Vedic Literature - Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Atharv Veda and Aranyakas
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Rig Veda
- It is the earliest among the Vedas.
- It is a con-temporary composition.
- It is a collection of hymns offered to various deities by various families of poets and sages.
- It has 1028 hymns of which 1017 are original and 11 were added to it later.
- It is divided into 10 Mandalas:
- Mandalas U - VII are the oldest.
- The ‘Battle of Dasrajya’ is mentioned in the VII Mandala.
- Mandalas I and X were added later.
- IX Mandal is dedicated to Soma.
- The famous Purushasukta telling us about the four varnas - Brahmins, Kshat-riyas, Vaishyas and Shudras - is mentioned in the X Mandala. According to it,
- Brahmans originated from mouth of Brahma.
- Kshatriyas originated from the arms of Brahma.
- Vaishyas originated from the thighs of Brahma.
- Shudras originated from the feet of Brahma.
- The famous Gayatri Mantra addressed to solar deity Savitri is also mentioned in the X Mandala.
- A number of Brahmanas is associated with the Rig Veda. Some important are:
- Aitareya Brahmana called Panchika, written by Mahidas Aitareya.
- Kaushitiki Brahmana or Sankhayan Brahmana.
Yajur Veda
- It is called the Book of Prayers.
- It is partly written in prose and partly in verse.
- It has two parts: Shukla Yajurveda and Krishna Yajurveda.
- Taiteriya Samhita is related to Krishna Yajurveda.
- Vajseniya Samhita is related to Shukla Yajurveda.
- The maximum number of commentaries is written on Yajur Veda.
Sama Veda
- The earliest reference of singing is found here.
- It has 1603 verses of which only 99 are original and the rest have been derived from the Rig Veda.
- Gandharva Upaveda is related to Sam Veda.
- The following Brahmanas are related to the Sam Veda:
- Chandogya Brahmana mentioning about marriage and birth ceremonies.
- Kena Brahmana.
- Jaiminiya Brahmana also called Talabgar Brahmana.
- Panchvisa Brahmana also known as Tandya Mahabrahmana.
- It has 25 Mandalas and the 26th Mandala of this Brahmana is called Sadivas.
Atharva Veda
- It is called the Book of magic.
- It contains charms and spells to ward off evils and diseases.
- It is related to the holy magic formulae and has 26 sections or Kharid.
- It contains 711 or 731 hymns whereas somewhere it has been mentioned that it contains 737 hymns.
- It has 5978 mantras.
- Trayi was the combined name of three early vedas -Rig Veda, Sam Veda and Yajur Veda.
- Atharva Veda was a later development. It is also known as Brahmadeva.
- The Upaveda related to it is known as Shilpa Upaveda.
- The important Brahmanas related to it are Gopath Brahmana and Mundaka Brahmana.
Aranyakas
- These are Vedic texts originally written by the forest hermits and students living in jungles.
- These are the concluding portions or appendix of the Brahmanas.
- They laid emphasis on meditation and not on sacrifices.
- Aranyaks (depicting transition from karmkand to karmyog) are philosophical rather than ritualistic and form a bridge between Brahmanas and Upanishads i.e.. between the Karma Marg of the Brahmanas and the Gyan Marg of Upanishads.