The soul of Indian culture lies in the Vedas. The term ‘Vedas’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘vid’
which means knowledge. The Vedas are the oldest sacred Hindu texts still in use. The Vedas are probably the earliest documents of the human mind. So, it is difficult to say when the earliest portions of the Vedas came into existence. As the ancient Hindus seldom kept any historical record of their religious, literary and political realization, it is difficult to determine the period of the Vedas with precision. Vedas might have started taking form as early as 1500BC. Indologists teach us that before the literary culture came in 3rd or 2nd century BC, Vedas was transferred from generation to generation orally. Vedas can be classified as follows The four Samhithas- Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atarvaveda. Apart from these, the Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads also form parts of the Vedas. The epics of India, Ramayana and Mahabharata are often called “ the 5th Vedas.” The Rigveda Samhitha comprises of 1028 hymns praising Indian Deities of which Indra, the God of war and weather was the most prominent. It’s the most important and oldest among the 4 Veda Samhithas. It is a collection of 10 books or mandals. Samaveda and Yajurvada are mostly continuations of Rigveda. The Yajurveda ("Veda of sacrificial formulas") consists of prose mantras and also part of verses borrowed from the Rig-Veda. The Samaveda (Veda of chants) consists of 1549 stanzas which are mostly taken from the Rigveda The Atharva Veda is the youngest among the 4 Veda Samhithas, it is specialized with the methods of conducting prayers and offerings to the fire and sun. It is is known as the Veda of the Atharvan (priest of Agni-fire and Soma-sun). The Brahmanas are mainly explanatory notes on vedic rituals. The Aranyakas (wilderness texts) comprise descriptions and commentories on the philosophical portions of the Brahmanas. Upanishads (“Upanishad” means seated near the guru) are mostly of the metapahysical level- they talk about God, soul, matter and their inter-relation. There are 108 Upanishads. The Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata, tell stories about the human Avatars(incarnations) of Gods. The Vedas are rich resources of knowledge. They spread the light of knowledge throughout India and later the entire world. Study of Vedas show how life was in ancient India, how advanced Indians were in Sciences- Mathematics, Astronomy, Medicine and in spirituality. It is impossible to understand how the Rishis who lived 3000
years back studied and did research so vastly and deeply and reached at conclusions many of which still hold good. One of the greatest philosophies of Vedas is “Aham Brahmasmi” which has many levels of meanings. It ultimately means ‘I am Brahman’ or I am not different from God- duality does not exist (everything is one with God) and the understanding of this is the ultimate aim of life. The Vedas and Vedic period has contributed so much to the world in the fields of Astronomy, Mathematics and other branches of Science. Yoga , Ayurveda are all contributions of the Vedic Civilization of India. The Vedic rishis (Sanyasis or Hindu monks) could meditate for years and years in thick forests without food or water!! Isn’t that a wonder? The Vedas made India unique and truly incredible. I’m truly proud to say I am an Indian- I am from the land of the Vedas.