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the vedas
The Vedas are the oldest texts of Hindu literature, stemming from an oral tradition believed to go back to at least 1500 BC. First written down in Vedic, an early form of Sanskrit, around 600 BC, the forms we have originate from texts written around 300 BC.
There were originally three Vedas: the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, and the Yajur Veda, which constitued "threefold knowledge" (trayi vidya), with the fourth Veda, the Atharva Veda, added at during the Vedic period.
Legend has it that the Vedas were actually composed at the beginning of Creation, but that this "Divine Revelation" was gradually polluted by Man. Some people even suggest that all human knowledge is present in the Vedas, at least in symbolic form. Regardless, the Vedas remain the most sacred of Hindu texts, and provide the foundation for Hindu religion.
It has been actually suggested that the Vedas were originally connected to the oral tradition of the Harappan civilisation of the Indus Valley, but were completed in majority by the war-like Arayan peoples who migrated from the Iranian plateau into India and conquered. (Please note that the Arayans of Iran have nothing to do with the notion of a Caucasian "master race".)
The theology of the Vedas was further developed in the Upanishads, which became regarded as essential summaries of all the wisdom of the Vedas themselves.
Please do note that some of the following webpages are quite large.
the rig veda
The Rig Veda, or "Divine Hymns", is the oldest and most important of the Vedas. Over a thousand hymns are set into ten mandalas, or circles, of which it is believed the second through the seventh are the oldest and the tenth is the most recent. The general themes of this work are the praising of the gods, and requests for worldly benefits such as wealth, health, longevity, protection, and victory. Indra and Agni feature as particular favourites in the hymns, but 31 other gods are also mentioned.
rig veda - mandala 1
rig veda - mandala 2
rig veda - mandala 3
rig veda - mandala 4
rig veda - mandala 5
rig veda - mandala 6
rig veda - mandala 7
rig veda - mandala 8
rig veda - mandala 9
rig veda - mandala 10
the sama veda
The Sama Veda contains over 1500 chants. All of these are derived from hymns of the Rig Veda, but which attain a specifically musical aspect. The Sama Veda is principally for use in agricultural rites.
the sama veda
the yajur veda
The Yajur Veda is a collection of chants, often derivative of the Rig Veda, for specific use during sacrifical rituals.
kanda 1
kanda 2
kanda 3
kanda 4
kanda 5
kanda 6
kanda 7
the atharva veda
The Atharva Veda also contains material from the Rig Veda, but these incantations address the practical everyday realities of daily life.
the atharva veda
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HINDUISM
