Vedic Age

Japanese: ベーダ時代 - ベーダじだい（英語表記）Vedic Age

This refers to the period of ancient India, from the invasion of the Aryans to the establishment of the 16 great kingdoms. It is around 1500-600 BC, with the early period being the Rig Veda period up to around 1000 BC, and the later period being the period from the establishment of the other Vedas to the establishment of the Upanishads, when the prototype of Indian culture was completed. In the early period, the indigenous people were conquered, and they began to live a semi-agricultural, semi-pastoral life in the upper and middle Indus River basins, but politically they continued to be ruled by tribal leaders, and as they developed into the area between the Ganges and Jamuna rivers, they entered an era of the establishment of small monarchical states. During this time, hymns to the god Indra and other gods were created, and the dominance of the Brahmin class, who were the priests, for warding off disasters and bringing good fortune through rituals to the gods, gradually became established. In the later period, as the country developed into the middle Ganges River basin, an agricultural society was completed, and the hegemony of countries such as Kuru-Panchala strengthened through the annexation of small states, preparing the way for the next era of conflict between the 16 great kingdoms. During this period, the Brahmanas and Upanishads were formed from the three Vedas, the Sama-bheda, the Yajur-bheda, and the Atharva-bheda, and the four-varna (family name) system (→ caste system) was established, leading to the birth of Buddhism and Jainism in the next era.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

インド古代，アーリア人の侵入から十六大国併立以前までをいう。前 1500～600年頃で，前期はリグ・ベーダ時代で前 1000年頃まで，後期は他のベーダ成立から『ウパニシャッド』の成立までのいわゆるインド文化の原型の完成期。前期は先住民を征服，インダス川上・中流域で半農半牧生活に入るが，政治的には部族長支配が続き，さらにガンジス川とジャムナ川の中間地帯への発展とともに王制小国家の群立時代に入る。この間にインドラ神をはじめ諸神への賛歌ができ，神々の祭祀による除災招福とその司祭者たるバラモン階級の優位が次第に固まる。後期には，ガンジス川中流域への発展につれて農耕社会が完成し，小国家の併合によるクル・パンチャーラなどのような国の覇権が強まり，次の十六大国の対立時代を準備する。この間に『サーマ・ベーダ』『ヤジュル・ベーダ』『アタルバ・ベーダ』の3ベーダから『ブラーフマナ』『ウパニシャッド』が成立し，四バルナ (種姓) 制度 (→カースト ) も確立して次の時代に仏教，ジャイナ教が生れる。

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