Love, Relationship, Romance, Marriage, Language, Poetry, Literature, Music, Rhythm, Spirituality, Knowledge | Evolution of Human Civilization | Vedanta | Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Shlok 1.2.5 Part 3

Evolution of Human Civilization

#English Watch https://youtu.be/HMIgkzvvAFY
#Hindi Watch
#Bangla Watch

Dear readers,

Welcome back to our blog! Today, we continue with the interpretation of the fifth shloka of the second Brahmana in the first chapter of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. In this session, we will explore the Evolution of Human Civilization in detail.

Before we start part 3, I recommend reading our previous posts covering "Evolution of Life", “How Life Began on Earth?”, the formation of the universe, the formation of the solar system, meditation on Viraj, the origin of the universe, and our introduction to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. We also have a series on the Isha Upanishad, which unveils the Secrets of the Self. You can find links to these posts at the bottom.

In Part 1, I mentioned that in this shloka, the Rishi addresses a fundamental question: “How did life begin on this planet?” The Rishi explains that Hiranyagarbha created a variety of species, including humans and animals, as part of a divine plan. Alongside these, the Vedas, the meters, and sacrifices were also created.

In the last article, I discussed how the evolution of life took a long journey to create biodiversity. The invention of fire was humanity’s first great sacrifice. Controlling fire helped early humans survive the cold, defend against fierce animals, and roast meat. This new food habit played a crucial role in nurturing their mental ability. Thus, fire alone helped them transition from being jungle animals to social beings. This may be why fire sacrifices became a significant ritual, and even today, we continue to worship fire in many traditions.

Before reaching the stage of composing the Rig Veda and other Vedas, human settlements migrated across thousands of kilometers, journeying from the jungles of Africa to different parts of the Earth. Once they left the jungle, they underwent a series of social, cultural, religious, and linguistic evolutions, ultimately shaping the human civilization we see today—one that has now advanced to machines, robotics, and artificial intelligence. The future holds even more exciting transformations.

However, this evolution was not sudden. Everything developed over time as knowledge (Veda) was shared and passed down through generations. Meters played a crucial role in this transmission. Before the invention of writing, early humans developed a technique to preserve and pass down knowledge—by composing information in structured meters. This was a marvelous innovation, allowing knowledge to be memorized and transferred with precision.

Thus, every invention can be seen as a form of sacrifice, the knowledge gained from it as Veda, and the transmission of that knowledge through meters as the method of preservation. This process may have taken 2 to 3 million years. Now, let us move back in time and explore how human civilization was built, brick by brick.

3. Evolution of Human Civilization - Human civilization evolved from primitive survival instincts in the jungle to the complex societies we see today. This journey, spanning millions of years, was driven by our ability to adapt, communicate, and innovate.

1. Early Human Existence (Prehistoric Era)

Our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers, relying on nature for food and shelter. Early humans formed small tribal groups, developed stone tools, and gradually learned to control fire. Polyamorous or loosely structured relationships were common, ensuring genetic diversity and cooperation for survival.

Once they controlled fire one of the nature's force, that increased the speed of their cognitive development. They started consuming roasted animal meat more and more. Increased protein intake made them stronger, intelligent and abstract thinker. As nature was very harsh those days, our poor ancestors were clueless, helpless and frightened by nature. The development of abstract thinking allowed humans to conceptualize forces beyond immediate perception, such as spirits or deities. Hence, this event is the foundation stone of religious development. Even today we can see fire is worshipped in many religions.

Language Emergence (100,000–50,000 BCE): Communication likely began with gestures and simple sounds, evolving into structured speech. Over time, distinct languages emerged, shaping cultural identities and knowledge-sharing.

Music and Rhythm (Prehistoric Times): Music likely started with natural rhythms—clapping, drumming on objects, or vocal chanting. Early humans used rhythm in rituals, work, and storytelling, paving the way for structured meters in poetry.

2. The Birth of Structured Societies (10,000–3,000 BCE)

The Agricultural Revolution (circa 10,000 BCE) transformed human life, leading to permanent settlements and surplus food. People began to domesticate plants and animals. This enabled specialization of labor, social hierarchies, trade, and governance. Development of villages and towns started during this period. Because of inequal barter system certain individuals or groups had more power and wealth than others. Taking born in a powerful or rich family was advantage. This period saw the emergence of social stratification, which later evolved into caste-based systems. Concepts like karma and rebirth also gained prominence, influencing ethical and religious thought.

Marriage became a means to control property, inheritance, and family structures. Monogamy became more common, though polygamy existed, particularly among powerful leaders. Women’s roles were often tied to domestic and reproductive duties. Marriage was often tied to religious ceremonies and fertility gods.

Early Writing and Literature (circa 3,000 BCE): With the rise of civilizations in the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China, early scripts like cuneiform and hieroglyphs appeared. Poetry, often in metered verse, became a way to preserve stories, laws, and religious hymns. It is believed that even before this era language like Vedic Sanskrit were used in composition of the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda and the Yajur Veda. While Vedic Sanskrit is ancient, linguistic scholars generally date its emergence closer to the second millennium BCE. The Vedas were never written. Even Sanskrit language did not have any writing script. Vedas were composed in short form as hymns, in meters, so that the knowledge can be memorized easily and transferred to generations after generations.

Religion’s Emergence: As societies grew, structured polytheistic religions developed, with priests, temples, and rituals guiding people’s lives. In India Vedic rituals such as sacrifices or Yagna was developed during this time.

3. Classical Age: The Age of Philosophy, Art, and Spirituality (1,500 BCE – 500 CE)

This period saw the rise of great civilizations like India, Greece, Rome, and China, where literature, science, and religion flourished. Marriages were formalized by law and religion. Dowries, arranged marriages, and social hierarchies played crucial roles. Marriages were political or economic arrangements. However, Marriage seen as a sacred duty (vivaha) in India. Extramarital affairs, particularly for men, were common in many cultures.

Refinement of Music and Poetry: Instruments evolved, and structured music systems developed in cultures like Vedic India, Ancient Greece, and China. According to historians, sacred texts like the Rigveda were composed in precise meters, combining spirituality with artistic expression. However, this statement is not proven and we believe the Vedas were composed long ago. The Sama Vedas were composed as melodies and chants. The Indian dhrupad classical music was born from the Sama Veda.

Religious Evolution: During this period Indian Philosophers (Rishis) gave the idea of non-dualism, foundation of Indian Philosophy, the Upanishads (Vedanta) were composed, Polytheism matured (Indian, Egyptian, Greek traditions), while monotheism emerged (Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism). Philosophies of Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, Jainism, Buddhism, Charvaka also emerged. Later, major faiths like Christianity, and Islam spread across regions, influencing culture, governance, and ethics. Philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Confucius also emerged during this period. Advances in science, mathematics, and medicine in India, Greece and China laid the groundwork for future developments.

4. Later Middle Ages (circa 500 CE - 1500 CE) and The Modern Age (1500 CE – Present) were involved in war, cultural exchange, Renaissance, Colonialism, religious conversions, Technological advancements, scientific discoveries, exploration, Capitalism, Communalism, Socialism, Social Movements, Global Conflicts and globalization reshaped human civilization. In the middle age, marriages were tightly controlled by religious institutions. Arranged marriages dominated. Later in the modern age love marriages started gaining recognition, though they were still rare. Divorce was difficult. But now a days love marriages and divorce is common and gay marriages started getting recognition in many societies.

Language and Literature Flourished: Printing technology democratized knowledge, leading to an explosion of literature, philosophy, and poetry across cultures. Internet made that knowledge and information available to everyone's fingertips. Now AI started consolidating world knowledge and giving answers, ideas and many more.

Music Expanded: Classical traditions gave way to diverse musical forms, blending old rhythms with new instruments and electronic innovation.

Religion Transformed: Traditional religions coexisted with new philosophical movements, emphasizing personal spirituality, interfaith dialogue, and scientific inquiry. Dualism and Bhakti movement emerged in the middle age and reshaped Indian culture, literature and music during this period. In modern age Neo Vedanta movement was started by Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. Mindfulness, Meditation and the Yoga became house hold names now a days. At Universal Vedanta, we have started Neo Non-Dualism Vedanta movement.

The evolution of human civilization is a journey from survival to self-awareness. Language, music, meter, and religion played central roles in shaping human expression, identity, and purpose. As we advance, these elements continue to evolve, preserving our heritage while adapting to new cultural landscapes.

In part 4 we will discuss on eternity of death.

Thank you for joining us in this journey of Universal Vedanta. Don't forget to share this post and YouTube video, like, and subscribe to our YouTube channel - Universal Vedanta . Press the bell icon for notifications on new sessions. Share your thoughts and questions in the comments, and follow us on WhatsApp channel, Facebook Page, Facebook Group, Instagram and X. Have a great day, and see you in the next post!