sign in sign up
<<
Home , Gayatri Mantra, Hindu denominations, Samaveda, Samhita, Vedas

Introduction

In there are multiple sacred documents, not like in or where there is a singular book ( the or the for example ). There are 5 main texts in hinduism and they tell the story of hinduism from its beginnings. The first the ‘Vedic Verses’, the oldest book written between 1500 to 900 BCE, second, the , third the Laws of , fourth, and fifth . These five books are split into two sections, the ‘Shruti’ and ‘Smirti’. Shruti meaning ‘what is heard’ consists of the Vedic verses or ( what they are commonly known as ) and the Upanishads. These are books that were heard directly from the by sages - they are considered more meaningful, however, they are not used by ordinary practicing but rather sages and other religious figures. The books more commonly used are the Smirti which means ‘ what is remembered ‘ - these include the remaining three books. They were written by the sages and are thought to be interpretations of the Shruti, they are more reader friendly and are more commonly used. These classifications are based on the origins of the books not who wrote them.

About the Vedas

Veda translates as ‘’ in . They are the most ancient text in hinduism and describe what hindu’s believe to be the truth - also known as . Brahman is the absolute reality that is the true essence of all existence, . The Vedas were brought to by the , mostly the indo-iranians ( as the term is cultural not racial and includes europeans such as the romans, greeks and germanics ). Hindus believe that these texts come from the mouth of God from scholars through spiritual moments. The Vedas consist of 4 parts ( and in these parts there are separate parts ). The four parts are the rig veda, the yajur veda, the sama veda and the atharva veda. As the was passed on from the Aryans, there is a lot of emphasis on which has been left out of hindu traditions today - the similarities between early iranian and hinduism leave scientists to believe that they started from the same origins and branched apart. On the other hand, the vedas were not written down for a very long and mostly passed down orally so we cannot be sure of a time frame of when the Vedas started to exist so many scientists and theologians doubt the aryan story. Orthodox recognise the Vedas as a major religious text, however reform hindu movements base their beliefs more on the Smirti, leaving many of the major gods in the Vedas forgotten whereas minor gods such as or are now major figures in modern day hinduism. The four types of scripture

The - These are the oldest parts of the Vedas and consists of to God

The - These are , and commentaries to guide priests during hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .

The - These involve worship and

The Upanishads - These are the mythical and philosophical teachings of Hinduism hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ( more down below)

Rig Veda

This is the first and oldest chapter of the vedas, it is also seen as one of the most important texts to hindu monks orthodox hindu believers. Rig Veda itself is comprised of 10 books, 1028 hymns and 10,600 verses.All of the Rig Veda is based on universal vibrations as understood by sages at the time. They were first written in an archaic language, but overtime got translated into sanskrit. The hymns and verses talk about the and have thought-provoking content. They talk about the praise and worship of deities ( these include , , Vishnu, and ). The hymns also address societal questions of the time. Generally, all the vedas content fits into four categories ( the content in the same category will differ on the chapter of the veda ), samhitas,brahmanas,aranyakas and upanishads. In the Rig Veda, the consists of hymns to the deities, the brahmanas contain the commentary about the hymns, the aranyakas also known as ‘ the forest book’ were made to read in a forest - so for priests or sages. The upanishads in the rig veda were stories about the deities that could be taught to aspiring priests. The most famous prayers include the Shukta and the . Near the end of the Rig Veda questions such as ‘What are the origins of the universe?’ and ‘Do even the gods know the answer?’ are asked to the gods.

The samaveda is a collection of chants and texts which are meant to be sung at . It mostly uses pieces of writing from the Rig Veda and turns them into a chant form. It consists of 1549 stanzas. It has two major parts, part one is a collection of the melodies ( also known as ) and part two contains 3 books of verse ( which are meant to be chanted or sung ). The content of the Samaveda is generally dedicated to the deities Indra and Agni. Many people say that the Samaveda represents the force of spiritual knowledge and the power of devotion. As it takes most of its written work from the Rig Veda many Hindus see the Samaveda as an alternative to the Rig Veda as it is more interesting to listen to. As the vedic scholar, once said “ if Rig Veda was the wife, Samaveda would be the husband ” An interesting fact is that a lot of in religious settings is set to chants from the Samaveda.

Yajur Veda

The yajur veda is less useful in modern day hinduism as it is a handbook for priests, teaching them about how to complete a sacrifice. It contains recitations, worship formulas and . An example of a ritual is the fire. It has 1,875 verses and is split into two sections, the ‘dark Yajur Veda’ and the ‘light Yajur Veda’. The dark section refers to the chapter of the Yajur veda which is very unclear on its meaning and the light section refers to the section in which we know its meaning. Like the Rig Veda the Yajur Veda also includes some Samhitas and Brahmanas, in the dark section the samhita is mixed with commentary making it motley and confusing whereas in the light section there are two separate chapters making it easier for readers to understand. Many of the rituals are meant to be performed side by side with the chants in Samaveda. Each of the four vedas are assigned a type of priest and the priest for the Yajur Veda is the executive priest as it oversees sacrifices and gives orders. As well as this, although it was also based on the Rig Veda ( like the Samaveda ),it only describes how the sacred rituals are carried out, some of the verses are entirely dedicated to ritual offerings, which symbolize Brahaman ( the ultimate truth ). Atharva Veda

The Atharva Veda originates from around 900 BCE and consists of 20 books containing hymns, chants, spells and prayers. It differs hugely from the other three vedas as it is about and how to ward off evil. It covers healing illnesses, prolonging life, black magic and rituals to heal anxieties. Unlike the other vedas which cover more high brow topics the Atharva veda talks about problems which affected the normal people of the time. However, because of its content ( black magic etc. ) many scholars reject the idea that this is one of the original vedas and many branches of Hinduism do not condone this chapter either. On the other hand, some sources say this is the start of modern medicine as it recalls healing illnesses from herbs. It might have also been the birthplace of yoga as it contains references to breathing techniques and early yoga techniques. The Atharva veda is the primary source for historians who want to learn more about the culture of people who live in the Aryan world at the time ( the Vedic People ) as it contains many of their customs and traditions from to funerals as well as the aspirations and frustrations of day to day life.

More about the Upanishads

The upanishads are generally the last part of each veda and are meant to illustrate difficult to understand passages in the form of stories. The word upanishad means to ‘ sit up close’ like a student would a master. They are generally prose and verse ( not hymns or chants as they are meant to explain to students what the chants and hymns mean ). There are twelve major Upanishads, most of which are written to offer guidance on the holy way of living life and the meaning of rituals. They are meant to help the student understand the way in which they should lead their life. Other Upanishads cover the fact that there are connections between our bodies and cosmic entities, they explain Brahman, Atman and the Ultimate reality. They are the foundations of Hindu and have influenced hindu traditions for centuries.