The word “Vish” used in Rigveda, referred to:
People who performed various rituals
Incorrect AnswerThe trading community of Vaishyas
Incorrect Answer People or community as a whole
Correct AnswerPeople who did not perform sacrifices
Incorrect AnswerExplanation:
People who performed rituals were priests, sometimes called as Brahmins.
The trading community Vaishyas was derived from the word Vish in the Later Vedic period but in Rigvedic period the term ‘Vish’ was not used for Vaishyas.
Two words were used to describe the people or the community as a whole. One was the word jana, which we still use in Hindi and other languages. The other was vish.
The people who did not perform sacrifices, and probably spoke different languages were referred to as Dasas or Dasyus.
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By: Shamsher Gill