What was Indian society like in 1000 BCE? What did people do
in their daily lives? Given the paucity of textual and archaeological records,
any answer to these questions necessarily involves a lot of conjecture. Indian
history only begins to emerge with some degree of certainty from the Mauryan
period onwards, dated to around the late 4th century BCE. Scholars
often call it the 'horizon' of Indian history. In this short article, we will
try to peer across this horizon to get a glimpse of what society was like before
India emerged into 'history'.
From the available evidence, we can deduce that Vedic
society about 3000 years ago was mostly village-based, with agriculture and
crafts as the predominant means of livelihood. We know that the Vedic people
married, celebrated, danced, drank wine, wrote inspired poetry, fought wars, gambled
(sometimes too much), worshipped gods and Gandharvas, and prayed for
good harvest and health. A cursory reading of Atharvaveda tells us that their worries
and anxieties revolved around the same kind of issues that we in the 21st-century
face: broken relationships, unrequited love, and unfulfilled material desire. They
also prayed to the gods to cure them of constipation, addiction, baldness and gastric
disease.
However, we do not have much detail about the economic and
productive life of the people. Our evidence is not direct and has to be
inferred from the surviving Saṃhitā text of the Vedic literature. There is a
remarkable chapter in the Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā of the Śukla Yajurveda that
describes the puruṣamedha yajña. This yajña is a Vedic ritual
that recreates the first sacrifice of the puruṣa or the cosmic man which
led to the creation of the visible universe. In this Vedic sacrifice, people belonging
to different tribes, occupations, and regions are symbolically sacrificed to re-enact
the puruṣa’s primordial creative activity. The thirtieth chapter of the Vājasaneyi
Saṃhitā mentions a list of occupations of people who are symbolically
offered in this ritual ceremony. This list is, therefore, an important marker
in our understanding of Vedic society.
Listing of Occupations
Here is a detailed list of occupations mentioned in this
text: minstrel (magadha), actor (śailūṣa),
herald or panegyrist (sūta), counsellor (sabhākara), chariotwright (rathakāra
), carpenter (takṣā), potter (kulāla), blacksmith (karmāra), jeweller (maṇikāra),
barber or sower (vapa), arrowsmith (iṣukāra ), bow-maker (dhanuṣkāra), maker of
the bow-string (jyākāra), rope-maker (rajju-sarja), huntsman (mṛgayu),
dog-rearer or dog-keeper (śvanin), bird catcher or fisherman (puñjiṣṭha),
female cane-worker or basket maker (vidalakārī), female worker in thorns
(kantakīkārī), female expert in embroidery (peśaskarī), physician (bhiṣaja),
astronomer (nakṣatradarśa), elephant-keeper (hastipa), horse-keeper or groom (aṣvapa),
cowherd (gopāla), shepherd (avipāla), goatherd (ajapāla), husbandman i.e.,
cultivator (kīnāśa), distiller of liquor (surākāra), housekeeper (gṛhapa),
charioteer (kṣattā), assistant charioteer (anukṣattā), wood-gatherer
(dārvāhāra), image-maker (peṣitā), washer-woman (vāsa-palpūlī), female dyer
(rajayitrī), spy or informer (piśuna), door-keeper (kṣattā), horseman
(aśvasāda), tax-collector (bhāga-dugha), a female expert in preparing unguents
and cosmetics (anjanīkārī), female scabbard-maker (koṣakarī), furrier
(ajina-sandha), tanner (carmāra), fisherman (dhīvara), dealer in dried fish
(śauṣkala), goldsmith (hiraṇyakāra), merchant (vanija), keeper of forest
(vanapa), lute-player (vīnā-vāda), flute player (tūnavadhma), conch-blower
(śankhadhma), pole-dancer (vaṃśa-nartin), headman of a village (grāmaṇi),
astrologer (gaṇaka), and the herald or announcer (abhikrośaka).1
AnalysisThis is a remarkably detailed list of professions and
occupations. As one would expect, there are professions related to agriculture,
trade, animal husbandry, fishing and winemaking. Occupations related to crafts
and metals are represented by a blacksmith, goldsmith, chariot maker,
carpenter, potter and image-maker. There are jewellers and perfume-makers. There
are also professions linked to the administration of the State: tax collectors,
spies or informers, village headmen and counsellors. Divination and medicine
men are represented by astrologers, astronomers, and doctors. There are
singers, actors, dancers, and musicians performing with conch, lute and flute
for entertainment and worship. Noteworthy is the use of lute and flute, which
would later be associated with Lord Krishna, and conch, destined to become one
of Hinduism's enduring symbols.
Also of interest is the number of women-only professions and
occupations mentioned in this list: washer-women, female dyer, female
scabbard-maker, a female worker in thorns, female cane-worker or basket maker, a
female expert in preparing unguents and cosmetics, and female expert in
embroidery. It shows that women, at least of a certain class, were actively
involved in the economic activity of society. Later, during the Upaniṣad
period, some of the greatest philosophers were women.2 The Buddhist Pali text mentions
an erudite Brahmin woman teaching many pupils, including male students.3 In the
religious sphere, Vedic rituals are not even possible without women's equal and
active participation. To conclude, based on the list of occupations above, we
find a thriving Vedic society where both men and women participated in the socio-economic
activity.
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