The Vedas are considered to be one of the most sacred scriptures of the Hindu religion. They are claimed to be among the world’s oldest scriptures. Veda is said to be the treasure vault to wisdom and knowledge. It is noted that Vedas are eternal and vibrate in the outer dimensions of the world of Brahmans.
They are said to be the point of creation. The term ‘Veda’ means knowledge, which is the ulterior idea of the existence of humanity. Vedas manifest the cause, function, and response of human existence in a way that promotes liberation or Nirvana.
They are concerned with the nature of the Divine and are not restricted to one particular God or idea. Ancient sages believed that the concept of ‘Vedas’ has always existed and is beyond the idea of time. The Vedas were usually orally passed down from one generation to the other until they were written on record between 1500c to 500 BCE, the so-called Vedic Period of India.
The Vedas are a collection of thousands of hymns, which are nothing but divine revelation. These revelations were in the form of hymns, which were passed on to their disciplines orally. Vedas traced its roots to a period when there was a single universal language and no scripts.
A major part of Vedas is hymns, which must be chanted with grandeur because there is a spiritual significance of the chants. The chants produce beneficial vibrations which ensure well-being and healing. It may be termed as a therapeutic experience.
An interesting fact about the Vedas is that even the sound of the mantras has a meaning, apart from the lyrics. The sound and lyrics are embedded together over time, which is said to have defied corruption and mutation. Vedas teach the truth about the unknown and eternity.
It pertains to the cognizance of these undiscovered sense organs-regarding living organisms(jivas), the universe (Jagat), and God(Ishvara). Ancient saints and sages believed that nature and its powers are the manifestations of Brahma.
They describe the creation, preservation, and ultimate dissolution of the universe. The Vedas also deal with the development of the soul- its evolution, destiny, bondage, and freedom. Liberation is inevitable, and so is oblivion.
The crux of the Vedas is that they bridge the gap between a supersensuous dimension, oblivious to human intellect, to a man’s everyday state of consciousness. Vedas advocate that there exists a deep-rooted relationship between matter and soul, the universe and living beings, which have answers to all worldly problems.
Contents of the Vedas
There are four distinctive parts of the Vedas, which are arranged chronologically. Let us refer below to know those parts or compositions:
The Samhitas
These are the oldest known part of the Vedas, which are primarily constituted of hymns and prayers in praise of God.
The Brahmanas
The Brahmanas are mainly a handbook of rituals and prayers so to guide the priests in their rituals.
The Aranyakas
This part is essentially concerned with worship and meditation.
The Upanishads
The Upanishads contain the mystical and philosophical teachings of Hinduism.
Types of Vedas.
The Samhita part of the Vedas can be divided into four distinct types, namely:
Rigveda
This is the oldest form of Veda. Rigveda consists of 1028 hymns, which are also called ‘suktas’ and is a collection of 10 books called ‘Mandalas’. The Rigveda was said to write between 1800-1100 BCE and is the oldest scripture of Vedic Sanskrit text. “Rigveda” literally translates to “Praise Knowledge”. It consists of around 10600verses. Mandala 1 and 10 are the youngest books of the Rigveda as they were scripted after books 2 and 9. Rigvedic books 2-7 are the oldest and shortest ones and sometimes termed as “family book”. The hymns of the Rigveda deal with deities including Agni, Indra and are attributed to a sage rishi. Gayatri, Anushtubh, Trishtubh and Jagati are the meters used to form the hymns of Rigveda.
Samaveda
The Samaveda traces its roots to way back in 1200-800 BCE. This Veda is essentially concerned with public worship. Samaveda has a total of 1549 verses out of which 75 of them have been taken from the Rigveda. Kena Upanishad and Chandogya Upanishad are attached to the Samaveda. It is considered to be the root of Indian classical music and dance, as it is considered to be a depository of melodious hymns and chants. The Samaveda has three distinct recensions- Kauthuma, Ranayaniya and Jaimaniya. Samaveda is not necessarily meant to be read; it is more of a musical score that needs to hear.
Yajurveda
Yajurveda was scripted almost in the similar timeline of the Samaveda, that is 1100 to 800 BCE. It is a storehouse of rituals, mantras, and chants for the Almighty and wisdom. Yajurveda means “Worship of Knowledge”. There are two types of Yajurveda- the Krishna (Black/Dark) and the Shukla (White/Bright). Krishna Yajurveda pertains to a more obfuscated and obscure motley collection of verses, as opposed to Shukla Yajurveda, where verses are clear and arranged. The oldest version of this Veda has 1875 verses, mostly adopted from the Rigveda. There are four surviving recensions of the Krishna Yajurveda- Taittiriya Samhita, Maitrayani Samhita, Katha Samhita and Kapishthala Samhita.
Atharvaveda
Attharveda dates back to 1000-800 BCE. The Atharvaveda constitutes the daily procedures or codes of conduct of life and its various chores. It primarily has 730 hymns / suktas, 6000 mantras, and 20 books. There are only two surviving recensions of the Atharvaveda; namely, the Saunakiya and the Paippalada. This Veda is known for its magical formulae and includes three primary Upanishads- the Mundaka Upanishad, The Mandukya Upanishad and the Prashna Upanishad. The 20 books are arranged in the ascending order of the length of the hymns they contain. Atharvaveda is known to have unique melodies, unlike the Samaveda. The hymns of these Vedas are mostly charms or magic spells which are pronounced by the person who seeks some benefit or profit.
Conclusion
The gamut of the Vedas is much more than just hymns or prayers. They give meaning to life and also a framework to lead life on the path of religion or dharma. They are the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature. But most of us have a tone-deaf attitude towards our tradition and heritage, which is condemnable. So it is high time to adopt such a latent part of Indian culture with open arms and perceived life through a unique prism of thought.
