Vedas

(noun)

The oldest scriptures of Hinduism, originally passed down orally but then written in Vedic Sanskrit between 1500 and 500 BCE. 

Related Terms

Examples of Vedas in the following topics:

  • The Vedas

    • There are four Indo-Aryan Vedas: the Rig Veda contains hymns about their mythology; the Sama Veda consists mainly of hymns about religious rituals; the Yajur Veda contains instructions for religious rituals; and the Atharva Veda consists of spells against enemies, sorcerers, and diseases.
    • (Depending on the source consulted, these are spelled, for example, either Rig Veda or Rigveda.)
    • The verses of the Sam Veda are taken almost completely from the Rig Veda, but arranged differently so they may be chanted.
    • The Atharva Veda includes charms and magic incantations written in the style of folklore.
    • The Aryan pantheon of gods is described in great detail in the Rig Veda.

  • The Rise of Hinduism

    • There are four Indo-Aryan Vedas: the Rig Veda contains hymns about mythology; the Sama Veda consists mainly of hymns about religious rituals; the Yajur Veda contains instructions for religious rituals; and the Atharva Veda consists of spells against enemies, sorcerers and diseases.
    • (Depending on the source consulted, these are spelled, for example, either Sama Veda or Samaveda.)
    • The Aryan pantheon of gods is described in great detail in the Rig Veda.
    • The Upanishads are found in the conclusion of the commentaries on the Vedas and have been passed down by oral tradition.
    • The Rig Veda describes the varied deities of Vedic religion.

  • The Sramana Movement

    • Most history of this period is derived from the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion.
    • Vedas, meaning "knowledge," were composed by the Aryans in Vedic Sanskrit between 1500 and 500 BCE in the northwestern region the Indian subcontinent.
    • There are four Indo-Aryan Vedas: the Rig Veda contains hymns about their mythology; the Sama Veda consists mainly of hymns about religious rituals; the Yajur Veda contains instructions for religious rituals; and the Atharva Veda consists of spells against enemies, sorcerers, and diseases.
    • (Depending on the source consulted, these are spelled, for example, either Rig Veda or Rigveda.)
    • The Sramanas rejected the authority of the Brahmins, who were considered the protectors of the sacred learning found in the Vedas.

  • The Caste System

    • These roles and their importance, including the levels of power and significance based on patriarchy, were influenced by stories of the gods in the Rig-Veda epic.
    • One of these four sacred canonical texts, the Rig-Veda, described the origins of the world and points to the gods for the origin of the caste system.
    • The institution of marriage was important and different types of marriages — monogamy, polygyny and polyandry — are mentioned in the Rig Veda.
    • A page of the Rig-Veda, one of the four sacred Veda texts, which described the origins of the world and the stories of the gods.
    • The Rig-Veda influenced the development of the patriarchal society and the caste systems in Aryan India.

  • Sanskrit

    • Vedic Sanskrit is the language of the Vedas, the most ancient Hindu scripts, compiled from ca. 1500-500 BCE.
    • The Vedas contain hymns, incantations called Samhitas, and theological and philosophical guidance for priests of the Vedic religion.
    • Believed to be direct revelations to seers among the early Aryan people of India, the four chief collections are the Rig Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Vedia, and Atharva Veda.
    • (Depending on the source consulted, these are spelled, for example, either Rig Veda or Rigveda.)
    • Sanskrit evolved from Proto-Indo-European languages and was used to write the Vedas, the Hindu religious texts compiled between 1500-500 BCE.

  • Vedic and Upanishadic Periods

    • The Vedic period in India (c. 1700 - 500 BCE) is marked by the composition of the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
    • The Vedic period (or Vedic age) in India was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed.
    • The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in from the Vedic period.
    • The Rigvedic text: the oldest of the Vedas, thought to have been composed roughly between 1700 and 1100 BCE .
    • The Rigveda text is the oldest of the Vedas, thought to have been composed roughly between 1700 and 1100 BCE.

  • Jainism

    • Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate from, Vedic Hinduism, which followed the teachings and rituals found in the Vedas, the most ancient texts of the Vedic religion.
    • Sramana, meaning “seeker,” was a tradition that began when new philosophical groups who believed in a more austere path to spiritual freedom rejected the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmins, the priests of Vedic Hinduism, around 800-600 BCE.

  • Buddhism

    • Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate from, Vedic Hinduism, which followed the teachings and rituals found in the Vedas, the most ancient texts of the Vedic religion.
    • Sramana, meaning “seeker,” was a tradition that began when new philosophical groups who believed in a more austere path to spiritual freedom rejected the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmins, the priests of Vedic Hinduism, around 800-600 BCE.

  • The Indo-Aryan Migration and the Vedic Period

    • Most history of this period is derived from the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in Hinduism, which help chart the timeline of an era known as the Vedic Period from 1750–500 BCE.
    • Most history of this period is derived from the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion, which were composed by the Aryans in Sanskrit.