflicts with Egypt; a treaty between two kings belonging to Hittites and Mitannis. The treaty can be seen as a promise of peace and alliance since both powers make the mutual guarantee that they would not invade the other's land and promote alliance by making reassurances of aid. The text of this treaty was concluded with an oath before Gods and Goddesses of Egypt and Hatti as a common practice of that period; witnessed by the Mountains, the Rivers, the Sky, the Earth, the great Sea, the Winds and the Clouds. If the treaty was ever violated, the oath-breaker would be cursed by the Gods and, if he maintained his vows, he would be rewarded by the Gods.

Apart from agreements of treaty, if we examine religious and cultural aspect of this treaty, we found it special; and it provides us a medium to understand Aryan and their Origin as Vedic Gods like Indra, Varuna and others are referred to as In-da-ra, Mi-ta-ra, U-ru-van and Na-sa-ti-ya; along with the Ashwini twins, invoked to bless and witness the treaty. Here, we can easily understand that the names are definitely Vedic with slight phonetic variations in them. Now, after discovering and study to Boghazkoi Inscription, scholars concluded various theories regarding Aryans and their homeland. Some of important views are as follows:

1. Some scholars opined that, the Hittite peoples may have migrated from India, as Aryans were originally inhabitants of India and did not come from outside as there is no archaeological or biological evidence, which could establish the arrival of any new people from outside between 5,000 B.C. and 800 B.C. 

Scholars like Dr. A. C. Dass, L. D. Kalla, etc., have propounded Indian Origin theory of Aryans and two prominent argument are:-

(a). Rigveda says that the Aryans were the residents of Sapta-Sindhu, and this region stretched from river Indus, reaching up to the Saraswati River including Kashmir and Punjab region; as these sites are part of Indian subcontinent, so Aryans are Indian, the original inhabitants of someplace near Punjab.

(b). If they come from outside and would have brought there ancient literature -Vedas with them, then why we have not found any vedic literature outside India, specifically Sanskrit words. The 'mantras' of Rigveda indicating that vedic people were must have been residents of some place near Punjab. 

Scholars, asserted that it has not been proved till now that the Aryans came from outside, but Vedic literature mention about a lot of things found on Indian soil. So, it is possible that Hittite peoples were Aryans who migrated from India.

2. Opposite to first view, we have scholars who stress that original homeland of Aryans were Central Asia and they migrated from there to Indian subcontinent and settled in Sapta-sindhu region. Central Asian Theory of Aryan origin support this view. The chief advocate of this theory was Prof. Max Muller of Germany. It was found that both, the Vedic literature and Iranian book 'Zenda-Avesta' illustrates that India and Iran must have cohabited, because many similarities, like both were nature worshippers and had agriculture as their chief livelihood. Supporters of this theory indicate Central Asia as the original home of Aryans. Based on the inscription discovered in Boghazkoi in Asia Minor, some historians more specifically indicate Pamir or Russian Turkistan as the ancestral home of the Aryans. These inscriptions comprise references to Gods, like lndra and Varun. However, oppositions of this theory point out that such a small place can never be the ancestral home of a huge majority of people. Furthermore, this land is not a very productive land. There are different theories about it. But according to most historians, the Aryans came from Central Asia, also known as Andronovo culture in about 1500 BCE. It is believed that Persians, Indians, Greeks and Romans must have lived together in very ancient times in Central Asia. So, Boghazkoi Inscription very important evidences in this account.

3. A third view is that, there may have been some kind of trade or cultural exchange between the two regions. The discovery of inscriptions at Boghazkoi has been seen as significant evidence of the connections between ancient India and the rest of the world. The spread of technologies like the wheel and wagon, which were also used in ancient Mesopotamia and other early civilizations in the region, also assisted pastoralists and agrarian civilizations; and establish a similarity between vedic people and rest of the world. Cultural transition may be happened with trade and commerce, but it is important to note that, trade and commerce never change religion or customerly practices at a mass level or a level where indigenous practices lost completely, until unless that place was invaded and captured by another group, in general.

|||Homeland of Aryans : one of the inscription proves that the Aryans are from Central Asia is Boghazkoi (Asia Minor ,Turkey ) Inscription.|||

Image Courtesy

- Google Map

Bibliography

1. Bederman, David J. International Law in Antiquity. Cambridge University Press. United Kingdom. 2001.

[ISBN-13: 978-0521791977] 

[ISBN-10: 0521791979]

2. Güterbock, Hans G. "Bogazköy". Geography and Travel, Britannia. 

[https://www.britannica.com/place/Bogazkoy]

3. IndiaNetzone. "Original Home of Aryans".

[https://www.indianetzone.com/24/original_home_aryans.htm]

4. Kumari, Santosh. "History of God's and Goddesses of Ancient India: The Boghaz Koi Inscription". Sanskriti Magazine. 

[https://www.sanskritimagazine.com/history-gods-goddesses-ancient-india-boghaz-koi-inscription]

5. Mark, J. Joshua. "The Hittites". World History Encyclopaedia.

[https://www.worldhistory.org/hittite]

6. Wikipedia. "Egyptian–Hittite Peace Treaty". 

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian%E2%80%93Hittite_peace_treaty]

Excavation and Exploration in Archaeology

In archaeology, exploration and excavation works play an important role. Exploration is the act of searching, for the purpose of discovery of information or resources. Archaeologists first explore new sites with the help of sources and modern technology like aerial photography, chemical analysis of soils, etc and then excavation work started. 

So, the location of artefacts is generally done by identifying sites and collecting them from the surface of such sites and unearthing them by conducting excavations. In this process of exploration and selection of sites, earlier they were selected on the basis of oral traditions, mythological references, finds of certain items on the surface due to soil erosion or shapes of the mounds, etc. Now a days, many scientific methods are employed which provide some proof or indication of human habitation in the past. Some of these are as follows:-

1. Aerial photography which records the slightest change in the level of the ground surface. It also records differences in the colouring of the soil (i.e. soil markers) or the development vegetation (i.e crop markers), which are often due to buried Archaeological remains. This methods is more effective in open landscape and not in forested area.

2. Underwater prospection to detect wrecks of ships or submerged sites. Highly sophisticated equipments have been developed for this purpose (underwater television camera, bathyscaphes, etc.)

3. Magnetic detection of metal objects like ovens, hearths, field-in pits and wells, foundations, tombs and so on by means of equipment such as proton or caesium magnetometers, proton gradiometers, etc.

4. Detection of electrical anomalies in the subsoil caused by the presence of foundations (which reduce conductivity) or filled-in pits (which increase conductivity) by means of potentiometers designed to measure the resistivity of the subsoil. 

5. Prospection by acoustic or seismic methods using instruments that register vibratory phenomena obtained by reflection, refraction or resonance following the sounding of the site or variable-frequency Hertzian wave transmission.

6. Chemical analysis of soils, especially the measurement of phosphate and potassium contents, makes it possible to detect soils on which humanity has left its mark (former dwelling sites). 

With some other methods, even if modern techniques are followed it is mainly indicative and archaelogists have to make a physical inspection of the site to take a decision about excavation. Most of the sites are noticed accidentally through diggings for building construction, laying or roads or railway lines or cultivating land. For example, Harappan Civilization came to light when the contractors laying a railway line nearby decided to procure bricks from the mound and exposed it. After that, subsequent excavations revealed the earliest civilization of the subcontinent. 

Excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. Excavation involves the recovery of several types of data from a sites. This data includes artifacts, burials, ruined cities, bones, etc.

There is always a possibility of finding artefacts from various layers of the same site. This generally happens when the same site is used and inhabited repeatedly by the succeeding generations. In such a situation as one goes deeper into digging one goes back in time. Many a times material remains may not be neatly available in different layers and their might be overlapping and mix-up of the available artefacts in different layers.

Excavation can be vertically or horizontally. Vertical excavation means lengthwise digging to uncover the period-wise sequence of cultures; it is generally confined to a part of the site. While horizontal excavation entails the excavator to obtain a complete idea of the site culture in a particular period. As most sites have been dug vertically, they provide a good chronological sequence of material culture. Horizontal diggings are very expensive. Excavations conducted at various sites in the valley of Indus River, Lothal in Gujarat, Kalibangan in Rajasthan give us knowledge of the civilization during c. 2700 B.C. 

Next Article:

1. Excavation works, Ruined cities and other archaeology artefacts

2. Literary Sources 

3. Archaeological Dating Methods 

References:

1. Wonder That Was India 

2. India's Ancient Past 

3. History of Ancient India

4. IGNOU Study Material 

Also see:

1. Coins 

2. Historical Sources

3. Archaeological Sources 

4. Literary Sources 

5. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources

6. Bharatvarsha 

7. UGC NET JRF Latest Syllabus 

8. Inscriptions 

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Bharatvarsha

Bharat is known for its rich historical sources in World with its unique culture. Today we know it by name of India. But from ancient time, India had a number of title by which it was mentioned by various indigenous and foreign peoples. In this article we will see etymology of Bharatvarsha.

It will be very clear here that, various historians and scholars have different opinions about ancient name of India - 'Bharatvarsha'. There are different approaches and concepts to learn about ancient name used for India at different time space. Other than Bharatvarsha, this land was known by Jambudvipa, Aryavarta, Hind, Hindustan, India, Sapta Sindhu.

Bharatvarsha was the one of the ancient and most prominently used name in ancient time for India. As mentioned earlier that there are various approaches and opinions, the term Bharatvarsha had different origins. For our convince we can classify them into two broader prospectives:

1. Geographical & Political Prospective

2. Personification of Bharata

1. Geographical & Political Prospective

We have various literary historical sources that mention about term Bharatvarsha. As per the contents of various Puranas, Bharatvarsha was the land which formed the part of a larger unit called Jambudvipa. Annular in its form, the island of Jambudvipa is itself surrounded by six other similarly annular- shaped continents that are concentrically organized around Mount Meru, the Axis mundi situated just beneath the polar star.

Also in Epics and some of the Puranas, the whole Jambudvipa is called the Bharatvarsha. According to Vishnu Purana,

"The Country that lies north of the ocean and the south of the snowy mountains is called Bharat for there dwell the descendants of the Bharat."

So, the large countries are named after its citizens and race. In this context, it could be said that the name Bharatvarsha had been derived from the Bharata race of Vedic Aryans. The Bharata's were a venerable and ancient tribe who were mentioned in the Rig Veda also, specially in Mandala 3 of Bharata Rishi Vishwamitra, as well as in other ancient texts. In Mandala 7, it is stated that, the Bharatas were Victorious in the Battle of Ten Kings. This is supported by historical evidences too.

According to the Aitareya Brahmana, Bharata was a universal monarch who had built a vast empire winning vast areas of land spread all over the four directions.

2. Personifications of Bharata

As we knew, there are four yugas or time cycles of the Universe, according to Hindu tradition or Sanatan Dharma namely Satyuga, Tretayuga, Dwaparyuga and Kalyuga. There were three personifications of Bharata in Sanatan Dharma, one in each first three yugas, that is:

I. Bharata of Satyuga

II. Bharata of Tretayuga

III. Bharata of Dwaparyuga

They all three exemplified ideals which permeated Hindu civilization and form its core values to this day.

I. Bharata of Satyuga

The first personifications of Bharata was seen in Satyuga and born as the son of Rishabdeva, who was the first of the ancient sagas to be recognised by the Jainas. The Adipurana of Jinasena tells that Rishabdeva attained enlightenment and became the first Jina. The Chakra appeared in the armoury of his son Bharata and proclaimed him a Cakravartin Samrat of Bharat Bhumi. 

He exemplified the Daya, Karuna, Brahma Gyana and Tapas in his actions and words.

II. Bharata of Tretayuga

The second personifications of Bharata was seen in Tretayuga and born as the son of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya and the younger brother of Shri Rama. 

He exemplified the virtue of Love (Prem), Devotion (Bhakti) and Brotherhood (Bandhutva) in his actions and words.

III. Bharata of Dwaparyuga

The third personifications of Bharata was seen in Dwaparyuga and born as the son of Shakuntala and king Dushyant. Their story was the part of Mahabharat narrative, but it was Kalidasa who immortalized their love in his masterpiece - Abhijanashakuntalam. Shakuntala did gandharva vivah to king Dushyant and gave birth to Bharata, who grew up so bold and fearless that he played with lions. He is regarded as greatest king of India, who lent his name to the country. 

He exemplified the values of Service (Sewa), Valour (Shaurya) and Charity (Dana).

Conclusion 

As we read, there are various sources and their interpretations regards term Bharatvarsha and the historical story of this name given to this land which know today as India. However, we have a number of etymology but we cannot deny that all sources tell us about indigenous kings and persons, by whom's greatest actions  this land was known by the name of Bharatvarsha (as the large countries are named after its citizens and race).

References

1. Wonder That Was India 

2. India's Ancient Past

3. History of Ancient India

4. A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India 

5. Vishnu Purana 

6. Aitareya Brahmana 

7. Rig Veda 

8. Abhijanashakuntalam

9. IGNOU Study Material 

Also Read

1. Career Opportunities in History 

2. Ayurveda 

3. Invention of Printing 

4. Early Home and Architecture Style of Primitive 

5. Significance of History 

6. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources 

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