Economic system in Rig Veda was based on both inland and foreign trade. They had open trading between different parts of India, Central Asia and West Asia. There are instances which confirm that the Aryans travelled overseas by land and sea for commerce and invasions. The Rig Vedic people assigned different names to the sea. Words like sindhu, samudra and arnava denoted the sea. The words nan meant ship, navika meant sailor, navi denoted navy or fleet, san-yatra signified voyage to a foreign land, pant meant trader. Voyages were a regular phenomenon in the Rig Vedic age.

There are various illustrations from the Rig Veda which indicate the significance of sea and voyages for trading purpose. It is mentioned that Prince Bhujyu had been shipwrecked and was rescued by two Asvins. Lord Varuna knew the paths of the birds through the sky and also the paths of the ships over the sea. In the Rig Vedic age people desirous of acquiring wealth prayed to the sea before undertaking a voyage. Even Manu has mentioned about such voyages.

During the Rig Vedic period voyages never remained conformed to the coasts alone but they also crossed the borders of Mediterranean both by land and sea. The emperors of the Vairaja Dynasty had foreign territories. Even the Bharata`s kingdom once owned the eight islands of the Indian Ocean. In the twenty-eighth century BC the son of Ila and Lord Buddha, Pururava had occupied thirteen islands of the sea.

Although the Aryans and the Rig Vedic Hindus were much engaged in trading occupations and voyages yet there are no instances of travelling westwards for trading purpose. Only the entire fields of commerce in the east of Ceylon belonged to the Hindus from the initial times. The Chaldeans were the first to carry on a trading business with India. They brought to India many valuables from the West and in return carried with them many eastern goods, including the porcelain, for their own people, for the Egyptians and also for the Aryan colonists of western Asia. By 2500 BC the Egyptians also took to trading business.

Earlier Asia supplied Egypt with perfumes, cedar wood, cedar essence, precious stones, lapis-lazuli, and the embroidered and dyed stuffs. They also supplied gold, copper and iron. Gold was in very high demand among the Aryans as they used it for ornaments, for gifting the rishis and for barter system. They usually exchanged their precious stones, wood, wool, dyes, ebony, carpets and ivory for gold.

The Rig Vedic Indians traded from Indus to Malayan Archipelago. This trading between the east and west brought in several benefits like inflow of gold, pearls and other gems, origin of variety of foreign plants, fruits, flowers, camphor, silk, catechu, spices. It also brought in political conquest, colonisation and also diversification of civilisation