Vedas

The Vedas are a collection of very old religious texts that began in ancient India. Written in Vedic Sanskrit, they are the earliest scriptures of Hinduism and the oldest known Sanskrit literature.

There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, and the Atharvaveda. Each Veda has four parts: the Samhitas with mantras and blessings, the Brahmanas which explain rituals, the Aranyakas about ceremonies, and the Upanishads that explore deep thoughts and spiritual ideas.

Hindus believe the Vedas are apauruṣeya, meaning they were not written by any person but are eternal and divine. These texts have been passed down by word of mouth for thousands of years using special memory methods. People still recite parts of the Vedas today because they believe it helps keep the world balanced and alive.

Etymology and usage

The word véda in Sanskrit means "knowledge" or "wisdom". It comes from an old root word that means "to know". This idea of knowing is shared in many languages, like the Greek word for "see" and the English word "wit".

In some old poems called the Rigveda, the word veda can also mean getting wealth or property, or even a bundle of grass used in special fires.

Vedic texts

Vedic Sanskrit corpus

The term "Vedic texts" can mean two things:

1. Texts written in Vedic Sanskrit during the Vedic period in Iron Age India.
2. Any text linked to the Vedas or that builds on them.

The collection of Vedic Sanskrit texts includes:

• The Samhitas, which are collections of special poems called "mantras". There are four main Samhitas: the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda. These poems ask gods like Indra and Agni for help in battles or for the good of their group. The Rig Veda’s oldest parts were written between about 1500–1200 BCE, and the others between 1200–900 BCE.

• The Brahmanas explain the meanings of special rituals and are connected to the Samhitas. The oldest Brahmanas were written around 900 BCE, and the latest around 700 BCE.

• The Aranyakas are texts written by people who lived in forests. They talk about ceremonies in both practical and deeper ways.

• The older Principal Upanishads are thoughtful books written between 800 BCE and the end of the Vedic period. They explore big ideas and are important in Hindu thinking today.

• Other texts linked to the Vedas include later Upanishads and books called Sutra literature, such as Shrauta Sutras and Gryha Sutras. Together with the Vedas, these make up the Vedic Sanskrit collection.

Śruti and smṛti

The Vedas are called śruti, meaning "what is heard", different from other texts called smṛti, meaning "what is remembered". Well-known śrutis are the Vedas and their parts – the Samhitas, the Upanishads, the Brahmanas, and the Aranyakas. Famous smṛtis include the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana, and the stories Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Authorship

Hindus believe the Vedas are apauruṣeyā, meaning not written by any person but seen by ancient wise people after deep thinking. The oldest part of the Rig Veda was created in north-western India (Punjab) between about 1500 and 1200 BCE. Later parts were written between 1200 and 900 BCE between the Yamuna and Ganges rivers. Tradition says that Vyasa organized the Vedas into their four parts.

Chronology, transmission, and interpretation

See also: Vedic period

The Vedas are some of the oldest sacred texts. The Rigveda was mostly written in a place called Punjab in the Indian subcontinent between about 1500 and 1200 BCE. The other three Vedas were written a bit later, around 1200 to 900 BCE. These texts help us learn about life and beliefs from very long ago, during a time called the Vedic period.

The Vedas were passed down by speaking them out loud for many years. Teachers would share these texts with their students this way. This method helped keep the words exactly right. Even though the Vedas were finally written down much later, the spoken words were always considered the most correct and important.

Vedic schools or recensions

Main article: Shakha

The four Vedas were shared among many different schools, each from a particular area or kingdom. These schools had their own versions of the texts, and each had its own beliefs. Some schools believed in many gods, while others believed in just one god or even beyond the gods.

These schools carefully memorized the Vedas, using special ways of reciting to keep the texts exactly the same. The Vedas were finally written down long after they were first created, and the versions we have today come from the 16th century CE.

Four Vedas

The Vedas are ancient holy books that are very important in Hinduism. They were written in a language called Vedic Sanskrit a long time ago in India. There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, and the Atharvaveda.

Each Veda has different parts. The Rigveda is the oldest and has many poems and songs. The Yajurveda has words used during special ceremonies. The Samaveda has songs taken from the Rigveda. The Atharvaveda has poems about magic, health, and everyday life. These books tell us about old Indian traditions, ceremonies, and thoughts about life.

Post-Vedic literature

Vedanga

Main article: Vedanga

Vedangas were special subjects that helped people understand the Vedas better. They developed after the Vedas were written, when the old language became hard to understand. There are six main topics in Vedanga: sounds and pronunciation, poetry rhythms, grammar, word meanings, religious rituals, and studying time and the stars.

These subjects helped shape many later studies and arts. For example, the rules for rituals led to important books about right behavior in Hinduism.

Parisista

Main article: Pariśiṣṭa

Parisista means "extra information." These are additional works that give more details about rituals and explain earlier texts. They are connected to each of the four Vedas, but most of the extra works are linked to the Atharvaveda.

Upaveda

Upaveda means "applied knowledge." These are special subjects connected to the Vedas. They include skills like archery, building, music and dance, and medicine.

"Fifth" and other Vedas

Some later texts called themselves the "fifth Veda." For example, a book about drama and dance says it is the fifth scripture. It uses ideas from all four Vedas. Other texts, like devotion poems in Tamil or parts of big Hindu stories, are sometimes also called "Vedas" by some groups.

Puranas

Main article: Puranas

The Puranas are many long stories and teachings about Hindu gods and traditions. There are 18 big Puranas and 18 smaller ones, with lots of verses. They have been very important in Hindu culture and often talk about love and devotion to gods.

Vedas in Sangam literature

The Vedas are mentioned in old writings from the 5th century BCE called Sangam literature. In ancient Tamil Nadu, many people from different groups read the Vedas. A scholar named Ramachandran Nagaswamy said that Tamil Nadu was a place where everyone knew the Vedas. The Vedas are seen as very deep and wise texts, understood best by learned scholars.

Stories like the Purananuru and Paṭṭiṉappālai show that the Vedas were an important part of Tamil culture. They talk about sacred fires and chants that were part of daily life. In some places, the Vedas were called Maṛai or Vaymoli, meaning something hidden or mysterious. Poems also describe special posts used in ceremonies in villages and mention that even birds in these villages would seem to sing the Vedas. People in these villages ate simple foods like rice and vegetables, avoiding meat and poultry. Besides the Vedas, there are also important Tamil texts like the Naalayira Divya Prabandham and Tevaram, sometimes called the Tamil Veda and Dravida Veda.

Authority of the Vedas

Different groups in India have different views about the Vedas. Some traditions, called "orthodox" schools, accept the Vedas as important guides. Others, like Buddhism and Jainism, do not see the Vedas as authorities and are called "non-orthodox" schools.

Even within Hinduism, not everyone agrees on the Vedas' importance. Some groups and thinkers have questioned or rejected their authority, while others still hold them in high regard. This shows how the Vedas have played a big role in the history and development of Hindu thoughts and practices.

Western Indology

Further information: Sanskrit studies

People in the West started studying the ancient language called Sanskrit in the 1600s. In the 1800s, a thinker named Arthur Schopenhauer showed interest in the Vedas, especially their thoughtful parts called the Upanishads. Experts also began to see how Vedic Sanskrit connected to the study of languages that share roots, called Indo-European languages.

Later in the 1800s, translations of some important Vedic texts were published in English. These appeared in a collection called Sacred Books of the East, edited by Müller from 1879 to 1910. Another person, Ralph T. H. Griffith, also translated all four main collections of Vedic poems between 1889 and 1899.

In 2007, some ancient handwritten copies of the Rigveda were chosen to be part of a special list kept safe by UNESCO, called the Memory of the World Register.