History of Indian Civilization - Indian Civilization [Lec 04]

History of Indian Civilization; UCLA, Lecture of 18 January 2012. Some further remarks on the Aryans, and on the Rig Veda; changing nature of Indian texts, and the importance of the oral tradition; the theories and contributions of Sir William Jones, and his conception of Indo-European languages. Three language families in India: I-E, Dravidian, and Austro-Asiatic. Importance of Sanskrit. The Rig Veda's account of creation, and a comparison with the account in Genesis. The Aryan conception of four castes (caturvarna), four stages of life, and the four Vedas. Brief discussion of varna, caste hierarchies, and notions of pollution and purity; difference between varna and jati. Social organization among the Aryans; the different stages of life. Distinction between sruti (revealed) and smriti (remembered). What are the four ends of life according to the Aryans: artha, kama, dharma, and moksha. Indra as an Aryan God; other Aryan Gods. See the full playlist for “History of Indian Civilization”: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy3KRgc0HE8B4neta_B8LPM0G9UWy-Cqe Subscribe for more lectures on Indian Civilization, World History, Bollywood, Gandhi, and much else... Blog: https://vinaylal.wordpress.com/ MANAS (a pedagogical website on Indian history, culture, religions, politics, and so on): http://southasia.ucla.edu/ UCLA Faculty Page: https://history.ucla.edu/faculty/vinay-lal Books: https://vinaylal.wordpress.com/books-by-vinay-lal/