Don't look at a thing, a theory from one side, don't look at it in the same way. What you say will be true, but what others say can also be true. So don't get upset when you hear it. Think from the point of view of the speaker.
-Lord Mahavir.
About 3500 years before the birth of Christ, the Indus-culture originated on the land of India, which spread its fragrance for about 2000 years and spread its fragrance in BC. Around 1500, it got absorbed in the cheek of Kaal. The Vedic-Aryan culture began to come to light in the upper region of the Indus-Valley i.e. Saptasindhu region. Some scholars consider the composition of Rigveda to be between BC 2500 to 1000 BC.
That is, according to these scholars, the event of Vedic culture coming to light must have happened sometime before 2500 BC. Whereas according to PV Kane the Rigveda was composed in the period between 4000 BC to 1000 BC. Therefore, according to scholars like Kane etc., the origin of Vedic culture was in BC. Must have happened before 4000. In this sense, the Vedic culture was the predecessor or contemporary of the Indus culture.
Vedic culture continued to develop without any hindrance till about 600 years before the birth of Christ. In the 6th century AD, the Vedic culture was faced with two great challenges named Jainism and Buddhism, due to which the 6th century BC is considered as the time of intellectual and spiritual revolution in the history of Indian culture.
The basis of Vedic religion was knowledge i.e. Vedas, but with time, the complexity of sacrifices and rituals increased and many types of superstitions flourished in the society. By the 6th century BC, due to the different types of customs in every aspect of life and the increasing authority of the priests, many kinds of distortions took birth.
Due to this, there was a lack of rationality and balanced method of thinking in the common man from the Vedic period. People started being exploited under the guise of ancient traditions and beliefs. Therefore some people started losing faith in the Vedic traditions and they started in search of truth. These people wanted to test anything before accepting it. From this point of view, we can also call this era as the era of religious and social reform movement.
Era of ideological revolution on a global scale
This tendency to look at the ancient traditions with suspicion can be seen not only in India but also in other civilizations of the world during that period. In that period, there were great thinkers in many countries who gave a new direction of thinking to mankind by declaring the traditional religious beliefs, customs and social evils invalid. Mahatmas Confucius and Lao Tzu in China, Heraclitus and Pythagorean in Greece, Zarathustra in Iran and Mahavir Swami and Mahatma Buddha in India challenged traditional religious beliefs. His ideas made revolutionary changes in the religious, social and political life of his country, due to which human culture entered the next stage.
Reasons for Social and Religious Awakening in India
The following were the main reasons for the social and religious awakening of the 6th century AD in India-
(1.) Efforts to discover the true nature of religion: In the Rigvedic period, the ashram system was started to lead human life happily. The ashram system was fully developed in the later Vedic period. Under this arrangement, a provision was made to spend a person in Vanprastha Ashram after the age of 50 years and in Sanyas Ashram after the age of 75 years.
During Vanaprastha and Sanyasa, man used to constantly contemplate on subjects ranging from various aspects of religion, spirituality and philosophy to the meaning of human life and rebirth after death, speed according to karma etc. By visiting pilgrimages and forests, he was in contact with many contemplative people like himself.
Due to constant contemplation and contact, they started trying to find the true nature of religion. Discontent began to arise among these people about the present form of religion. This discontent later changed the nature of Indian religion.
(2.) Propagation of the ideas of the Upanishads: The weaknesses of Vedic religion were discussed in many Upanishads which attracted the attention of the enlightened class and they started opposing these evils. Many Upanishads also criticized rituals and described the attainment of knowledge as the only means of salvation. He emphasized on non-violence and purity of conduct. Thus the Upanishads prepared the background of Jainism and Buddhism.
(3.) Dissatisfaction with the primacy of Brahmins: In the later Vedic period, the position of priests, sacrificers and ritual performers became paramount. They were called Brahmins. They used to fulfill the intellectual and spiritual needs of the society related to education and yajan. The whole society gave him special respect. With the increase in the number of yagyas and religious rituals, the predominance of Brahmins also increased.
In that era, the Vedas were considered to be the only basis to solve every problem of life and the Brahmin class had the privilege of reading and interpreting the Vedas, so their dominance started increasing. From the birth of the child till the death of old age, there was no such task which could be completed without asking the Brahmins.
This made the Brahmin class arrogant and convenient. By the time of the Puranic period, the dominance of Brahmins became paramount in the society. It was natural to react against this dominance of the Brahmins. Jainism and Buddhism were the result of a reaction against Brahmin domination.
(4.) Dissatisfaction with polytheism: Although the Rigvedic Aryans had propounded the theory of monotheism, the theory of monotheism could not be popularized among the Aryan subjects. Due to this Vedic religion became polytheistic. Almost all the powers of the universe were considered as deities. Even kings and queens and famous warriors were considered as gods.
To keep the gods and goddesses satisfied, various types of yagyas, havans, upasanas, chanting and austerities were performed. Due to the efforts of Buddha and Mahavira, monotheism again gained momentum in this period and people started thinking that when 'Brahm' If it is pervasive everywhere, then what is the need of worshiping so many gods and goddesses? He also believed that man need not depend on the gods for his self-realization. Man's actions are the creator of his destiny. Due to this new thinking, dissatisfaction arose in the society against polytheistic Brahmin religion.
(5.) Dissatisfaction with Yagya and rituals : The religion of the Aryans in the Rigvedic period was simple and pompous. They used to perform yagyas and rituals themselves. There was no need for a priest for the yagya, but gradually rituals and various types of rituals became the predominance. Now it became necessary to take the help of the priests. They were also considered to be worshiped like gods.
Earlier the work was done by a priest. Now their number increased from seven and seven to seventeen. Some yagyas lasted for years. The Brahmins had made yagyas as their main means of employment, so they made yagyas complete with rituals, extremely complicated, harsh and expensive. Animal sacrifices in the yagyas were heavily emphasized. It became impossible for an ordinary person to perform such yagyas.
The Brahmins started exploiting the people by creating the concepts of rebirth and heaven and hell on the basis of religion. They used to take money from the people in the name of sorcery, witchcraft, tantra-mantra etc. Due to this a feeling of protest started growing among the general public. The poor people were unable to attain salvation through the existing religion and they also had a desire to attain salvation.
There was also great opposition in the society against animal sacrifice. This was the reason that when Mahavira and Buddha presented the simple and non-violent form of religion, a large number of people became their followers.
(6.) Competition between Kshatriyas and Brahmins: The social system of the Rigvedic Aryans was liberal and flexible. Although the varna system had come into existence, it was based on karma and any person could change his varna on the basis of his ability. The four varnas had equal need in the society, but along with the religious complexity, the social system also started getting complex.
Now the four varnas were bound by hereditary boundaries. That is, now the determination of varna started on the basis of birth rather than on the basis of one's karma. In the Rigvedic society, Brahmins were given the highest place for their spiritual, renunciation and simple life and the Kshatriyas were entrusted with the responsibility of the country's defense and governance. Therefore, the position of these two varnas was superior in the society, but later the Kshatriyas began to lose the supremacy of the brahmins.
They began to consider themselves superior to the Brahmins. His reaction is first mentioned in the Shatapatha Brahmana, in which the Kshatriyas are described as superior to the Brahmins. In the Upanishad period, the competition for dominance between Brahmins and Kshatriyas intensified. During this period, the Kshatriyas also tried to establish their presence in the philosophical and spiritual field.
A special branch of Indian philosophy 'Brahmavidya' The credit for the establishment goes to the Kshatriya scholars only. The glimpse of this struggle between Brahmins and Kshatriyas is also found in literary works. Wherever Chaturvarnas are mentioned in Brahmin texts, there is always mention of Brahmins first, followed by Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Whereas in Buddhist texts first Kshatriya Varna is mentioned and then Brahmin, Vaishya and Shudra Varna.
Vaishyas had wealth but Brahmins were not ready to give equal respect to Vaishyas. Therefore, dissatisfaction arose among the Vaishyas against the dominance of the Brahmins and they supported the Kshatriyas. The Shudras were already neglected. Therefore, he had no attachment to the existing religious and social system. This was the reason that when Mahavira and Buddha introduced a new religious and social order, the Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras welcomed it.
(7.) Discontent among non-Aryan cultures: Although Vedic religion was flourishing in northern India from two and a half thousand years before Christ, but in BC. Eastern India did not come under the full influence of Aryan culture until the 6th century. It was considered a stronghold of non-Aryan culture. Aryans were trend-oriented. He did not believe in the principles of world-renouncement, detachment, body-disease etc.
In contrast, both Jainism and Buddhism, which originated in eastern India, were retirement-oriented. It was a rebellion against the tendency-oriented culture of the Aryans. A major cause of discontent against the Brahmins was the Vedas and the texts based on them. In the view of Brahmins, Vedic knowledge was God-given and anything against the Vedas was adharma, but such an enlightened class was being formed in the society, which was not ready to accept the Vedas as complete.
In his view Vedic knowledge was limited and had many flaws. He believed that only by having faith in Veda mantras and reciting mantras, civilization would not develop. A similar sentiment is seen in the Upanishads also.
It is known from Buddhist literature that a section of the society 'Veda Pramanya' He was a staunch critic of Brahmins on the subject. Jainism's twenty-two Tirthankar Parshvanath and twenty-third Tirthankar Mahavir and Buddhism's originator Mahatma Buddha also expressed their views against the beliefs of the Vedas.
(8.) Discontent against Sanskrit: The colloquial language during this period was Prakrit and Pali but all the religious texts were in Sanskrit language. Religious rituals were also performed in Sanskrit language. Only Brahmins could behave in this language. The common man neither knew how to read or write Sanskrit, nor could he understand the meaning of Sanskrit mantras. Therefore, dissatisfaction was growing against this language as well. People also wanted some simple language for religious rituals so that they too could understand religious things.
Thus the sixth century BC. By the time the common man was ready to break the religious customs and social bonds. His faith in the ritualistic and varna based social system of Vedic religion began to rise. Therefore, at this time, any new religious and social system could have appeared in the general public, which allows each section of the society to understand and behave equally.