ĀRANYAKA PERIOD

Āranyaka period was new era of thinking that the Āryan society of understand the nature and life through wisdom purity. In the Brahmin period Āryans expected a better future through yāgas based on faith and devotion. Preference to the spiritual development is given in the Āranyaka period as a result of this; the demand for yāga become loses. The spiritual development was open for all without any discrimination all low castes including women are permitted to practice spiritual development. This count is done without wasting money and other assets. Āranyaka period can be considered as a new era in the Vedic thought because the significance of the spiritual development was established

during this period. Wisdom became very important than the faith and devotion. Yoga practices were introduced during the Āranyaka period. Many people went to the forest to meditate when they need mental (sati) function; scholars are not unanimous about the origin of the Āranyaka period. According to Vedic period tradition Aranyaka period is an extent of Sañyāsi Āśrama (stage) four Āśramas; 1) Brahma Cariya, 2) Ashastas, 3) Vanapratha, and 4) Sañyasi. During the Sañyasi period, Brāhmaṇa who was come to the old age goes to the forest to meditate. In the four stages of meditation started only in the Sañyasi period. Therefore some argue that the Āranyaka period could be considered as a development of the Sañyasi stage. There is
another argument about the origin of the Āranyaka period. Scholars point out that the Āranyaka period that the influence of Mohenjo Daro-Harappa civilization would led Āryans to spiritual development which was the basis of Āranyaka period because there were evidences in that period. Archeologists have found pictures of meditating sages belonged to the Mohenjo Daro- Harappa society to think spiritual development which was popular among aborigines. In the Mohenjo Daro - Harappa civilization there were facts to prove that Āryans knew about those mendicants, as it appeared in the Kesisukta Munis, were unclean and ugly. This shown that Āryans did not appreciate Munis and those ugly and unclean mendicants who lived even during the Ṛg-Vedic period. Sometimes, this might influence the origin of the Āranyaka, the Brāhmaṇas practice and also Kṣātriyas were the leader who initiated the Āranyaka period. Kṣatriyas had a rivalry against Brāhmaṇas as a result of that they might have introduced this new practice to bring down the popularity and the power of Brāhmaṇa. Aryans, those who traveled to the Eastern part of India to sell goods, came to know about practice of the Śramaṇa tradition which has given preference to meditation and other Yogic practice. They produced this new practice to the Āryans society; it was much convenient to all Āryans to follow without hardship. Meditation can be performed without any expense. It is the development of the mind that one should be obtained through practice. It could be practiced without any discrimination of castes, genders and other social status. As a result of that the wisdom school started with their beginning of Aranyaka period. With the start of the Āranyaka period, Āryans tried hard to understand the reality through wisdom. The decreased significance of Yoga during the Āranyaka period.