VEDIC AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMTHE BASE OF MODERN AGRONOMY To keep pace with the basic need of fasi changeable world modern science of soil management and crop production is also progressing But it is very interesting to note that the Vedic agricultural system was very enriched as supported by the numerous references to different stage of cultivationploughing sowing harvesting threshing and presentation of agricultural production etc Different types of farmerscornfield granaries agricultural implements of Vedic literature give us a clear idea of developed agronomy Two Vedic terms of farmers karsivana and Kinasa the linguistic basis of later world Kisana remind us the motto of Indian agricultural society jay jawan jay kisan As food is the basic need of human being and for which a developed agricultural system is most essential Vedic seers have also gives gop priority of Agronomy Three types of cornfields urvara fertile irina and sasypa corn from cultivable land krstipacya and uncultivable land irrigation different type of food production brihi rice yava masa lifa mudga khalva priyangu anu fine rice syamaka nivara godhuma and masura use of different fertilizers various agricultural implements etc give us an idea of developed agronomy An attempt has been made in this paper to study a systematic investigation on the Vedic agricultural system to prove is as the base of modern agronomy Since the primary requirement of any being is food anna man started to think for its production because without production consumption is impossible India is basically an agricultural country and it is wellknown that about 67 of its total population earns its livelihood from agriculture It is the base of Indian agronomy or rural economy and the proper management of land is most essential for the same India has sufficient fertile land urvasā kṣetra well irrigated by rivers to provide the food of each and every living being of this country To keep pace with this basic need of fast changeable world modern progressive thoughts in this area with a scientific approach on soil management and crop production may be an important subject of modern research for the development of India and its people But at the same time the researcher should peep into the origin of Indian agricultural system A food is the basic need of human being jīvanti svadhayā annena martyāḥ and for which a developed agricultural system is most essential Vedic seers have also given top priority on the same annaṃ vai krisih The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa gives a clear description of four important stages of agricultural cropproduction i act of tilling or ploughing a land karṣaṇa ii sowing of seeds vapana iiireaping or harvesting a ripen crop lavana and vi threshing mardana of corns for getting the grains kṛṣanto ha smaiva pūrve vapanto yanti lunanto pare mṛṇantaḥ śaśvaddhaibhyo kṛṣṭapacyā evauṣadhayaḥ pecire Different type of farmers cultivation agricultural land ploughing with bulls sowing the seeds of best qualigy irrigation fertilizer or manure agricultural implements and preservation of scops in granaries etc give us the basic idea of Vedic agricultural system An attempt has been made here to give a systematic representation on these fundamental ideas of Vedic agricultural system to prove it as the base of rural economy showmore more8221Read More8221 less8221Read Less8221 The term agricultural is actually a combination of two Latin world ager field and cultura cultivatiom closely related with two Sanskrit terms kṣetra or bhūmi and karṣaṇa or kṛṣṭi a synonym of manuṣya to denote people associated with cultivation kṛṣi is reflected in several vedic mantras Two entire vedic hymns on agriculture Ṛgveda IV57 and Atharvaveda III17 and more thatn two hundred vedic references on lad farming different agricultural implements irrigation farmers fertilizers crops etc are sufficient to get a clear idea on the vedic agricultural system The Ṛgveda X3413 advises for landfarming as the best means of gaining wealth kṛṣimit kṛṣasva vitte remasva bahumanyamānaḥ According to the Atharvaveda VII1024 the king Pṛthu Vainya a scion of Vaivasvata Manu invented cultivation and produced crops People used to take these crope as the means of living and cultivation was accepted as the best rural profession tāṃ pṛthīm vainyo dhok tāṃ kṛṣiṃ ca sasyaṃ cādhok te kṛṣiṃ ca sasyaṃ ca manuṣyā upajivanti kṛṣṭarādhirupajīvanīyo bhavan Aśvins are also treated as cultivator with the sowing of barley grain in the tilled fields by means of a plough yavaṃ vṛkeṇāśvinā vapanteśam yavaṃ vṛkeṇa karṣathaḥ According to the Yajurveda land or agricultural field is the primary need for cultivation and it is the best place for sowing seed kiṃ vāvapanaṃ mahat bhūmir āvapanaṃ mahar and one should produce good crops susasyāḥ kṛṣiskṛdhī In the vedic period the duty of a king was also to look after the progress of agriculture kṛṣyai tvākṣemāya tvā rayyai tvā poṣāya tvā The Taittiriya Saṃhitā also records the importance of cultivation and suggests to cultivate properly for yielding good crops kṛṣyai tvā susasyāyai annaṃ kṛṣir vṛṣṭir vaṣaṭ svāhā The Atharvaveda III17 gives importance on kṛṣi and for producing good harvest it records a prayer to king Bhaga to let the ploughing to deep bhago no rājā ni kṛṣiṃ tanotu The Kāṭhaka Saṃhitā also prescribes deep ploughing for the rich production of paddy and barley adho dūraṃ khaned adho vā asyā pṛthivyāḥ vīryam viryasyābhikirptyai tasmāt sukṛṣṭe vrīhiyavā pacyante tadimā prajā upajīvanti But according to modern agriculturists deep ploughing is not at all necessary for producing good crops like paddy etc in India The same text also suggests to produce rich crops from agriculture kṛṣiṃ susasyām utkṛdhi Since rain is most essential for agriculture Cloud is praised as personified deity tak kṛṣiḥ parjanyo devatā A griculture depends not only on water but also on all the five primal elements For production of crops all these pañcamahābhūtas are most essential in different forms Earth or land or soil is the primary need for sowing seeds Water supplies the essential sap for growing the plants in the form of reinfall or irrigation from river etc Without heat tejas growth is impossible Air Vāyu is essential for fertility Maruts are praised as grinder of soil pipiṣvatī Without space crops cannot take shape So agriculture depends on all the natural phenomenon Hence the Śatpatha Brāmaṇa says sarvade vatyā vai kṛṣiḥ To denote the agricultural field or cornfield the term kṣetra is mostly used in the vedic literature The lord of field Kṣetrasya pati is actually the presiding deity of field praised in the Vedas for good crops Different types of agricultural lands are mentioned in the Vedas cornfield full of ripened corns pakvam kṣetrāt kāmadughā ma eṣā barren land pastureless land agavyūti kṣetram khila or khilyā ie waste land khile gā viṣṭhitā iva urvarā or fertile land apnavatīṣu urvarāsn iṣṭanī etc Indra is treated as the possessor of thousands of fertile lands taṃ naḥ sahasrabharam urvarāsānī The Ṛgveda also records that due to the blazing of fire the fertile or productive land are changed in waster or uncultivable land uta khilyā urvarāṇāṃ bhavantī Different types of farmers are recorded in the Vedas and they are named according to their works Viz kārṣīvana cultivator kināśa farmer sīrapati ploughmen vapa sower dhānyakṛt sower of paddy seeds and iḍavā carrier of ripen corns or grains to a granary The vedi terms kāṣivana and kīnāśa the linguistic basis of later word kiṣāṇa remind us the motto of Indian agricultural society jay jawān jai kisān The Atharvaveda records that the gods ploughed a cornfield to produce this barley where the ploughman is Indra and the Maruts are the cultivators who give rich gifts devā imaṃ madhunā saṃyutaṃ yavaṃ sarasvatyāmadhi maṇan avacarkṛṣub indra āsīt sīrapatiḥ śatakratuḥ kīnāśa āsan marutaḥ sudānavaḥ Kārṣīvana or cultivators are also known as annavid nikhananto agre kārṣīvanā unnavido Farmers are used to toil the land with ox for the production or sweet beverage śrameṇa anaḍvān kīlālaṃ kināśascābhi gacchataḥ For refreshment a ploughman is most essential irāyai kīnāśanī The expert sower of paddy seeds are known as dhānyakṛt vapanto bṛjamiva dhānyākṛtaḥ According to the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa Gandharvas were also competent cultivators possessing winnow and barley gandharvaā āsuḥ śūrpaṃ yavamān kṛṣir advālavān dhānāntarvān In the Vedas ploughing is recorded as an auspicious mark of happiness indicating prosperity Śuna prosperity or happiness and sīra plough are two deified objects related with agriculture śunāsīrāvimāṃ vācaṃ juṣethām Following two mantras depict a real picture of tilling a land with the bullocks happily by a farmer śunaṃ vāhāḥ śunaṃ kṛṣatu lāṅalam śunaṃ varatrā badhyantāṃ śunaṃ aṣṭrāmudiṅgayaḥ All the agricultural objects like plough ox ploughman the binding rope the goad etc are the mark of prosperity Again as a symbol of prosperity śuna and sŚra are conjointly praised śunaṃ naḥ phāla vi kṛṣantu bhūmiṃ śunaṃ kīnāśā abhi yantu vāhaiḥ śunaṃ parjanyo madhunā payobhiḥ śunāśīrā asmāsu dhattem Here we find that the ploughman is tilling the land happily with the sharpened ploughshares and praying to cloud for sufficient rain The Atharvaveda records a beautiful mantra describing a wellshaped lancepointed and sharpened plough with a handle lāṅgalaṃ pavīravai suśīmaṃ somasatsaru Mainly two agricultural seasons are noticed in the VedasKharif July to October and Ravi November to MarchApril as two principle seasonal crops dviḥ saṃvatsarasya sasyaṃ pacate Generally most of the agricultural crops take three months time for complete production and hence at least four seasonal harvests are mentioned in the Taittiriya Saṃhitā yavaṃ grīṣmāya auṣadhīr varṣābhyo vrīhiñcharade māṣatilau hemantaśiśirābhyām These are the time of ripen crops like barely for summer medicinal herbs for the rainy season paddy in autumn and beans and sesamum in winter According to the Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇa after one day of caitra amāvasyā ie caitra śukla pratipadā the winter crops are ready for harvesting chaitrasyāmāvasyāyā ekāha upriṣṭād dikṣerannāgataṃ sasyaṃ bhavatr In this context agricultural implements may be discussed in brief Though we cannot compare the agricultural implements of vedic period with the modern advanced and scientific implements of agriculture but old and rough implements like wooden plough with a sharpened ploughshare for tilling the agriculture land with bullocks is still the base of rural economy To indicate a plough following terms are used in the Vedas lāṅgala sīra Phāla and stega denote ploushare which actually tills the soil tilled by a ploughshare The term iśa means the ploughstilt or the long wooden stich connected with the plough yuga means a yoke and varatrā denotes a rope for binding the bulls with the yoke and plough Handle of a plough is known as traru in the Vedas For controlling the yoked oxen two implements are used 8211 aṣṭrā and tottra to denote a goad Sṛni and dātra sickle cf dātāram in Santali language are used for reaping the harvest lavana Khanitra shovel is also used in the Vedas for digging the soil The Vedas record the use of śūrpa for winnowing the ocrns like paddy barley etc and titau for clearing the flour made of barley saktumiva titaunā punantaḥ The two terms sīra and laya are used conjointly for two functions furrowing and harrowing a field respectively sīrañca me layaśca me A brief idia is now given here on irrigation fertilizers prevention from natural calamities etc as revealed in the Vedas Though the agriculture mainly depends on adequate reinfall kṛṣiśca me vṛṣṭiśca me but as a substitute the vedic farmers take the help of manmade irrigation system for watering the cornfield The Ṛgveda VII492 describes four types of irrigated water 1 rain divyāḥ 2 from well khanirtimā natural svayaṃjāḥ and 4 from those rives which are mixed with sea samudrārthāḥ Artificial irrigation could be guessed from the vedic terms khanitrimā āpaḥ from irrigation from well and hardaṃ kuly for irrigation from canal For growing the yielding capacity manures or fertilizers are also used in the agricultural field Mostly cowdung is used as manure and it is known to the vedic seers as karīṣa śakan śakṛt etc They know that the use of adequate cowdung in an agricultural field results to a rich harvest karīṣinīṃ phalavatīṃ svadhām nityapuṣṭāṃ karīṣiṇīm Vedic seers are also conscious about the controlling method of natural calamities The Atharvaveda records that the evils like moles rats birds insects excessive rain and draught could damage the crops The same could be prevented by some spells hataṃ tardaṃ samaṅkam ākhum aśvinā chintam tarda hai pataṅga hai jabhya hā upakvasa In crop production harvesting is an important work as if the farmer is not able to collect the ripen corns in time surely he has to face a severe loss The farmers plough the fields scatter the good seed on fertile land which is fed and watered by natural phenomena but the ripen corn is cut or reaped by farmers with cutters like sickle etc as cleared in the following mantra of Ṛgveda Yunaktu sīra vi yuga tanudhvam kṛta yonau Vapateha bījam girā ca śruṣṭiḥ sabharā asanno Nedīya itsṇyaḥ pakvameyāt After reaping the ripen corn they bound into bundles and beaten out or threshed onto the floor of granary khale na parṣān prati hanmi In agriculture a farmer really gets happiness when he finds the production from three types of cornfields 8211 urvarā fertile iriṇa barren land and śaspya marshy land corn from cultivable land kṛṣṭapacye aśane dhānye The Yajurveda records twelve types of foodgrains in the following mantra Brīhayaśca me yayāśca me māṣśc ame tilāśca Me mudgāśca me khalvāśca me priyaṅgavaśca Me aṇavaśca me śyāmākāśca me nīvārāśca me Godhūnāśca me yajñena kalpantām These twelve corns are vrīhi paddy yava barley māsa a kind of bean Phaseolus rediatus tila sesamum mudga a kind of bean Phaseolus mungo Khalva chickpea or pulses canake priyaṅgu panic seed Panicum italicum aṇu millet Panicum niliaceum śyāmāka a kind of millet Panicum frumentaceum nīvāra wild rice godhūma wheat and masūra a kind of lentil Ervum hirsutum It is very interesting to note that most of these cultivated grains are known as dhānya in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad as all these grains are most essential for sustaining life According to this Upaniṣad there are ten cultivated grains rice barley sesamum beans millet panic seeds wheat lentils pulses and vetches Doliches biflorus linn daśa grāmyāṇi dhānyāni bhavanti vrīhiyavāstilamāṣā aṇupriyaṅgavo godhūmāśca masūrāśca khalvāśca khalakulāśca In the Vedic period preservation of foodgrains in granary was known to the people The term khala is used in the Vedas for threshing floor and khalapā is a granary made of bamboo mats The terms ūrdara sthivi and kṛdara are used in the Vedas in the sense of granary or treasure house eg tām ūudaraṃ na pṛṇatā yavena as a granary filled with barley nirgā ūpe yavarn iva sthivibhyaḥ as men bring barley from granaries samiddho añjan kṛdaraṃ matīnām decking the treasure house or prayers etc In fine it may be said that the above study gives a clear picture of vedic agricultural system and it is the base of rural economy because the rural people could maintain their livelihood by engaging themselves in different types of agricultural work Advancement of any field work depends on the long experience and hence the vedic agricultural system is the pioneer of modern agricultural system in India to provide adequate food to each and every people of this country References 1 Atharvaveda XII122 2 Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 3 Ibid I613 4 Nigheṇṭu 5 Ṛgveda I11721 6 Ibid VII226 7 Yajurveda XXIII4546 8 Ibid IV10 9 Ibid IX22l also cf Taittirīya Saṃhitā VII1111 10 Taittirīya Saṃhitā I223 VI137 11 Ibid VII3121 12 Atharvaveda III124 13 Kāṭhaka Saṃhitā XXV4 14 Ibid II3 15 Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā II1314 16 Ṛgveda I1687 17 Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa VII2212 18 Ṛgveda IV5713 also cf Atharvaveda II85 XX1438 Taittrīyā Saṃhitā II215 19 Atharvaveda XI128 20 Ṛgveda VI4720 21 Atharvaveda VII1154 22 Ṛgveda I1276 23 Ibid VI201 24 Ibid X1423 25 Atharvaveda VI301 26 Ibid VI1161 27 Ibid IV1110 28 Yajurveda XXX11 29 Ṛgveda X9413 30 Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa XI239 31 Ṛgveda IV575 also cf Atharvaveda III177 32 Ibid IV574 also cf Atharvaveda III176 33 Ibid IV578 also cf Atharvaveda III175 34 Atharvaveda III173 35 Taittrīyā Saṃhitā V173 36 Ibid VII2102 37 Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇa XIX3 38 Ṛgveda IV5748 39 Ibid X712 40 Yajurveda XVIII7 41 Ibid XVIII9 42 Ṛgveda VII492 43 Ibid III453 44 Atharvaveda XIX313 45 Ṛgveda Khilasūkta II69 46 Atharvaveda VI5013 47 Ṛgveda X1013 48 Ibid X487 49 Atharvaveda V297 50 Yajurveda XVIII12 also cf Taittirīya Saṃhitā IV742 51 Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad VI313 52 Ṛgveda II1411 53 Ibid X683 54 Yajurveda XXIX1    Sukumar Chattopadhyay Department of Sanskrit BHU Varanasi showmore Links अथरववदय कषसततसधन वषटशच Atharvavedic Agriculture Rain and Its SourceBharatendu Pandey 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