Vedas

"Whence this creation has come into existence,
Whether He established it or did not;
He who is its overseer in the higher firmament,
He verily knows or knows not…"

This is one of the famous hymns from the most ancient scripture of the world - the Vedas. The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism. It was around 1200BC, when the first Aryan immigrants in India started composing the various hymns and incantations in praise of various Aryan gods.

The Vedas paint a very clear picture of the life being led by the Aryans at that time. These are the most ancient extensive texts in any Indo-European language, and as such are invaluable in the study of comparative languages. The Vedas also reflect the changes in the Aryan society - from settling down to becoming permanent inhabitants.

There are four Vedas- the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. Indian Vedas have also influenced the philosophy and the writings of Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.

The Rig Veda

• According to the modern historians, the oldest parts of Rig Veda were written around 1200BC.
• Rig-Veda (the Wisdom of Verses) contains 1028 hymns dedicated to thirty-three nature gods. The most commonly addressed gods are :
  • Indra (Rain god; King of Heaven)
  • Agni (Fire god)
  • Rudra (Storm god)
  • Soma (the Draught of Immortality) which was an alcoholic drink made from the leaves of the 'Soma' plant and was drunk during sacrifices.
• Rig Veda has 10,589 verses and is divided into ten mandalas or book sections.
• The book sections two to seven form the oldest portions of Rig Veda.
• The book sections are arranged according to the number of hymns.
• The Rig Vedic hymns were sung by a special priest called Hotri.

Sama Veda

• The Sama-Veda (the Wisdom of Chants) is a collection of chants (samans), derived from the eighth and ninth books of the Rig-Veda.
• The chants were meant for the priests called Udgatri who officiated at the rituals and ceremonies.
• As rituals and ceremonies became complex, the simple Rig Vedic chants were forgotten. Thus, chants and rituals were compiled in the Sama Veda.
• Sama Veda also outlines the duties of the priests and the way the rituals would be performed.
• There are instructions in the Sama Veda about the way hymns would be sung, about pronunciation of words. This Veda also states the effects these hymns would have on the person pronouncing them and on the environment.

Yajur Veda

• The Yajur Veda (the Wisdom of Sacrifices) outlines sacred invocations (yajurs).
• This Veda deals with rituals regarding sacrifices.
• The Yajur Veda invocations were sung by a class of priests called Adhvaryu.
• This is a ritual based Veda that lays down various chants which should be sung to pray and pay respects to the various instruments which are involved in the sacrifice.

Atharva Veda

• The Atharva Veda (the Wisdom of the Atharvans) gets its name from the Atharvan sect of the Brahmins who composed this Veda.
• It is a compilation of simple hymns, spells and incantations.
• It is a misconception that Atharva Veda mostly deals with magic.
• Atharva Veda deals with spells, medicine, astronomy, philosophy.