The Vedas are the first literary document in the history of
humankind and transcend far beyond their identity as Indian or Hindu
scriptures. Four Vedas viz. Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva
Veda were composed thousands of years ago. The Rig Veda is on the United
Nation’s
heritage list and thirty
manuscripts, now in the care of Bhandarkar
Oriental Research Institute of Pune, India will get added to UNESCO’s
Memory of the World-2007 list. Pronounced Rrug it is a
collection of
hymns that are recited at prayers, religious functions and other important
auspicious occasions. The Vedas are compiled by several sages called rishis,
believed to have been done between 1800 and 1500 BC. For centuries it was
passed down in India’s
oral tradition of learning. The Rig Veda consists of 1028 short hymns
composed in Sansksrit language dedicated to several deities chief being Agni-the
sacrificial fire, Indra- the king of the gods and Soma-the sacred potion
or the plant it is made from. Besides gods the hymns also invoke Pruthvi
(earth), Surya (sun), Vayu (wind), Akash (sky) and dawn, river, water, rain and
natural phenomena. Om is the first word in the
Rig Veda in which the hymns are organised in ten books known as
mandals. Mandals 2 to 7 are considered the oldest parts of the Rig Veda.
They account for 38% of the entire
text. Age wise they are followed by
mandals 8 and 9. Mandals 1 and 10 are the latest as well as the longest and
they account for 37% of the text. There are three other Indian manuscripts that
have already been declared by the UNESCO as World heritage. They are A/S Tamil
Manuscript Collection (listed in 1997), Archives of the Dutch East India Company
(2003) and the Salva Manuscripts of Pondicherry (2005).
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