L6 - Later Vedic Period - Complete course on Ancient History - UPSC Prelims 2024 - Arti Chhawari

Hello everyone, welcome to this comprehensive course on ancient Indian history. In the last session of this course, we were discussing the Vedic period. We had started our discussion on the Vedic period. And we had started our discussion on the early Vedic period. Here, we discussed the debate on the time of the Vedic period or the debate on the origin of the Aryans. Along with this, in our last session, we saw how the people of the early Vedic period lived around the Sindhu river and its auxiliary rivers. Some of them considered themselves superior, so they called themselves Aryas. Those who were Aryas considered others inferior, so they called themselves Das or Dasis. For them, their wealth was their cattle. They were breeding animals. Breeding animals was their primary occupation. They were also doing some farming for fodder. We discussed all these things in our last session. We talked about tribal conflicts. We talked about the claim of India. We talked about the five generations, the battle of the ten kings, how inter- and intra-tribal conflicts were taking place. We talked about material life. We talked about the scope deal that is taking place at this time. We talked about the use of metal. We get the word Aryas, which can be a generic term for any type of metal. But the area where we can see the people of the early Vedic period, we can see the use of copper in that area. In the same way, we also saw that the idea of land as private property did not exist. For them, their cattle were of great importance. We discussed all these things in our last session. Along with this, in our last session, we discussed tribal politics. We talked about Rajan. We saw different assemblies here. Rajan is a tribal chief. His position was not hereditary before, but it became hereditary later. He cannot make absolute decisions. He is not an absolute monarch. He is just a tribal chief. He has been elected on the basis of his capabilities. He makes important decisions by holding meetings in assemblies. We discussed different types of assemblies. Sabha, Samiti, Vidatganj. If you have missed all this, then see the previous session of this particular session. There you will get all the information related to this. Along with this, we also discussed Purohit. Now we will go a little further and discuss all these words. Now, the point is, we saw how in the early Vedic period, people lived in tribes. People lived in tribes and tribes also had heads. We discussed Rajan here. These tribes were also involved in conflicts with each other. They also fought with each other. We also saw this. They are fighting here for animals, for cattle. Now the point is, when two tribes fight with each other, the first question that arises is, do these tribes maintain a separate army? Do these Rajans have a separate army that they maintain? And when the time comes, when they have to attack another tribe, do they use this standing army? Do we get any such information from the Rig Vedic period? No. There was no standing army. No army was maintained separately. In fact, the people of the entire tribe used to become soldiers here whenever it was time for war. So here, if you have to fight a war with another tribe, then the people of the tribe will take up arms and then fight the war. So this attack, this battle between the two tribes, the one who leads this battle is called the commander or commander-in-chief. So here we see the term commander or commander-in-chief. It is very much possible that the chief of the tribe is separate and when the entire tribe goes to fight a war here, then the people of the tribe who are fighting here as soldiers on the battlefield, the one who leads them, the one who commands them, the one who tells them what to do is separate. So that's why here we see a term called commander-in-chief or commander-in-chief. In the same way, we saw that cattle is very important. Here we see the importance of animals. So you will see that every tribe had a spy, a spy. This spy used to bring all the information. Suppose we are a part of the same tribe and we are going to attack the other tribe. So what are we doing here? We will first find out how many animals are there in that tribe, where are they tied up, what time do the people of that tribe sleep, what are the ways through which one can enter the area of that tribe and the animals of that tribe can be caught and brought. All this information is given by the spy only. So these are some of the terms you see here. In the same way, a tribe. Again and again we are saying tribe. For a tribe, a lot of words have been given in Rig Veda, like Vrat, Gram, Sarda. And in the same way, you will also get words like Vish and Jan for a tribe. Group of people. The homogenous group that we are able to see here, the tribe that we are able to see, these are the things. In these tribes, you will get to see families. In a whole tribe, there is a family. There are a lot of families. And the family is what we are calling a planet. And the head of the family will be called the planet. But suppose you live here with your parents, you live with your siblings, you live with your grandparents. That is a family, a house. And then the head of the house is the planet. But you must be seeing that you also have a whole family. Kul means extended family. Whole family. That is, all the distant relatives count in it. So here, the Kul also means family, but it is an extended family. The head of that Kul is called Kulpa or Kulpati. Kulpa or Kulpati. Okay? So here you will also get this word. So we saw, Senapati. We read Guptachar. We also read some terms for the tribe. Along with this, in every tribe, the heads of the small families are the planet. The head of the extended family is called Kul, Kulpa or Kulpati. Kul is used for extended family. Kulpa or Kulpati is used for the head of the extended family. Similarly, you will also see some other words here. Like sacrifice. Sacrifice. To offer something. Here you will find, at this time, the people of this tribe, the people of early Vedic period, they used to perform Yagya. And while performing Yagya, these gods and goddesses, they used to give them voluntarily offering. They used to offer something. They can be animals. They can offer fruits, flowers, etc. Even, many times, the people of this tribe used to voluntarily offer something to the king. Anything that is offered voluntarily, by yourself, is not collected forcefully. But you voluntarily go ahead and want to give it. You want to offer it. It can be any material here. It can be fruits. It can be grains. It can be animals, etc. For that, the word used here, that is, sacrifice. Then comes our next word, that is, Vrajapati. What is the meaning of Vrajapati? Suppose, we all live in the same tribe. We are a part of a tribe. This tribe, in search of resources, moves from one place to another. This tribe sees a river. This tribe stays near that river for some time. It settles there for some time. So, that settlement, we call that place, Gram. That is why the word Gram is used for the tribe. Because the people of the tribe are settling there. So, for that place, where we are making that settlement, that is Gram. And the chief of that Gram is Gramani. The word Gramani was used much later, for the village headman. But it is also used in Rigveda. Gramani. We were talking about Vrajapati. Who is Vrajapati? So, what I want to say is, suppose we see a river, and we think that there is a river here, we settle near it for some time. But there was a lot of grass around that river. Pasture fields. Grazing lands. Grazing fields. And this pasture field, this green grass, it can be used to graze our animals. Now, these pasture fields, they were also distributed. And the distribution of these pasture fields, that which tribe member, in which area, can graze his animals, can feed them. In this way, the pasture field, what was done to it, that was also distributed. This distribution was uneven. So, the people who used to get more share, of the pasture field, they were called Vrajapati. So, Vrajapati is someone, who has the pasture field, the grazing field, the green grass, which is fed to the animals, the one who gets the biggest area, that is called Vrajapati. I had taught you in the last session, that land as property does not exist. Absolutely right. For them, the concept of land as private property, does not exist. But the point is, here we are talking about green grass. Here we are talking about green grass, which they can feed their animals. Okay. So, the distribution of the green grass, which is spread in the area, you will see, and the one who is getting the most share, that is called Vrajapati. Now, anyone can be Vrajapati. If the king is getting the most share, then he can also be called Vrajapati. If a priest is getting the most share, of the grass, then he can be called Vrajapati. Vrajapati is someone, who holds the largest share, of the pasture field. So, these are some terms, which are connected to the tribal qualities. So, these are some terms, which are connected to the tribal qualities. Now, I will tell you some Rig Vedic terms, with the help of which, we will be able to prove properly, that yes, the people of Rig Vedic period were pastoralists. They used to keep animals here. For them, their animals, their cattle, had a lot of importance. But along with that, they were also farming. But farming was seen as a secondary occupation. Now, how will we know, that the people of Rig Vedic period were pastoralists, and for them, their animals, had a lot of importance. When we saw in Rig Ved, there are many such words. There are many such words, whose root word is cow. Cow means cow. You will find many such words, whose root word is cow. Cow means cow. Cow is the root word. So, we will take some examples here. For example, the most common word, which we read in the last session, that is Gavishti. Gavishti literally means, in search of cows. But this word is used for battle. Battle for cattle. For animals, the battles, the raids, Gavishti word is used for them. And it has many synonyms. For example, Gaveshna, Goshu, Gavya, their root word is cow. In the same way, the chief of the tribe, that is Rajan, is often called Gopa, or Gopati. In the same way, here you will see, any wealthy man, who has a lot of animals, is called Gomat. The time of the evening, when the sun is very low, cold wind is blowing, that time is called Goduli. This is also made up of the word cow. Similarly, the time of the morning is called Samgav. All these words are found in Rigveda, whose root word is cow. To measure the area, or to calculate the distance, a word is used here, Gavyuti, or Gocharman. Here also, you will see the word cow. For buffalo, the word used in Rigveda is Gauri or Gawala. Again, it is made up of the word cow. Daughter, for daughter, Beti ki beti. For example, maternal grandparents, Dohita or Dohiti. Dohitra or Dohitri. The word Dohitra or Dohitri, what does it mean? It means, it is used to milk cows. But it is used for a relation. Dohitra or Dohitri. Here also, the root connection is between cow and cow. Similarly, you will find the word Gojit. It means, all the cows of other tribes, have won the war. The word Gopati is used for Rajan, but for Indradev also, the word Gopati is used. Lord of cattle. So, you will find many such words, whose root word is cow. And with this, in Rigvedic period, we come to know the importance of cattle. Similarly, we have some such words which are given in Rigveda, with the help of which we come to know that these people who are also involved in agricultural activities, are not so many. So, for plough, means for plough, the word which is used for tilling, for tilling of land, for tilling of fields, that is, Pala Langal Spira. It is called Thanitra. Tikal. Tikal means, Darati, with the help of which the crop is cut. It is called Datra or Shrini. X. For X, the word used for plough is Parshu or Kulisha. Cultivated field. The land on which the land is cultivated, for that, the word Shetra is used. Quarrows. That is, the land which is ploughed, for that, the word Sita is used. And because of this, as you will see, in Ramayan epic, the name of Goddess Sita was also kept because her father, while ploughing the land, found her in a pot. Because of this, her name was kept as Sita. Similarly, some cereals, that is, for grains, the word is also used, like Yava or Dhaniya. Dhaniya word is still used. Dhan Dhaniya. Rice. Ploughing the land is called Urvarjit. All these words are in Rig Veda. And from all these words, we are getting information. So, pastoralism and agriculture, both are seen in Rig Vedic period. Now, let's move towards family life. Let's move towards family life. Let's look at social structure. So, one thing we can see here that you will see families, which are called Grahas. And these are not small nuclear families, these are very large joint units. We are talking about families. And every family had a chief, who was called Grahapati. Grahapati. Society was patriarchal. Patriarchal means father's power. When we talk about Grahapati, the head of the family, he will be a male member. This is patriarchal society. This society was also patrilineal. See, there is a difference between both. One word is patriarchal and the other word you see here is patrilineal. What is the difference between both? The difference between both is that patriarchal See, like this. We can understand this when we say when we use the word patriarchal or we use the word matriarchal then we are only talking about who has the power in the house who has the final say on important decisions. We are talking about that. If it is the father's, then it is patriarchal society. If it is the mother's power, then it is matriarchal society. But when we use the word patrilineal, then we are trying to understand whose lineage is being carried forward. Matrilineal is also a word. That is, if you all look at your surnames carefully, if the surname is your father's, then your family is patrilineal. If you put your mother's name in front of your name or if you are carrying the surname of your mother's family, then your family is matrilineal. So, the society we are seeing in Rig Vedic period, in early Vedic period, remember, we are only discussing the early Vedic period. That was patriarchal and patrilineal. Similarly, what other evidences are there on the basis of which we can say that yes, this society was patriarchal. So, in Rig Ved, there are a lot of hymns, a lot of mantras, a lot of prayers. The prayers you see here, you will get prayers for son. Prayers for son. You will get prayers for that. But for daughters, there is no such prayer in Rig Ved. So, does this mean that the condition of women in Rig Ved is very bad? We can say that comparatively, in the future, the condition of women will be much better than that in the Rig Ved period. How? Women participate in meetings. They can also do voluntary offerings with their husbands. When we talk about marriage institutions, then you will see here that in this society, there are two types of marriages. Monogamy and polygamy. Monogamy means single marriage. One husband and one wife. But polygamy means more than one marriage. So, polygamy also has two types. One is polyandry. And the other one is polygyny. What is the difference between the two? Polyandry means more than one husband. And polygyny means more than one wife. So, polyandry and polygyny plus monogamy. All these types of marriages used to take place in the early Vedic period, in the Rig Vedic period. In the same way, you will also see the system of Niyog. In which a man's brother is actually helping that person's wife to conceive. That is Niyog. If there is some husband who is not actually able to help his wife to conceive via copulation, then the brother of that husband can help his wife to conceive. That is Niyog. So, this Niyog practice is also seen in the Rig Vedic period. You will not see child marriage. Widow remarriage will be seen very often. This was the society of the Rig Vedic period. Let's talk about the social differences. The first social difference that we see here is between Das and Arya. That is, there are some tribes who consider their lifestyle to be superior. So, they call themselves Arya. Because Arya is a Sanskrit word which means superior. But then these Aryan tribes consider any other tribe, other tribe people, their rituals, their lifestyle to be superior. So, they call themselves Das. They call themselves Dasini. So, the first difference that we see in the society is between Aryan and non-Aryan tribes. Arya and Das or Dasini are among them. But the second social difference can also be seen within the tribe. It can also be seen inside the tribe. Here, in the war games, suppose our tribe attacked another tribe. We took all the animals and distributed them among all the members of our tribe. But this distribution is not an even distribution. That is, not everyone is getting equally. Or I can say that two animals should be given to everyone. This is not happening. Someone is getting more share, someone is getting less share. So, what do you see here? The war bounty which is the distribution of the war bounty is an uneven distribution. Many times, the king or the priest gets more share. Because of this, you will see some differences in the society. The rest of the things written in this slide you will understand later. Now, the point is whatever we are discussing here, whatever we have read so far, whatever we have understood so far about Rig Vedic period or early Vedic period, that has been studied on the basis of Rig Veda. We have understood those things on the basis of Rig Veda. Now, the point is what has been given in Rig Veda? We had read in our previous class that Rig Veda is a compilation of hymns, mantras, shuktas. Shukta word means hymns, mantras. It is a compilation of that. So, the mantras given in Rig Veda, what are these mantras for? What are these mantras? Actually, these mantras are dedicated to gods. All these mantras are dedicated to those gods whom people used to worship in the Rig Vedic period or early Vedic period. And these Rig Vedic gods are nothing but natural forces. The natural forces you will get to see in the form of gods. How? In the early Vedic period, people were seeing nature around them. When they were not able to explain its existence, they were considering it as a god. They were not able to understand why it rains. So, they made a god of rain, Indradev. They used to say that Indradev makes it rain. After that, when he used to go near the fire, he used to feel very hot. He was not able to explain why it happens. What is there in the fire because of which it is hot? So, they made a fire god, Agnidhe. When they saw the water, they saw that the water does not have any proper color, shape or form. The pot in which you will put it, it takes the same shape and size. It does not have any color. If you mix any color in it, it becomes of the same color. So, they were not able to explain the nature of water. So, they made a god of water, Varundhe. Similarly, there was a plant, Som. With the help of which, an intoxicating drink was made, Somras. That Somras was made from that plant. That plant was also personified here. Pooja started going in the form of a god. That is, whatever they are seeing around them in nature, whatever they are seeing around them in nature, they are personifying it and worshiping it. Among all these goddesses, these four are the most prominent. Indra, Agni, Varun, Som. There are also female divinities. That is, you will also see goddesses. Like Aditi, Usha. Who are Aditi and Usha? Here, in the morning and in the evening, that is, in the evening, if you have ever seen the sky, then what will you see in the sky? Very beautiful colors, the light of the sun. Now, obviously, we can explain it with the help of science. How the light of the sun, white light, its white light is made from different seven colors. Every color, its wavelength, frequency is different. Today, with the help of science, we can explain all that. The color that is spread in the sky is blue. Around the sun, here the sun is at the right time and while the sun is setting, it appears red. We explain all that today with the help of science. But at that time, this beautiful sky that used to be made in the evening and in the morning, they were not able to explain it. So, they made Aditi and Usha goddess of this nature. So, here you will see both male and female gods. But male gods can be seen more prominently as compared to female. Here, there are four male gods of Indra, Agni, Varun and Som. Now, the question arises that are they worshipping these gods? Yes, they are worshipping and there is a way of worshipping them. What do they do? While worshipping, they perform Yagya. Here, in this picture, you can see how Yagya is performed. In this Yagya, the most important role of Agni is played because Agni is considered as a mediator between God and people living on earth. Yagya is performed and along with Yagya, mantras are recited which are compiled in Rig Veda. At this time, here, spiritual upliftment, enlightenment, understanding the mystery of this universe, how everything was created, what is the importance of my existence, how is life after death, such questions were not developed at this time. And because of this, people of Rig Vedic period, when they worshipped these gods, they did not ask for Moksha. They did not ask for enlightenment. They did not say, O God, please tell us about this earth, this whole life. In Rig Vedic period, people used to ask for materialistic things when they worshipped. They used to say, O God, may our body be healthy. May we get many animals. May the body of these animals be healthy. May we get food on time. People of Rig Vedic period used to ask for all these things. They used to worship for all these things. All this discussion that we just did, was about Rig Vedic period. But after Rig Vedic period, things start changing here. After some time, you will see changes. And we see the same changes in later Vedic period. Later Vedic period is about the same changes. What were these changes like? We will try to understand them here. But first, let me clear some things for you. We read about early Vedic period. And this early Vedic period, we read about this early Vedic period with the help of Rig Ved. With the help of Rig Ved. In Rig Ved, there are 10 Mandal. 10 Mandal means 10 volumes of Rig Ved. In 10 volumes, Mantras of Rig Ved are compiled. From these 10 volumes, 2 to 7, from 2nd volume to 7th volume, from 2nd volume to 7th volume, the Mandal of Rig Ved, are the oldest. The Mantras in these Mandal are the oldest. And because they are the oldest Mantras, they give us information about early Vedic period. But when we talk about 1st Mandal of Rig Ved, 8th Mandal, 9th and 10th Mandal, the Mantras in these Mandal do not give us the information about early Vedic period. In fact, in these Mantras, we see a transition and it gives us information about later Vedic period. To study later Vedic period, we will refer to 1st, 8th, 9th and 10th Mandal of Rig Ved. And along with that, rest of the Vedic texts, in which we have Sama Ved, Yajur Ved and Atharva Veda. And there are other texts also, later Vedic texts, like Brahmana, Aranya, Kopanishad, Dharmashastras, we will discuss in the next sessions. But we will cover the information about later Vedic period in these texts. So, what exactly happened in later Vedic period? If you focus on the time period, then the time given to later Vedic period in Max Muller is between 1000 to 500 B.C. In later Vedic period, compared to earlier Vedic period, there are a lot of changes. In earlier Vedic period, there were a lot of changes in the lifestyle, the way of life. You will see a lot of different things in later Vedic period from that lifestyle. What were you seeing earlier? Earlier, you were seeing how the head of the tribe, Rajan, he was a part of the tribe. Rajan was equal to the people of the tribe. Just because he is capable to lead, that's why he is made a leader so that he leads the tribe. Keep this in mind. Rest, Rajan and other tribal people did not have a lot of differences. But in later Vedic period, these differences will develop. Rajan will become more important than There will be a gap between the people of the tribe and Rajan. Rajan, whose position was not hereditary, will become hereditary. Rajan, who used to follow the advice of the Sabha Samitis, will now develop as an absolute monarch. All this is happening in the later Vedic period. But why? What happened in the later Vedic period that so many complexities came up? To understand this, we have to understand the ideas established by the Purohits. So what are the Purohits doing here? Let's try to understand this. The point is, if you are a Purohit, Purohits means priest. When you look at Purohits, there are 33 types of Purohits. There are 33 types. But in these 33 types, there is one type which we call Brahmin. Brahmin were those Purohits who used to perform Yagya. When Yagya was performed, they used to sit beside Rajan and assist Rajan. During Yagya, Brahmin used to tell Rajan what to do, when to give fruits in fire, when to pour water. All these things were told by Brahmin. There were other types of Purohits like Udgatri. Udgatri is also a type of Purohit. What is the work of Udgatri? Udgatri is one who recites mantras during Yagya. Brahmin's work was to tell Rajan what to do during Yagya. For example, when to offer fruits, when to offer sweets, Udgatri is one who recites mantras during Yagya. There were different types of Purohits. But Brahmins were not close to Rajan. They used to sit very close to Rajan. Gradually, in later Vedic period, Brahmins became superior to other Purohits. They started establishing rules of society. They started establishing laws of society. But how were these laws justified? How did Purohits explain to society that these laws are important and we should follow them? Let's try to understand this. These Purohits, Brahmins, started observing the universe. They started observing the life around them. They started having many questions. What type of questions? How was the creation done? How does life work? Is there something which is immortal? Which can never be destroyed All these questions started coming to Purohits' mind. Purohits realized that this entire universe and everything in this universe follows laws. See for yourself. All around you, the growth of a tree, the birth of a child, the rotation of the earth and the revolution of the earth all follow some laws. So Purohits felt that if the entire universe follows some laws and if we have to know the secrets of this universe then we have to align ourselves with these secrets. That's why we have to bring rules, norms and laws When the entire universe is following the laws then why not us? Slowly and gradually rules, laws and social norms started developing. This is one of the theories. This is one interpretation of the origin of these laws. But some historians also say that these laws were brought so that Brahmins can frame the society in their own way and always remain in a privileged position in this society. So there are different interpretations. But it is true that in the later Vedic era many rules started developing. Laws started developing. Laws related to everything in life. And the first thing that was seen was the Varna system. What is Varna system? Let's try to understand. You will see here that the 10th Mandal of Rig Veda we talked about it earlier that we use the 10th Mandal to read the later Vedic period. So in the 10th Mandal of Rig Veda a mantra is given and that mantra is called Purusha Shukta. Shukta means Mantra or Hymn. Why is it called Purusha Shukta? Because in this Shukta in this Hymn it is told that how a cosmic entity which looks like a human used to be a cosmic entity which is called Purusha. So here we were talking about Purusha Shukta. So what is given in Purusha Shukta? In Purusha Shukta a cosmic entity is mentioned which looks like a human and is called Purusha. In this Shukta in the 10th Mandal of Rig Veda in Purusha Shukta it is told that how different groups of society were born. It is said that to remember the mantras and to chant the mantras here the head and mouth part is required. So this section i.e. this cosmic entity its head and mouth part this part from here Brahmins were born. After that Bujhains come who are there to pick up the sword to fight the war. So this part from here you will see that Kshatriyas are born. Kshatriyas i.e. warriors. After that the lower body part the thigh part comes. These are those who you will see trading who are farmers. Their birth is from the thigh part of the cosmic entity Purusha and we are calling them Vaishya. Ok. Farmers also come in this. Traders and merchants also come in this. And after that the upper body part is called Shudra. Those who are born from there are called Shudra. What did Shudra do mostly? Shudra is seen serving the upper body part. This whole system you can see here in the 10th Mandal this is called Varna Vyavastha or Varna system. This is called Varna system. Right. Now one thing to note that this Purusha Shukta this Varna system is given in Rig Veda's 10th Mandal. And in Rig Veda's 10th Mandal you will realize that in Rig Veda's 10th Mandal the mantras are composed at that time when we are entering from early to later Vedic period. So this Varna system which is given in 10th Mandal in that Shukta it is not written anywhere that this Varna system will be hereditary. In fact this whole Varna system was profession based. This whole Varna system was based That means in one family you can see people of different Varna. Like I told you that after some time you will understand this point that how in one family you will see warriors priests traders So in one family suppose there are three brothers one thought that he will learn mantras here he will be called Brahmin one thought that we will be warriors so he will be called Kshatriya and one thought that he is doing agriculture or doing business so he will be called Vaishya So in one family you will find people of different Varna but with time it became more complex in later Vedic period when we move ahead so Varna system became hereditary that means if there is a Brahmin then his son from birth by birth will be called Brahmin whether he does Brahmin work or not things like this developed later Varna system in Rigveda is profession based but in society it is based on birth what you see here you see Varna system in later Vedic period there were some professions which were not fit in any Varna and because of that those professions were made so you will see contemporary caste system of Varna system like if there is a potter he makes pots he is not doing agriculture nor he is doing any business but he is making pots in which he can put something and do business so this potter in which Varna it is fit based on profession that thing was not clear that's why this potter has a separate caste which is called Kumhar you will see there were only 4 Varna but there were many castes and castes were made of those professions which were not fit in any Varna that's why so Varna and caste both are profession based that means in one family one is Brahmin, second is Kshatriya, third is Vaishya and fourth can be Kumhar but with time caste and Varna system both became based on birth that means one is Kumhar so his children will be called as Kumhar from birth whether they become warriors or trade or do farming so in later Vedic period society became complex Varna caste system you will see in later Vedic period similarly one more system came which we call ashram system ashram system what was done in ashram system one person his on an average lifespan is considered as 100 years and he was divided into 4 parts first 25 years every part is of 25 years first 25 years of life next 25 years means 50 years next 25 years first 75 years and last 100 years so first 25 years he was called as Brahmacharya Brahmacharya next 25 years of life he was called as Grihastha and after that he was called as Vanaprastha and after Vanaprastha he was called as Sanyasa here you see Brahmacharya actually this is student life when you are going to school college after that comes Grihastha life which is family life and from where this family life starts this family life starts from marriage so how you are entering from Brahmacharya to Grihastha via some system which we call as marriage after that comes Vanaprastha from the name Vanaprastha Vanaprastha means you went to forest this means retirement this means retirement period retirement means you are in retirement and your children are in Grihastha life they are in family life whatever experiences you have done in your life based on those experiences you are guiding your next generation which has just entered in new family life that is retirement that is what Vanaprastha is after that comes Sanyasa but Sanyasa is basically optional this means getting detached from all relations going to forest and spending last years of your life peacefully doing meditation this was optional it is not necessary that everyone should go to forest some people used to continue Vanaprastha and some people used to leave family and go to Sanyasa and used to try to know the truth of this life of liberation so Varna system came Jati system came Ashram system came so these are some of the systems which are developing in Vedic period and society norms rules and laws are to be defined there is still discussion on Vedic period we will continue this discussion in our next session but along with that i want to give you an information on youtube from 25th august to 31st august you can say that this will be blackout week last week means you will not be able to watch classes on youtube but at that time you will not be able to watch classes on unacademy platform means special classes so we can do like this that you are watching whole series of ancient history in this series we have covered all the areas and topics all those topics mcq practice all those mains related topics we will do that here so mcq practice on indian history on those topics which we have covered in this series you will be able to do that from 25th august to 31st august so in this week you will not be able to watch special classes on youtube from 8 am there will be no classes classes with other educators. You can come here at 8am and you can cover the topics you have studied with me through MCQ practice and revise them. So do join these classes. You can subscribe to RET Unacademy Plus. 50% discount is going on. You can use the referral code ARTI1702. This offer is valid till 25th August. Along with this, Unacademy UPSC test series 2024 is also live. You can join the films and movies test series here. Unacademy Super Combat is also going to happen. You can see that this test is scheduled for 27th August. Do join it. It is available from 11am. There are amazing prizes. Along with this, the most important thing is that you are getting questions to practice. So that is it for today. In the next session, we will discuss other changes that are going to happen in the later Vedic period. Thank you so much. Thank you.