GAQ BC 101 - 1st March 2012 (Thursday)

• 29/3/2012 and 5/4/2012 - There is NO Ven Hao Xiang's lesson and will be replaced with Dolly's Lesson
• 15/3/2012 - There will be no Dolly lesson and will be replaced with Ven Hao Xiang's lesson
• Later Vedic Period (1000 BC - 600 BC)
• Political
• Mahajanapada (Great Kingdom which incorporated polytheism)
• There are 16 Great Kingdoms divided into - Republican & Monarcha (Many wars thus there was the establishment of so many kingdoms)
• Reasons for this political change into many kingdoms
• tribes spread quickly over Northern India based on geography
• Changes in material and social life
• Discover usage of iron
• Different skills (pottery, carpentry, metal work) emerging
• Trade both internal and external
• Because of trade, there is the class of people emerging (the Vaisyas)
• Dasa aryan became suddas (these were dark skinned people)
• Brahmin, Nobles and Ordinary people (e.g. the upper 3 castes were fair skinned people)
• Arya Varna v.s. Dasa Varna
• Religion
• Sacrifices by priests (yajna)
• Indra as war god but latter shifted to become God of plough
• In the Rig Veda, there are about 200+ stanzas attributed to the above mentioned change
• Who is the one who introduced all these gods to the people ????
• Brahmins were the authority over what to worship
• Power of Brahmin is very high in the society
• The Kattiyas, who became the rulers, also must listen to the Brahmins
• Kattiyas have conflict with the Brahmins and Vice Versa
• Because of social expansion, thus they came up with the Vaisya caste
• In the Rig Veda (oldest vedic text), in the 10 Mandalas verse 129, they say about these 4 castes
• Brahmins create the book "Law of Manu" to protect their social position and solidify their authority
• 900 BC - 700 BC Brahmana Period
• 3 Sphere of Gods
• Sky
• Heavenly
• Earth 
• 600 BC onwards, Brahmin becomes professional
• Social reasons and religion has impact on the 6 Heretical teachers
• Brahmins, Kattiyas and Vaisyas have education by the Brahmin teachers starting when they are 8, 10 and 11 years old respectively
• Suddas do not have education
• Why Brahmins teach Vedas even to Vaisyas?
• Coz there is the concept of "Twice Born"
• Only Brahmins are Twice Born and get admitted to the status automatically
• The Kattiyas and Vaisyas need exams and tests to be Twice Born
• According to the Brahmins, everyone should go through the 4 stages of life
• Studentship (up to 20 yrs old)
• Householder (up to 50 yrs old) -> the Brahmins place importance on this stage as it is important to them religiously and for their own livelihood
• Hermit (up to 70 yrs old) -> can have family contact
• Sanyasi Wanders -> retreat into deep forest and pass away from there
• These 4 stages of life is to counteract the theories of the 6 Heretical Teachers