Chapter: 1 Pre-Upanisadic Thought

Navaneeth MS

HS18H034

The two principal sources which gives us information regarding the philosophical system that
existed in ancient India, are the Mantras or the hymns, that were composed by the Aryans
who had settled in their new lands, and the other source being the Brahmanas. The early
forms of worship in the subcontinent was mainly focussed on the personification and worship
of natural forces by Man on realization that his dependence on the former was important.
Indicating that the Vedic frame of mind inclined towards philosophical speculation, the Vedic
deities were associated with natural forces (eg: air, earth, fire). The Rta was associated with
the moral order in nature and the Vedic Gods were viewed as the maintainers and upholders
of it. Varuna is an example of this. He is seen as the representative of the sky and god of
heavenly light, who held the laws of the physical universe that cannot be violated.
Simultaneously, he is equally responsible for the upholding of moral laws, for no sin shall
escape his eyes.

Various offerings like ghee, milk, grains were made to the deities in order to appease them
and secure objects of ordinary desire such as children and cattle or to ward away evil. In the
early periods the Vedic rituals were simple in both form and motive. As symbolism became
more prevalent, the objects started being given a spiritual value and the religion started to
become more complex. Changes appeared in the characters of the deities and the spirit with
which offerings were made. Prayers were transformed into rites and magical spells. Sacrifices
transformed from persuasion to compulsion of Gods to grant the his wishes, and the act
became being placed above the Gods itself. It became depicted in the Brahmanas as rna or
‘debt’ due to the Gods.

Early Vedic religion went through various stages of development, such as ritualism,
monotheism and monism. Monotheism emerged from the search for the one that rules and
controls all, following the dissatisfaction with the belief in a multiplicity of devas. The most
imposing deity was elevated to the Supreme rank, in order to reduce the many to one
(‘philosophic monotheism’). One way of doing so was to take a collective view of the Gods
(Visva-devas - ‘all Gods’). Vedic Monotheism is generally described as unstable. All-
encompassing gods such as Prajapati and Visvakarman, eventually yield their supremacy to
other notions like Prana and Time. Monism, on the other hand, is a higher conception of unity
that traces the whole universe to a single source. It views all opposites such as being and non-
being, life and death, good and evil as developing within and reconciling. This can be seen in
the Nasadiya Sukta’s idea of ‘Tad Ekam’ or the One, which refers to the ultimate principle
beyond which nothing is possible.

Another important idea that was visible was ‘free thinking’, which went beyond and even
against the orthodox system i.e the Vedic teachings. In conclusion, this period saw nature and
man forming the subject of speculations. Despite the multitude of Gods, there is only one world
to be governed. Notions of creation and evolution emerged. Excessive importance attached
to sacrifice led to the judgement of goodness using the standard of ritual correctness. There
was also importance attached to heaven as one of light above and to hell as a place of eternal
darkness - and one could never escape from it. These also points towards a belief in the
immortality of the soul.
Reference: Hiriyanna, M. (1993). Outlines of Indian Philosophy. Reprint, Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidass