Vedas

Vedas (2000 - 1800 BC) are the sacred scriptures or books of the Hindus. These are of sacerdotal origin and ancient date. There are four such collections, severally denominated the Rigved, Samved, Yajurved, and Atharvaved to each of which are attached Brahmanas in elucidation.

There are six divisions of Vedas - Shiksha, Kalp, Vyakaran, Nirukt, Jyotish, and Chand the division of Vedas which are called Ang.

Vedic Civilisation in India came around 2000 BC. Vid is a Sanskrit word which means "to know". The word Veda is derived from the word Vid meaning thereby "the knowledge". Vedas are also knows as "sruti" which means that these are heard or revealed. There are four Vedas which form the basis of Hinduism, more properly, the Religion Eternal or Sanatan Dharma. Nobody exactly knows when these scriptures were composed. Hindus believe that the Vedas are without beginning. The hymns of these scriptures were believed to be revealed to ancient rishis or sages of India . Historians are divided in their opinions and the dates of composition oscillate between 3rd Century BC and 1500 BC. All the Vedas were believed to have finally written down about 1000 BC.

Rig Veda is one of the four Vedas which is the earliest and considered as the most important one. Most of the Historians think that it is the oldest scripture of the book extant and was composed sometime around 2000 BC. It consists of over 1000 hymns. It is a heterogeneous collection of prayers to gods like Agni, Vayu, Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Soma, Ushus, Savitr and others. It contains instruction on rituals, incantations, songs and verses on nature.

The other three Vedas — the Saam Veda, the Atharva Veda, and the Yayur Veda are more specialised in their nature. The Sam Veda contains melodic invocations. The Atharva Veda included medicines and magical incantations. The Yayur Veda primarily deals with sacrificial invocations.

Wisdom & Quotes

From the Rig Veda (2000BC)

• Let us meditate on the lovely splendour

Of the god Savitr,
That he may inspire our minds.
-Gayatri hymn

• When the god made a sacrifice

With the Man as their victim,
Spring was the melted butter, Summer the fuel,
And Autumn the oblation.

From that all-embracing sacrifice
The clotted butter was collected,
From it he made the animals
Of air and wood and village.

From that all-embracing sacrifice
Were born the hymns and chants,
From that the metres were born,
From that the sacrificial spells were born.

Thence were born horses
And all beings with two rows of teeth,
Thence were born cattle
And thence goats and sheep.

When they divided the Man,
Into how many parts did they divide him?
What was his mouth, what were his arms,
What were his things and his fest called ?

The Brahman was his mouth,
Of his arms was made the warrior (Kashatriya)
His thighs became the Vaisya,
Of his feet the Shudra was born.

The moon arose from his mind,
From his eye was born the sun,
From his mouth Indra and Agni,
From his breath the wind was born.

From his navel came the air,
From his head there came the sky,
From his feet the earth, the four quarters from his ear,
Thus they fashioned the worlds.
-Hymn of the Primeval Man

• Then even nothingness was not, nor existence,

There was no air then, nor the heavens beyond it.
What covered it? Where was it ? In whose keeping?
Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?
Then there were neither death nor immortality,
Nor was there then the torch of night and day,
The one breathed windlessly and self-sustaining,
There was that one then, and there was no other.
At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness,
All this was only unillumined water,
That one which came to be, enclosed in nothing,
Arose at last , born of the power of heat.
In the beginning desire descended on it ;
That was the primal seed, born of the mind
The sages who have searched their hearts with wisdom
Know that which is "akin to that which is not".
And they have stretched their cord across the void,
And know what was above, and what below,
Seminal powers made fertile mighty forces,
Below was strength, and over it was impulse.
But, after all, who knows, and who can say
Whence it all came, and how creation happened?
The gods themselves are later than creation,
So who knows truly whence it has arisen?
Whence all creation had its origin,
He, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not,
He , who surveys it all from highest heaven ,
He knows, or maybe even he does not know.
-Hymn of Creation

Manu