Aryans advance to ancient India, Brahmanism As a result of the collapse of the tribal society after the end of the Vedic period, when the various Vedic period was woven, the political and economic center moved from the upper reaches of the Ganges River to the middle and lower reaches. To do. After that, in ancient India, city-states were crowded and new religions began to be born.
This time, I will summarize the city-states and new religions born in such ancient India.
Kosla and Magadha
Kosla
A city-state that flourished in the middle reaches of the Ganges River around the 6th century BC, it became the first influential country and cultural and political center.
As we will see later, Buddha was first born. Buddhism opened by. Many city-states were born during the time when Buddha was active, and Mahajanapadas as a general term for Indian countries. Is called Kosla Is also counted as one of the sixteen great nations.
In this era of city-state turmoil, the samurai class Kshatriya is responsible for military power in preparation for battle. Has grown in power. This Kshatriya And commercial Vaishya A new religion will be born and become influential against the background of the support of. One of them is Buddha's open Buddhism, Kosla . It seems that some of the kings became enthusiastic believers.
The capital of Kosla varies depending on the age, but the representative capital is Shura Vasty, which Buddha preached. By the way, the famous "Jetavana" is said to have been in the suburbs of Shrubersty and has been found as an archaeological site.
After the decline of Kosla, the eastern Magadha has emerged as a leading country. It will be.
Magadha
Magadha happened in the lower reaches of the Ganges So, Kosla It is a great power that often contends with. This Magadha The area where this happened will be the center of the Indian dynasty in the future. Buddhism And Jain Is said to have been born here, and protected both.
Magadha Also Kosla As well as Mahajanapadas Known as one of. It was a production center of iron ore at that time, and water transportation through the Ganges was well developed. In addition, the lower reaches of the Ganges River tend to be heavily rained during the rainy season, and the world's largest mangrove forest exists, so forest resources are abundant.
It can be said that it was a well-balanced country where not only agriculture but also commerce and industry were developed because of the abundant rainfall and the ability to catch grains centered on rice cultivation.
Development of a new religion
There are still some religions that are still influential in India. Buddhism born in Magadha, mentioned earlier And Jain Is that. In addition, Buddhism Brahmanism that was already established before the rise of Upanishad Philosophy born from criticizing ..
Hinduism with the gods Shiva and Vishnu as the main gods instead of the Vedic gods as they absorb the above beliefs and folk beliefs over time. Has sprouted.
What is Buddhism?
Around the 6th century BC, Gautama-Siddhartha (Honorific title Buddha ) Was born as the founder Buddhism Is characterized by denying the Brahmanist sacrificial offerings of animals, difficult Vedic ceremonies, and the Varna system, which regards Brahmin as the highest rank, and preaching liberation by training.
Therefore, it seems that the early Buddhist groups formed a sanga (priesthood) and practiced as a priest in order to gain enlightenment while observing the precepts.
Even after Buddha's death, his teachings were preserved by his disciples and spread to many lands.
What is Jainism?
Around the same time that Buddha gave birth to Buddhism, Valdamana Jainism was opened by the person (Also known as Jina religion).
Like Buddhism, it denies the authority of Brahmanist ceremonies and Vedic scriptures. One of the characteristics of Jainism is that it emphasizes penance and immortality. It seems that there are many believers engaged in commerce away from production activities because of the teaching that they do not commit murder.
I still do retail and financial business without doing business, as I sometimes commit murder without realizing it, and the number of people is at least as a rich religion.
What is the Upanishad Philosophy?
Along with movements such as Buddhism and Jainism that deny the authority of Brahmin, reform movements will spread within Brahmanism.
Brahmanism respects the ritual, but the movement to change the ritual supreme principle has become active because this ritual has become a mere ghost.
As mentioned above, we will move toward the direction of emphasizing inner thinking. This is the Upanishad Philosophy is. Upanishad Philosophy in the late Vedic period from 1000 BC to 500 BC Buddhism because the idea of And Jain Is said to have been born.
Birth of Hinduism
It seems that the general recognition that Hinduism, which has been handed down to date, is a religion that cannot be explained in a single word, as the founder is not known and the date of establishment is unknown.
Since there is no core scripture (although the Brahman scriptures are recognized as authoritative), Indian rituals (ceremonies and ritual provisions) and institutions, rather than religions with a clear system, Hinduism including customs (The range varies depending on the scholar).
Hinduism is based on reincarnation and liberation, so it has something in common with the religions that have emerged so far. The three gods of "Brahma", "Vishnu" and "Shiva" are emphasized.
And the best feature is caste Is the existence of. The present life is the result of past deeds, so we should accept it and live the present life. Caste is inherited from parents and cannot be changed, and it is inherited by occupations and so on, and continues to affect social life to this day.
Magadha while the city-state is established and religion is generated in the above form. Will become influential, but after Alexander the Great destroyed the Achaemenid Empire from Europe in the 4th century BC, it reached northwestern India.
The first unified dynasty Maurya in Magadha, while Greek city-states were established in various places and affected all India and became confused. Has risen. The history of India moves little by little in this way, but I will write the story after the Maurya dynasty in another article.