Gold… is considered the purest metal in Indian tradition and is undisputedly everyone’s favorite metal. The craze for it is such that the price of gold has increased continuously in the last 9 years since 2016 and today its rate is around Rs 1 lakh per ten grams, yet there has been no decrease in its purchase. If we look at Dhanteras of the year 2024, during that time about 25 tonnes of gold was sold, the value of which was estimated to be around Rs 20 thousand crores.
Gold is the identity of Indian society
Gold is the identity of Indian society and the reason why it is most recognized is that it is directly linked to our worship method, Vedic tradition and our heritage. From the Vedas and Puranas to the stories of grandmothers, gold is present and it is not only a form of wealth, but gold is also a symbol of prosperity, opulence, purity, longing, desire, desire, victory and power.
Gold symbolizes every kind of desire
It is important to mention here that longing, desire and desire are symbols of different emotions. Longing is mixed with greed. Desire is divine and pure desire and desire is a normal tendency that exists within the living being. The interesting thing is that gold can fulfill all these three feelings simultaneously.
Gold symbolizes the beginning of the universe
The Vedic society was prosperous, hence the mention of gold starts in the earliest written documents and scripts. In Rigveda, Surya has been called Hiranya. Hiranya means golden… The round body within which the universe was contained was called Hiranyagarbha. In Devi Bhagwat, one name of Goddess is Hiranyamayi.
Both Sona and Agni were born from Hiranyaditya i.e. Surya. Surya is the son of Aditi, hence he is the eldest among the 12 Adityas. He is also named Hiranya because of his shining golden colour. There is a mantra of Sun God, ‘Om Hiranyagarbhaya Namah’, in which he has been described as the father of the universe. Therefore, the glow like fire in gold comes from the Sun only.
Gold is an important metal of the Vedic period.
Vedic women used to wear gold, this is mentioned again and again. Indian sculptures from the 3rd century BC show an abundance of different types of jewellery. There is an ornament in every part of the idol. On the contrary, when we look at Greek sculptures we see naked bodies. When we look at Sumerian and Babylonian sculptures we see less ornaments. Only Egyptian women look laden with jewels like Hindus.
story of naming gold
In this way, gold has been named in the Vedas on the basis of the places where it is found. In Vedic texts, the moon’s rays have also been compared to the purity of gold. The Vedic people knew the method of extracting gold from the earth. Where and how gold is obtained is mentioned in detail in Taittiriya Samhita and Shatapatha Brahmana. Gold was also obtained from the river bed and this is the reason why Sindhu has been called Heeramaya in Rigveda. One name for Saraswati is written as Hiranyavartani.
Golden evidence of Vedas
The oldest evidence of the richness and splendor of Indian civilization is found in the Vedas. Vedic texts like Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda are not only repositories of spiritual ideas, but they are also living documents of the social, economic and cultural life of that era. Many mentions of gold, gems and jewelery in these show that India has been extremely developed in terms of metallurgy, aesthetics and prosperity since ancient times.
Gold is also a symbol of social prestige
In Rigveda, the word “Hiranya” means gold ornaments. It was not only a symbol of material wealth but also a sign of social prestige. There is mention of gold currency and gold weight ‘Ashtaprudha’ in Kathak Samhita (Krishna Yajurveda) and Taittiriya Samhita. It is said in the Shatapatha Brahmana that one ‘Satman’ of gold was equal to a hundred Krishnals (Kunthumani in Tamil). This shows the maturity of the well-organized economic system and weights in the Indian society.
Mention of gold in the ancient story of Rigveda
It is mentioned in Rig Veda (6-47-23) that King Divodas had gifted ten gold ingots ‘Dasa Hiranya Pindam’ to a priest. This example also shows that gold was the main medium of gift and respect at that time. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, there is a description of Yajnavalkya tying a thousand gold pieces in the horns of cows and presenting them. This tradition survived till the Sangam period of Tamil Nadu, where it was customary to donate gold to scholars and great persons.
This is a proof of the immense wealth and charity of the Indian society. If such evidence of gold currency is found from archaeology, then it would prove that India was the first country in the world to use gold currency.
It is mentioned in Shatapatha Brahmana that gold was obtained from ore by smelting it. This means that by the Vedic period, a lot of progress had been made in Indian metallurgy. The technology of finding gold, refining it and molding it into jewelery was developed at that time.
It is mentioned in Atharvaveda that a person dying in old age becomes the same person as the most valuable thing he was wearing at the time of death. That is why there is a trend of wearing gold. The meaning of a maxim of Atharvaveda is that ‘gold gives life, glory, strength and glory; May you shine among people with the shine of gold. This aphorism highlights the religious and symbolic importance of gold.
There is mention of giving gold to the daughter at the time of marriage in Rigveda.
In Rigveda, there is mention of father giving gold jewelery to his daughter at the time of marriage. The word “Kurir” is said to mean head ornament and “Karnasobhan” is said to mean earrings. There is mention of Pravarta (ear ornaments), gold amulets and “Nishkariva” (necklace of gold coins) in Atharvaveda.
There is mention of “Goldsmith” and “Manikar” in Vajasaneyi Samhita. In Shatapatha Brahmana the gold chain has been called “Rukma Pasa”. In the Rig Veda itself, there is a description of women wearing gold ornaments on their breasts, which they wear with great pride. This has been called ‘Vakshasu Rukma’.
gold in the jewelery of gods
There is also mention of gold bracelets in the hands of Indra and gold ornaments on the body of the Maruts. This is a proof of the prosperity and beauty of that era. Similarly, the word ‘Mani’ appears in both Rigveda and Atharvaveda. It can mean both gem or jewellery. ‘Manigriva’ (Rigveda) means a necklace containing a gem worn around the neck. Even in Sangam Tamil literature, the word “Mani” has been used more than 400 times as a gem. This shows that the tradition of love for gold and gold jewelery was prevalent throughout India from North to South.
In Vedic literature, gold is not just a metal but a symbol of splendor, charity, beauty and spiritual radiance. The absence of words equivalent to gold or jewelery in Indo-European languages and the absence of such traditions in Europe before 1700 BC proves that the Vedic civilization originated in India.
Gold is a symbol of tradition
This tradition of India is not only physical, but also cultural and spiritual. “Kanchanam Hastalakshanam” i.e. the beauty of hands resides in gold, this aphorism brings out the essence of Indian aesthetics.
India has been a prosperous, cultured and beauty-loving nation since ancient times. Gold was not just wealth here, it was a symbol of respect, trust and culture, the same culture that made India the “golden bird”.
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