Vedic Period Questions and Answers

The transition to the Later Vedic period made social divisions clearer and increasingly hereditary. Agriculture, territorial kingdoms, royal authority and elaborate sacrifices expanded, while women’s public and ritual position generally declined.

The Later Vedic period is reconstructed from the Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and early Upanishads. Among the given choices, the Yajurveda is the correct direct source; Buddhist texts belong mainly to a later setting and the choices using ‘only’ are too restrictive. Therefore, the remaining options do not match the precise term, source, institution or chronological context asked in the question.

The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and the principal literary source for the Early Vedic age. The Samaveda adapts many Rigvedic verses for singing, the Yajurveda provides sacrificial formulae, and the Atharvaveda contains charms, healing material and themes of everyday life.

Drona was a measure of capacity used especially for grain. It should not be confused with nishka, which was an ornament or unit of value, or with measures associated with land, cloth or time.

The Atharvaveda describes Sabha and Samiti as the two daughters of Prajapati, indicating their dignity and complementary political role. Sabha was generally a smaller council of prominent persons, whereas Samiti was a broader popular assembly.

The presiding officer of the Samiti was called Ishan. Purohita was the royal priest, Senani the army commander and Gramani the head of the village or a local military-administrative officer.

Sabha and Samiti were the two best-known political assemblies of the Vedic age. Sabha was comparatively select, while Samiti had a wider popular character and participated in major public and royal matters.

The family or kula was the smallest social unit. Several families formed a grama, several gramas were associated with a vish, and a number of vish units constituted the jana.

Gavishti literally means a search or quest for cows and consequently became a term for battle. Cattle were a major form of wealth in Rigvedic society, so cattle raids and conflicts were economically significant.

Aghanya means one who should not be killed. The expression reflects the high economic and social value of cattle in Rigvedic life; the other choices may express later associations but are not the precise lexical meaning. Therefore, the remaining options do not match the precise term, source, institution or chronological context asked in the question.