Hindu Texts - The Vedas

The Vedas

The Vedas form the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism.

According to the Rigveda, the Vedic Mantras were composed by various seers who had 'seen' (dṛś) them in deep concentration (dhī). However, to post-Vedic tradition, the Vedas are apauruṣeya "not human compositions", being supposed to have been directly revealed, and thus are called śruti ("what is heard"). A number of Vedic mantras are recited as Hindu prayers, at religious functions and other auspicious occasions.

The philosophies and religious sects that developed in the Indian subcontinent have taken various positions on the Vedas. Schools of Indian philosophy which cite the Vedas as their scriptural authority are classified as "orthodox" (āstika). Other Indian philosophies, such as Buddhism, Jainism and materialism, did not accept the authority of the Vedas (but did not deny the Vedas) and the former two evolved into separate religions. In Indian philosophy these groups are referred to as "heterodox" or "non-Vedic" (nāstika) schools.

The four Vedas are the Ṛig-, Yajur-, Sāma- and Atharva Vedas. They are transmitted in various shākhās, or branches of knowledge. Depending on the branch, various early different commentaries (Brahmanas) and instructions (Sutras) are associated with each Veda.

1. The Ṛigveda contains hymns (mantras) addressed to the gods that contain much of the mythology and ancient-most Vedic ritual practice;
2. The Sāmaveda consists almost exclusively of mantras from the Rig Veda, arranged in an order that was used for singing at the Soma sacrifice;
3. The Yajurveda contains prose mantras and verses extracted from the Rigveda used in ritual,in addition to detailed prose 'commentaries' (brāhmaṇa sections) on the sacrifices; and
4. The Atharvaveda comprises magical spells against enemies, sorcerers, diseases and mistakes made during the sacrificial ritual, as well as hymns dealing with household and royal rites, and in the speculative books (8-12) some spiritual content.

Each of the four Veda has traditionally been divided into several sections:

1. The Mantra portion, also called the Saṃhitā (संहिता), is a collection of hymns and prose mantras to be used in Vedic sacrifices.
2. The Brāhmaṇas portion (ब्राह्मण) (not to be confused with Brahman, or the brahmin caste), contains the explanation of some of the mantras as well as prose commentaries explaining the meaning of the mantras and rituals.

The Brāhmaṇas are liturgical manuals regarding the procedure of the Saṃhitās. They may be further divided in to Āraṇyakas (आरण्यक) and the Upaniṣhads (उपनिषद्), which mainly contain early philosophical and metaphysical texts about the nature of macrocosm (the gods and the universe),ritual (yajña) and microcosm (humans) as well as the relationship between the soul (ātman) and the universal Brahman. The Upanishads are often referred to collectively as Vedanta ("the end of the Vedas"), not only because they appear physically in the concluding sections of each Veda, but also because their teachings are traditionally seen as the culmination of all other Vedic knowledge.