Vedas

• Vedas are the ancient sacred texts of Hinduism.
• Literally, vedas means “knowledge”.
• According to puranic traditions, they are compiled by “Veda Vyasa”.
• It was composed in the Vedic Sanskrit language.

Parts of Vedas

• The earliest parts of the Veda are four collections of hymns, songs and poems.
  • The Rigveda – contains more than 1,000 hymns about Hindu gods and rituals.
  • The Yajurveda helped priests follow these rituals.
  • The Samaveda contains verses that priests chanted or sang.
  • The Atharvaveda includes magic spells and rituals.
• It differs from the later parts because it is based more on everyday religious ideas than on the lives of the gods.
• Later parts include the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads.
• These texts comment on the earlier Vedas.
• They explain the importance and deeper meanings of Hindu rituals and beliefs.

Background

• Hindus composed these texts in what is now India about 1500 BC.
• For a long time, they passed down the texts by reciting them.
• Eventually, they wrote the texts down and still being studied by Hindus even today.

Sources

• Britannica