Complete Ancient Indian History || Lecture 3 Vedic Civilization Part 2 UPSC CSE 2025 || Alok Ojha

Hello friends. Hi, this is Alok Koja from Study IQIS English. Welcome back to Ancient Indian History series. Guys, we have already completed Vedic Civilization Part 1 where we have tried to understand various concepts like different Vedas, Rig Veda, Saam Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda apart from their significance. So, those who are new to the platform, let us discuss or revise these concepts just within two minutes and then we'll move ahead with different concepts like Aranyakas, Upanishad, Vedang, Upved and so on. So, please stay till the end of the video for better understanding of all the different concepts. Rig Veda. Rig Veda tried to break this etymology into two parts. Rig Veda basically means praising the deity through hymns. Rig Veda is composed of 10 mandals. It comprises of 10 mandals or 10 books among which mandal 3 and 10 are the most important ones. Mandal 3 is dedicated to solar deity. In that case, the famous Gayatri mantra finds mention in mandal 3 of Rig Veda and it was being composed by sage Vishwamitra, also initially Raja Kaushik or King Kaushik as we have discussed the entire story in the previous session. In mandal 10 of Rig Veda, there is a section called as Purusha Sukta where one finds the mention of Varna system or caste system for the first time. Moving ahead, Samved. Break this etymology into two parts. Saman plus Ved. Saman basically means music. The origin of Indian music can be traced back to Samved. The most important aspect that you need to remember either it be North Indian style of music or Carnatic music. Both of them have their genesis from Samved. One more important fact. The musical instrument Veena finds mention for the first time in Samved. Yajurved. Break this etymology into two parts again. Yajus plus Ved. Yajus means Yajna. All different types of Yajic practices, sacrificial rites and rituals finds mention in Yajurved and it is divided into two parts. That is Krishna Yajurved and Shukla Yajurved. Krishna Yajurved is also referred as Black Yajurved whereas Shukla Yajurved is also referred as White Yajurved and there is a very beautiful and amazing story associated with this which we have discussed in the previous session. Correct? Moving ahead with Atharva Ved. Many historians, many Vedic scholars do not consider Atharva Ved as a part of Vedic literature or as a part of Veda Trayee. Why? Because they believe that Atharva Ved is a book on black magic. Till here we have seen in the previous session. Now moving ahead with the concepts like Aranyakas and Upanishads which are very important from the exam perspective. As I have told you previously itself guys, we are coming with further more beautiful and amazing stories which are quite informative. So, please stick to the video till the end. Okay? Moving ahead with the concept. Aranyakas. If you Google it or if you go through the PYQs, you will find a direct question in the UPSC prelims examination. What are Aranyakas? Direct question. Now listen to me very carefully. There is an Upanishad called as Jabal Upanishad which says that there are four Ashrams or four stages of life. Brahmacharya Ashram, Grihastha Ashram, Vanaprastha Ashram and Sannyasa Ashram. The prime responsibility of an individual in Brahmacharya Ashram is to gain or acquire knowledge. Grihastha Ashram. In Grihastha Ashram, the prime responsibility of an individual is to fulfill all his worldly responsibilities. But after a particular point of time, when one realizes that he has fulfilled all his worldly responsibility, he starts moving towards the jungles. He starts meditating in the jungle so that he can better understand himself. And that Ashram is referred as Vanaprastha Ashram. Now, while staying in hermit, while living a life of a wanderer or an ascetic, while meditating, he pens down certain books in jungles. And these books are referred as Aranyakas. So Aranyakas are basically what? Forest books. Aranya, it is a Sanskrit word for jungles or forest. Correct? Aranyakas are also called as book of secrets or book of Rahasya. Rahasya is a Hindi word for secret. Now, what kinds of secrets are mentioned in Aranyakas? Like, you might have seen people offering Jal or water to Lord Surya or Sun God early in the morning. Correct? And this practice is called as Argyam. I repeat, the practice of offering water to Lord Surya early in the morning is referred as Argyam. And Argyam finds mention for the first time in Aranyakas. Now, there's a scientific basis also involved behind this. I'll give you one of the finest example. For example, if I'm offering water to Lord Surya, my hands are in this manner and the water that is flowing down, it's acting like a prism and the rays of sun are going through this water and they are breaking into seven constituent colors which enter my body, which cleans the aura of my body. So, there's a scientific basis also involved behind this. And this practice is referred as Argyam which finds mention in Aranyakas also referred as forest books. Aranyakas are attached to each Ved except Atharva Ved. Why? Because as I have already told you, as per various Vedic scholars, they do not consider Atharva Ved as a part of Vedic literature or as a part of Vedatrai. That's why Aranyakas are attached to each Ved except Atharva Ved. Correct? Now, as we have discussed in Rig Veda, guys, there are many hidden secrets in Rig Veda as well. Like going further into the modern India part, we'll study about Swami Dayanand Saraswati ji. Swami Dayanand Saraswati ji gave a cry back to Vedas. He also supported the scientific basis behind the Vedas. There are many such theories specifically mentioned in our Rig Vedic Suktas, in our Rig Vedic shlokas and hymns. I'll give you one of the finest example. Around 14th-15th century, our modern day scientists came up with a theory called as heliocentric theory. Now, what's heliocentric theory? Sun is at the centre of everything and the other planets rotate around the Sun. In a particular Sukta of Rig Veda, it is specifically mentioned that in the very start itself, there was a huge collision which led to creation of different galaxies, universe, solar system, planetary system and so on. And as a part of solar system, Sun is at the centre of everything. What's this heliocentric theory? And we have classified or scientists in the coming years have classified this as Big Bang Theory. So, entire Veda, in fact, Rig Veda, Vedas plus Aranyakas, these are book of secrets. These are book of Rahasya. So, in a very single statement, if somebody asks you, what are Aranyakas? So, they are nothing but forest books. Hope so the points are clear till any doubt, any query. Moving ahead further, Upanishad. As I have told you previously itself, Aranyakas are called as book of secrets. Now, who is going to reveal these secrets to us? It is a Guru, it is a mentor or a teacher who is going to reveal these secrets to us. So, what is Upanishad? Break this etymology into two parts, Up and Sad. Up basically means nearby. Sad means sit. Sitting near the Guru's feet to gain knowledge is Upanishad. Totally, there are 108 Upanishads. Among them, 11 are the most important ones and are referred as Mukhya Upanishads. The soul or Atman is a central theme of all the Upanishads. Now, there have many a times there have been questions in the UPSA prelims examination like the concept of Tattvamasi or the concept of Ahimsa comes from which Upanishad? The dialogue between a 13-year-old boy Nachiket and Yam, that is God of death, is mentioned in which Upanishad? So, let's understand five to six important Upanishads along with the concepts. Please pay attention carefully. Chanda Yoga Upanishad and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad are the oldest Upanishads. The concept of Tattvamasi finds mention in Chanda Yoga Upanishad. Tattvamasi basically means relationship between an individual and absolute. Secondly, there's a very interesting story which finds mention in Chanda Yoga Upanishad. The crux of the story basically lies in one thing and what is that? If you have to learn something new, one needs to give up his pride. Correct? For example, if you want to imbibe new theories, if you want to learn something new, you have to give up your pride, arrogance and so on. Correct? Listen to this beautiful story with a deep message from Chanda Yoga Upanishad. There was a Vedic king whose name was Janushruti. He was a very generous ruler. He was quite wealthy. He was a very renowned ruler and he was involved in all sorts of Vedic sacrifices. In fact, he was also involved in various philanthropic activities and charitable activities. He used to help the people a lot. Apart from this, he was quite knowledgeable as well. So he developed a bit of pride within him that I am one of the most knowledgeable person. I am one of the most generous person. I am always involved in helping out the others and people are dependent on me. So he developed a sort of pride within him. But from the heaven came a voice and said that if you think, just hold on. Sorry guys for the interruption. There came a voice from the heaven and the voice said that if you think that you have a lot of knowledge, you are the most generous person on this earth. My friend, you are living under an illusion because there is one more person who is more knowledgeable than you. He is more generous than you. Now this King Janushruthi wanted to meet that person and that person, his name was Raekwa. He was living in a cart. One fine day Janushruthi along with few of his servants and ministers started searching for this person. Then he met Raekwa. Raekwa was a poor, ugly guy. He was full of rags and dirt on his body. He was surrounded by stray dogs. He already had a skin disease. Initially King Janushruthi thought that how is he going to teach me something new? But finally keeping his pride aside, he asked Raekwa, I heard that you have the absolute knowledge. You have the knowledge of the supreme being and I wanted to learn from you. Raekwa politely replied, if you want to learn something from me, you should give something worth of it. Janushruthi said, what do you want? I am one of the greatest emperor. Do you want money, horses, cows, village, jewels, gold? I will give you everything. Raekwa replied, all these things are temporary and they are unworthy of the knowledge that I am going to give you. He said that what do you want actually? Raekwa replied, first thing I want is a horse, thousand cows, a village and finally I want to marry your daughter. Now this person Janushruthi, he was completely annoyed but he still tried to control his anger. How come this poor man aspires to marry my daughter? But he had a second thought, probably this is my test. Probably Raekwa is trying to test me. He said that I agree to all your terms and conditions. Raekwa immediately said that now you are worthy of supreme wisdom. You are worthy of supreme knowledge. Why? Because here you are gaining the knowledge with the detachment. This is a beautiful story from Chand Yoga Upanishad which simply suggests one thing, to learn something new you need to give up your pride. The concept of non-violence or Ahimsa finds mention for the time in Chand Yoga Upanishad. Now listen to me carefully. Whenever the word Himsa or violence comes, the first thing in our mind that comes up or the first thing that crops up our mind is physical violence, fighting with someone. My friends, there are three kinds of violence. Violence in thoughts, violence in words and violence in deeds. Let me explain this concept with the help of an example. Suppose you are sitting in your room, you are studying properly. Somebody arrives in your room and starts yelling at you, starts shouting at you. Now in that case you cannot reply to this person but still you have an anger against this person within yourself. Continuously you will keep on thinking in your mind, how dare he speak to me in that manner? How dare he speak to me in that language? Continuously you will keep on thinking about this. Correct? Now what will happen? You are destroying your own mental peace. True? This is violence against self, violence in thoughts, speaking in slang language to anyone, speaking in abusive manner to anyone, violence in words and fighting with anyone. Physical violence is a third form of violence. So Chand Yoga Upanishad suggests that one should shun, one should avoid all these three kinds of violence. So the concept of Ahimsa or non-violence finds mention in Chand Yoga Upanishad. True? Moving ahead with another important concept that is Karma Doctrine. Listen to me very carefully. Now before I start this Karma Doctrine or before I explain this concept of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, let me ask you one question. Many times you guys might be feeling one thing. What? I am doing all sorts of good deeds. I am doing a lot of hard work. I am earning my bread and butter through honest means but still I am not that successful and facing day to day challenges in my life. On the other hand, there is a person who is dishonest, who is lazy but still is successful. So what's the basic reason behind that? The various Vedic Shastras say that this is nothing but Sanchit Karma. Now what is Sanchit Karma? This is mentioned in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. You might have seen Swastik. Swastik has four dots and what does the four dots in Swastik signify or symbolize? The four dots in Swastik simply signifies one thing, the status of our soul depending upon the stock of our karmas. Correct? For example, if I have performed good karma throughout my life, my soul would be in heaven or I would be reborn as a human being. If I have performed bad karma throughout my life, my soul would be in hell or I would be reborn as a lower being. So what's this? The status of the soul depending upon the stock of the karmas and this finds mention in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. So Chandayoga Upanishad and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad are the oldest ones. Moving ahead, as we have discussed previously itself, I am repeating that point again. As per Jabal Upanishad, there are four ashrams or four stages of life and every individual needs to go through these four stages. The first stage is Brahmacharya where one's prime responsibility is to acquire or gain knowledge. Second comes Grihasthashram where one's prime responsibility is to fulfill all his worldly responsibilities and duties. Then comes Vanaprasthashram. Finally, when a person realizes that he has fulfilled all his worldly responsibility, he starts moving towards jungles. He starts moving towards the forest, lives a life like a wanderer or an ascetic, lives in a hermit and starts meditating so that he can know himself. Vanaprasthashram and finally Sannyasashram. He has completely detached himself from all sorts of worldly desires and pleasures. So what are these? These are four stages of life. What are they? Brahmacharya, Grihasthashram, Vanaprasthashram and Sannyasashram. It finds mention in Jabal Upanishad. Third one, moving ahead, Mundaka Upanishad. Our national motto, Satyameva Jayate Nanritam, which simply means truth alone triumphs and not the falsehood, finds mention in Mundaka Upanishad which is derived from Atharvaved and it is our national motto. Mandukya Upanishad is the shortest Upanishad. A dialogue between 13 to 14 year old boy Nachiket and Yam finds mention in Katha Upanishad. In the first session, we have seen about the Vedic chart and in that I have completely explained to the concept of Parvidya and Aparvidya. If you remember that, correct, I will repeat that concept again. For example, what is Parvidya? What is Aparvidya? Aparvidya concerns basically with materialistic knowledge. For example, if I want fortune, if I want wealth, if I want materialistic lifestyle, materialistic pleasures, I do worship Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesh, Lord Kuber, correct, for materialistic gains. That is Aparvidya. True? What is Parvidya? Something which is beyond my imagination. Correct? Example, if I say this is a pen, you will say, yes, this is a pen. Why? Because you can sense it. You can see it. You can write with the help of it. But if I say this is soul, can you sense my soul? This is beyond imagination. Parvidya. So, the concept of Par and Aparvidya finds mention in Muktika Upanishad. Correct? Moving ahead guys, here we have discussed 5 to 6 major Upanishads. I will repeat the point again in 30 seconds. Please pay attention carefully. I will repeat the crux of all the Upanishads. What needs to be remembered? Okay. Pay attention. Chandayoga Upanishad and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad are the oldest ones. The concept of Tattvamasi, the relationship between individual and absolute, finds mention in Chandayoga Upanishad. The concept of Ahimsa or non-violence finds mention for the first time in Chandayoga Upanishad. The concept of Karma doctrine finds mention for the first time in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Satyameva Jayate Nanritam is our national motto, which simply means truth alone triumphs and not the falsehood, finds mention in Mundaka Upanishad, which has been derived from Atharva Veda. Mandukya Upanishad is the shortest Upanishad. Dialogue between 13-year-old boy Nachiket and Yam, that is god of death, finds mention in Katha Upanishad. The concepts of Par and Aparvidya finds mention in Muktika Upanishad. And it is believed that there was a Mughal prince whose name was Dara Shikoh. He was son of Shah Jahan. He is credited with translating more than 50 Upanishads into Persian language. More than 50 Upanishads into Persian language. Correct? And the title was Sira Akbar. This is majorly about Upanishad. Hope so you understood the concept of Upanishad guys. Please let me know any query, any sort of doubt. Correct? Moving ahead with another important part, Vedanga. Now let's understand this. It's a very important part and there have been ample of times questions. What is Siksha? What is Vyakaran? What is etymology? Now let's understand these concepts in quite depth and detail. Pay attention carefully. Ved-ang. Vedang are limb of Vedas. Example, if Vedas are the backbone of the body, Vedang are eyes, ears, nose, feet, tongue of the body. Correct? So there are six part of it and these are first is Siksha, second is Vyakaran. Both Siksha and Vyakaran are correlated to each other. Now Siksha phonetics which is referred as tongue of Vedas and Vyakaran. How both are correlated to each other? Let's understand. Siksha basically means correct pronunciation of the mantra. But there cannot be correct pronunciation of the mantra until and unless you know the correct grammar behind that. Correct? I'll give you a small example. I'll give you a small example. For example, there's a word called as palmistry. Now the spelling is P-A-L-M-I-S-T-R-Y. I'm giving an example so that you can easily understand the concept. Okay. Palmistry. Now there's a word palmistry P-A-L-M-I-S-T-R-Y. This is a spelling but we pronounce it as P-A-L-M-I-S-T-R-Y not palmistry. Correct? So what is this here? Here we have understood the grammar behind this and why it is necessary to understand the grammar so that we can pronounce it well. Similarly, Siksha and Vyakaran are correlated to each other. Siksha is correct pronunciation of a particular mantra and for correct pronunciation of that mantra one needs to understand the grammar behind it. So the first book on Siksha which is referred as tongue of Veda is Pratisakya Sutra and the most important book on grammar, Sanskrit grammar specifically is Ashtadhyay composed of eight chapters. It was written by Panini who was a graduate of Takshashila University. Correct? Moving ahead. Nirukta. Third part. Now Nirukta basically means etymology. I'll explain this with the help of a simple example. Before reciting a particular mantra, usually we start that mantra with Om. Correct? In that case here we are trying to express the origin of that particular mantra. There are certain seed mantras or there are certain beej mantras associated with different deities as well. I'll give you the finest example. Shreem. It's a beej mantra for Goddess Lakshmi. Aim. It's a beej mantra for Goddess Saraswati. So these denote what? These simply denote the origin of that deity, the origin of that particular mantra. That is nothing but Nirukta or etymology. Okay? Fourth concept. Chhand. Breaking the mantra into different parts. For example, if I am reciting a particular mantra, when to take a short pause, when to take a long pause or when to stop, it finds mention in Chhand. That is why it is also referred as Vedic Matrix. Correct? I'll give you one of the finest examples. Gayathri Mantra. Mentioned in Mandal 3 of Rig Veda and composed by Sage Vishwamitra. Also referred as Raja Kaushik. While reciting the Gayathri Mantra, it is believed that it is breaked into three stages or three parts and are referred as three padas. One more important fact. Gayathri Mantra. See, while reciting any particular mantra, there are two processes. Mansik, Vachik. Mansik means, in my mind, I am continuously reciting that mantra. Vachik. I am reciting that mantra loudly. So it is always believed that Gayathri Mantra, mentioned in Mandal 3 of Rig Veda, should never be recited loudly. It should be a Mansik. It should be recited in the mind. Correct? Hope you understood. I am repeating the points for better understanding. Please pay attention carefully, guys. Important concept. First is Siksha. Second is Vyakaran. Both Siksha and Vyakaran are correlated to each other. Siksha is correct pronunciation of the mantra. There cannot be correct pronunciation of the mantra until and unless you have a correct grammar behind that. Correct? So, in that case, the first book on grammar was Ashtadhyay composed by Panini. Composed of eight chapters. Panini was a graduate of Takshashila University. Then comes Nirukta. Nirukta basically means etymology. That is origin of that particular mantra. Correct? Then comes Chand. That is Vedic matrix. Breaking that mantra into different parts. As I have given you one of the finest example of Mandal 3 of Rig Veda, wherein the Gayathri Mantra is breaked into three padas. True? Fourth. Coming next, Jyotish. One of the most Vedic astrology. One of the most important part of today's life of people. Aren't those so many apps about people like you guys are preparing for civil services. Isn't that so? And when you are preparing for civil services, like many people have a hobby of watching their what we call it as Vedic astrology or numerology. How would be year 2025 for me? Or how was year 2002 for me? Correct? You will visit an astrologer. Will I become an IAS or an IPS? Okay. In that case, Vedic astrology, Bhrigu is considered as the first astrologer. Correct? As per Vedic astrology, there are nine important planets. And there are two shadow planets. Among the nine important planets, the king of the nine planets is Sun. And the justice among the nine planets is Saturn, also referred as Shani. And the shadow planets are Rahu and Ketu. This is the only thing that we need to understand in Vedic astrology. Correct? Only your efforts and hard work is going to make you through this exam. I personally believe that. Okay. So, Jyotish means Vedic astrology. Now comes the most important part, Kalp. Pay attention very, very carefully here. In Griha Sutras, it has been mentioned that right from the birth or rather than saying right from the birth, right from the conception, that is from mother's womb till tomb, everyone has to go through 16 process. And these 16 process are referred as Sola Sanskar or Sodhash Karma. Now, let us understand 6 to 7 Sanskars. Now, a girl gets married. And when the girl gets married, she moves into her in-law's house along with her husband. That is called as Garbhadan. Then comes Pumsavan. Now, what is Pumsavan? I will give you one of the finest example about this. When a girl gets pregnant or when a lady gets pregnant, a ceremony is performed. And that ceremony is basically for what? Pum, it's a Sanskrit word for male child. So, Pumsavan is basically for like, they are asking the deity to bless them with a male child. Then comes, the child is born. Jata Karma, astrologer reads the child's future. Naam Karan, wherein he is given the name. Then, after 5 to 6 months, the child is taken outside for the first time and is fed with solid food, that is Annaprashan. I will repeat. Pay attention carefully. Garbhadan, Pumsavan, after that Jata Karma, Naam Karan, Annaprashan, that is child is fed with solid food for the first time, particularly curd rice. Then, after a particular age, there is a ceremony called as Tonsure Ceremony, where the child's head is made bald and that is called as Chuda Karma. Karanbhed, piercing the ears. Now, there is also scientific basis behind piercing the ears because certain parts of the brain or certain nerves of the brain are connected to the ears, which actually activates the retention capacity or the memory power of an individual. So, that is nothing but Karanbhed. Correct? Vidyaram, the child goes for a formal education. Vedaram, now the child goes to the Gurukul for higher education. Here, he acquires the knowledge of all the Shastras, of the Vedas, Upanishads, under a Guru. Now, after acquiring the knowledge from a Guru and before coming back to his home, he has to give Guru Dakshina and usually cows were donated to the Guru in Guru Dakshina. Apart from that, a person or an individual needs to submit his hair to the Guru as a part of Guru Dakshina and that is referred as Keshant. Then, he comes back to home, Samavartan. He gets married, Vivaah. Same process is repeated for his child and finally, death. Antyesti. Correct? I will repeat the points about the Sola Sanskar. Pay attention carefully. Pay attention. These are the important points. The first one is Garbhadan. Second is Pomsavan, birth of a male child. Jatakarm, Naamkaran, Annaprashan, where the child is fed with solid food for the first time. After that, Chudakarm, tonsure ceremony. Karnabhed, piercing the ears. Vidyaram, commencement of formal education. Vedaram, the child goes to the Gurukul to acquire the higher knowledge from a Guru. Then, finally comes Keshant that is giving the Guru Dakshina and submitting his hairs to the Guru. Then comes Samavartan, coming back to home. Then, Vivaah, end of Brahmacharya and same process is repeated for his child and finally, death. That is Antyesti. These are 10 to 11 Sanskars out of 16 Sanskars. So, hope you understood the complex concept of Vedang in a simplified manner. Repeating the points again within 30 seconds, pay attention carefully. Vedang, if Vedas are the structure of the body, Vedang are limbs of the Vedas. First is Siksha, Vyakran, Nirukta, Chand, Jyotish and finally comes Kalp wherein we find the important concept of 16 Sanskars in Griha Sutras. Hope the points are clear guys. Okay. Let's move with another important concept, Upveda. Now, listen to me carefully. Like Ayurveda, it's an Upveda of Rigveda. Dhanurveda, it's an Upveda of Yajurveda and many more such Upvedas. Now, let's understand about these Upveda, Ayurveda. Although it is mentioned that Ayurveda is an Upveda of Rigveda and Atharvaveda, my friend, it is only an Upveda of Rigveda. Please rectify this mistake. It is an Upveda of Rigveda. Okay. Now, as per Ayurveda, there are three important causes of disease. Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Secondly, there are three branches of Ayurveda. I'll explain this with the help of a simple example. First is Kaya Chikitsa. For example, if you have some fever, if you're going through cold and cough, obviously, you're not going to directly visit, what we say, a specialist. You'll obviously visit an in-general physician who is an MBBS or an MD. Correct? Because he has the knowledge of the entire body. And Kaya means body. Kaya Chikitsa, in-general physician. Secondly comes Salayantantra, surgical technique. For example, if a person or an individual has a stone in the kidney or he has a stone in the gallbladder, obviously, it needs to get operated. It needs to go through surgery. That is Salayantantra. Or you might have heard about an organ called as Appendix. It's a vestigial organ. And when it starts paining, it needs to be removed from the body. And it can only be removed through surgical techniques. That is Salayantantra. Correct? Finally comes, what? Rasayantantra. Like during the Corona age, you might have seen that people were consuming herbal tea, also referred in North India as Kadha. Correct? So, why was that consumed? It was basically consumed to improve the immunity of the body, to improve the resistance of the body against various diseases, particularly viruses and bacteria. That is nothing but Rasayantantra. Correct? And Dhanvantri is referred as God of Ayurveda. So, Ayurveda, it's an Upaveda of Rigveda. Dhanurveda. Dhanurveda, it's an Upaveda of Yajurveda. Pay attention now, carefully. For example, if I am a Chakravartin. Chakravartin basically means ruler of the four directions. I am one of the supreme ruler. Now, I have performed one Yajna called as Ashwamedha Yajna. And as we have discussed yesterday or in the previous session that when Ashwamedha Yajna is performed, a horse is released. Wherever the horse goes, okay, I assume that if that horse is not being stopped by any other ruler, that ruler of a particular territory has accepted my suzerainty. But if a ruler stops that horse, okay, if a ruler stops that horse, it simply means that he's ready to fight a battle with me. And in this case, I need to be expert in my warfare skills, particularly the skills of archery. That is Dhanurvidya or Dhanurveda. So, Dhanurveda is an Upaveda of Yajurveda. Got the points? Stapatveda, Shilpaveda, it is an Upaveda of Yajurveda. Simple words, it is nothing but interior designing. It is nothing but Vastu Shastra. You might have heard about the concept of Vastu Shastra. Like you might have seen an interior designing speaking about this is nothing but Ishan Kone. Here there should be a washroom. Here there should be a living room. Here there should be a kitchen. Here there should be an open area as per the Vastu Shastra. That in simple word is nothing but Stapatveda. And that has been derived from Yajurveda. You might have heard about the similar concepts in China as well. Like you might have heard about the concept of Feng Shui. Correct? All these concepts in Stapatveda and Gandharvaveda. Gandharvaveda speaks about music and dance. And as we have discussed previously itself, the origin of Finden music can be traced back to Samveda. So, Gandharvaveda is an Upaveda of Samveda. I repeat Gandharvaveda is an Upaveda of Samveda. Hope so the points are clear. Last part of today's session. Now, there are two major epics or there are two major Itihas. Ramayana and Mahabharata. Ramayana was composed by Sage Valmiki. Guys, Ramayana was composed by Sage Valmiki and Ramcharitmanas which is divided into various parts or various Kand. It is written by Goswami Tulsidasji. Okay? So, Ramayana, it was written by Sage Valmiki. Mahabharata was written by Sage Ved Vyas. Ramayana, it comprises of 24,000 verses. Whereas, in Mahabharata one can find more than one lakh verses. Ramayana, it is dedicated as everyone know about this. It is dedicated to Lord Ram. And this is dedicated to Lord Krishna, Mahabharata. Secondly, there are four Yugas. Satyug, Treta Yug, Dwapar Yug and the present Yug that is Kalyug. So, Ramayana was written in Treta Yug. Whereas, Mahabharata was written in specifically Dwapar Yug. Got the points? Ramayana is divided into seven parts whereas Mahabharata is divided into 18 parts. So, these are the major things that you need to remember. Finally, Purana. Totally there are 18 Purana, 18 Mahapurana and 46 Upapurana. This was Vedic Civilization Part 2. We have discussed important concepts here like Aranyakas, different Upanishads, Vedang, Sola Sanskar. Apart from that, we have discussed the concepts of Upaveda and so on. In coming lectures, I am going to discuss about comparative analysis on social, political, economic and religious grounds between early Vedic period and later Vedic period. And then we are going to start with one of the most interesting chapters full of amazing and beautiful stories that is Mahajanpad, the 16 great kingdoms. Guys, hope so you are enjoying the lectures plus you are learning something new. Please do follow StudyIQ IAS English so that you can get the notification of the upcoming videos. I will stop my words for the day. This is Alok Goja. Thank you and have a wonderful day.