The Vedas

The Vedas are a collection of hymns and other
ancient religious texts written in India between

about 1500 and 1000 BCE. It includes elements
such as liturgical material as well as
mythological accounts, poems, prayers, and
formulas considered to be sacred by the
Vedic religion.
We do not know much about the authors of these
texts: In Vedic tradition the focus tends to be on
the ideas rather than on the authors, which may
allow one to look at the message without being
influenced by the messenger. Vedic literature is
religious in nature and as such tends to reflect
the worldview, spiritual preoccupations, and
social attitudes of the Brahmans or priestly class
of ancient India. The Vedas were first composed
sometime around 1500-1000 BCE in the north-
western region of the Indian subcontinent -
present-day Pakistan and northwest India - and
they were transmitted orally over many
generations before eventually being committed
to writing.
Content & Structure

The basic Vedic texts are the Samhita
“Collections” of the four Vedas:
 Rig-Veda “Knowledge of the Hymns of
Praise”, for recitation.
 Sama-Veda “Knowledge of the Melodies”,
for chanting.
 Yajur-Veda “Knowledge of the Sacrificial
formulas”, for liturgy.
 Atharva-Veda “Knowledge of the Magic
formulas”, named after a kind of group of
priests.
Gods & Mythology
Despite the fact that the Rig-Veda deals with
many gods, there are some who get a lot of
attention. More than half the hymns invoke
just three top-rated gods of the moment:
Indra (250 hymns), Agni (200 hymns), and
Soma (just over 100 hymns).
KEY POINTS
 The Vedas, meaning “knowledge,” are the oldest texts
of Hinduism.
 They are derived from the ancient Indo-Aryan culture of
the Indian Subcontinent and began as an oral tradition
that was passed down through generations before
finally being written in Vedic Sanskrit between 1500 and
500 BCE (Before Common Era).
 The Vedas are structured in four different collections
containing hymns, poems, prayers, and religious
instruction.
 The Indian caste system is based on a fable from the
Vedas about the sacrifice of the deity Purusha.
Types of Vedas
Name of the Veda Key Features of the Veda
Rig Veda It is the earliest form of Veda
Samaveda Earliest reference of singing
Yajurveda It is also called the book of prayers
Atharva veda The book of magic and charms
The Yajur-Veda
A priestly handbook for use in the performance of yajnas
(sacrifices) It is divided into two sections, the earlier “black”
and the more recent “white.”
Sama-Veda
This consists of chants and melodies to be sung during
worship and the performance of yajna.
Atharva-Veda
Contains hymns, mantras and incantations, largely outside
the scope of yajna.
Within each of the four books there are four types of

composition, or divisions, as shown below. In the narrowest
of senses, only the Samhitas comprise the true Vedas. The
first two divisions relate to the performance of sacrificial
rituals (the karma-kanda section), whereas the second pair
consists of philosophy (and belong to the jnana-kanda
section).

The Vedas

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The Vedas are a collection of hymns and other

ancient religious texts written in India between

Content & Structure

Within each of the four books there are four types of

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