RG ST 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Rigveda, Social Order, Vaishya
Document Summary
Depictions on certain clay tablets from indus valley are quite controversial. The tablets feature powerful male animals or other zoomorphic figures. Zoomorphic - human that has a form of an animal (partially animal) Most i(cid:374)teresti(cid:374)g is a figure seated i(cid:374) a (cid:862)yogi(cid:272)(cid:863) posture. (cid:862)yoga(cid:863) (cid:373)ight ha(cid:448)e predated the i(cid:374)do europea(cid:374) (cid:373)igratio(cid:374) He is seated on a dais with erect phallus, buffalo horns and face, surrounded by wild animals. Uncertainty of the presence of the phallus, but it could represent creative impulse. Some of these associations (yoga, lordship of animals, ithyphallicism) suggest identification with later hindu god shiva. Shiva becomes one of the most important god in the hindu tradition. Starts off in the indo european / aryan traditions as a minor god. The need for shiva rose, so his importance rose too. There was a striking contrast between agrarian society of indus valley and pastoral, nomadic, and warlike society of aryans.
