NAME;G.

HAMSA
C.V.KSAIPAVAN

SCIENCE IN VEDAS

The core foundation of Hindu belief is that Vedas contain source

of all knowledge – physical or metaphysical. However in last 100 odd years, this belief
has come under scrutiny due to the advances that modern science claims to make.

An entire group of Vedic ‘experts’ have stood up to prove that Vedas contain early man
theories and are not compatible with modern discoveries. These include communist
historians propelled by commentaries on Vedas by western indologists like Max Muller,
Griffith et al and a new breed of intellectuals who initiate all research with assumption
that ‘old means defective’. However in modern era of religious marketing, another group
has come up which would go to any length to discover scientific errors in Vedas. This is
the group which would want 800 million Hindus to lose faith in Vedas and their religion
and embrace what they believe is the final message of God. Yes I am referring to Islamic
and Christian evangelists.

While both these groups of evangelists are propelled by vision of making everyone in
world a follower of their respective Holy Books, the situation is even more desperate for
Quran zealots. This is because a bulk of Islamic evangelists believe that Jesus will come
again towards end of the world after which they would reach Paradise forever. And an
important sign of Jesus’ coming is conquest of India. I do not know the original source of
this superstition, but this remains a primary motivator for most Islamic evangelists today.

Thus every now and then, we would see references to ‘Scientific Errors in Vedas’. The
typical pattern would be english translation of some mantra followed by a Veda Mantra
reference. For example
“Earth is flat” – Yajur Ved

Often the reference and English translation are both pointing to sources best known to
authors of these works. But for layman, these create a lot of confusion and doubt over
relevance of Vedas. While I would shy away from thrusting my personal faith on Vedas,
I would like to provide some excerpts from Vedas that provide clues to deep scientific
concepts hidden within them.
Unfortunately, due to thousand years of slavery, burning of our universities and libraries
by barbarians and then demands for tackling issues of survival first, there remains a lot of
work to be done to rediscover the Vedic sciences. However, sufficient clues exist to
justify why this rediscovery would be worthwhile. In this article, I shall provide some
brief snippets of such clues.

A point of note: Vedas not being dogmatic in nature and containing eternal truths, do not
try to spoon-feed us. Thus Vedas would contain seeds for all forms of knowledge and
would urge humans to explore further. Because in the Vedic framework, its our efforts
that can provide us bliss.

MOTION OF EARTH

“This earth is devoid of hands and legs, yet it moves ahead. All the objects over the earth
also move with it. It moves around the sun.

Aramnaat = Ties
Dyaam Andahat = Other planets in sky as well
Atoorte = Unbreakable
Baddham = Holds
Ashwam Iv Adhukshat = Like horses

GRAVITATIONAL FORCE
“O Indra! by putting forth your mighty rays, which possess the qualities of gravitation
and attraction-illumination and motion – keep up the netire universe in order through the
Power of your attraction.”

“O God, You have created this Sun. You possess infinite power. You are upholding the
sun and other spheres and render them steadfast by your power of attraction.

“The sun moves in its own orbit in space taking along with itself the mortal bodies like
earth through force of attraction.”

Rig Veda

“The sun moves in its own orbit but holding earth and other heavenly bodies in a manner
that they do not collide with each other through force of attraction.

Rig Veda
“Sun moves in its orbit which itself is moving. Earth and other bodies move around sun
due to force of attraction, because sun is heavier than them.
Atharva “The sun has held the earth and other planets”

LIGHT OF MOON

“The moving moon always receives a ray of light from sun”

Rig Veda “Moon decided to marry. Day and Night attended its wedding. And sun gifted
his daughter “Sun ray” to Moon.”

ECLIPSE

Rig Veda
“O Sun! When you are blocked by the one whom you gifted your own light
(moon), then earth gets scared by sudden darkness.”

Traditional India knows that nothing in the universe is chance, that everything is
necessity.

In the infinite multiplicity of the real it reads a reference to unity, and perceives
the rule of a sovereign order even where complexity seems in danger of lapsing
chaos and incoherence. The All, in itself and in each of its parts, is governed by
an immutable, unbreakable law that supports the world while at the same time
transcending it absolutely."

everything enters him n are manifested in varied forms during creation, with god
pervading each n everything. only he is god n no one else"
Now, where do you find "Earth is Flat" in this verse?????????????… absolute non
sense!!!!!! Just because certain people want to soil vedas they can do it!!!!…
There are many words used in Vedas which have more than 50 meanings.. and
which meaning is intended in the given verse depends on the verses preceding n
following that particular verse and of course on your perception!!.

Those who read Vedas with "CLEAR UNBIASED MIND " know in the heart of
their heart that there is nothing as Authentic than Vedas n nothing worth reading
after you have read Vedas!!.. Its the ULTIMATE TRUTH

Upanishads are called Shruti, and they are said to be "divine revelations"
They are called" Vedanta" which means "end of vedas" . They are portions
of Vedas.

And Veda Samhitas (Which you call "Vedas") do not contain any
philosophy (except one or two creation hymns) Bulk of Veda Samhitas are
just prayers to various Gods they are primitive texts.
 1. Vedanta does not refer to Upanishads but to Brahma Sutras
which are part of 6 Darshans. Vedanta are Vedanta because they
are studied after Vedas have been understood.

 2. The links you are giving are works of ignorant western

indologists like Max Muller or Wilson. Just as you do not
take evidence of a street-beggar when designing economic
policy, it is foolish to give reference to works of these
semi-literate people in matters of Vedas. Kindly refer the
texts we suggested

"The Upanishads have always been regarded in India as the crown of the
Veda and as the end of the Veda as implied by the term vedānta"

1. We did not say that Upanishads are bad. We simply said that Vedas are
divine and much above Upanishads. Vedas are from Ishwar. To
understand it, mere knowledge of contemporary sanskrit does not suffice
because vedic sanskrit is different from sanskrit of Upanishad. Even
Upanishads claim vedas to be supreme. And Max Muller was indeed a
Bible monger. He cannot be taken seriously.

Please refer the links and learn yourself. Do not tell anyone that Max
Muller was a bigger scholar than Dayanand. That would be considered a
joke.

Upanishads are from Vedas, so they are also great. But your intention
seems less great. because you started with condemning Upanishads. Now
when we brought focus on vedas, you have suddenly started loving them
and are condemning Vedas instead. In Islam this is called Taqiah. This is
called Pakhand in Sanskrit and hypocrisy in English.

Because of this, the moderators have decided to disapprove some of your

posts which repeat the same thing but provide no intelligent fact or
evidence.

Finally, for general readers, western scholars could not help praise the
glory of Upanishads because they are amazing. But had they been able to
study vedas, they would have changed the directions of their lives! In
subsequent posts we shallbe studying Vedas in detail.

RIG VEDA
"He who has created this multiform universe, and is the cause of its sustenance as
well as dissolution, the Lord of the universe in whom the whole world exists, is
sustained and then resolved into elementary condition, is the Supreme Spirit.
Know Him, O man, to be your God and believe in no other as the Creator of the
Universe."

If you do not know anything, and yet want to thrust your

conclusion, you are merely showing that your intention is to cast
allegations because of your personal hatred.
a. Provide us your qualifications, so that we can associate a scholar
who can intelligently discuss the mantras. But if someone has not
learned calculus, the formula for volume of a sphere cannot be
explained.
b. Instead of asking us to prove why Dayanand's translation is
better, you explain why it is wrong and griffith is right. Explain
which word has been translated wrongly, and why. And why
should Grifith's translation be accepted.

And if your knowledge is too limited to discuss these, please find a

scholar in Sanskrit to represent you, and we would be glad to
debate this publicly with him, after reviewing his qualifications.
You would understand that it is impossible for us to respond to
every ridiculous allegation that people may make due to their
frustrations. We have to be selective in replying to hundreds of
mails and comments that we receive on this site daily.

Henceforth, for sake of maintaining the readability of the pages, if

a frivolous comment is found on site, moderators would have
discretion to delete the same. Subject of science in vedas can be
discussed either with a scholar or a seeker of knowledge only.

..

FEW SCIENTIFIC ERRORS IN INDIAN SCRIPTURES

1.“He who fixed firm the earth that staggered, and set at rest the agitated
mountains, who measured out the air’s wide middle region and gave the heaven
support, he men is Indra. We all know today that the earth revolves and rotates
and is not fixed.

2.“In the beginning rose Hiranyagarbha, born only Lord of all created beings. He
fixed and holds up the earth and the heaven.” Rig Ved:. We all know today that
the earth revolves and rotates and is not fixed.
3.“Firm is the sky and firm is the earth and steadfast are also these hills. Steadfast
is all this living world…..” Rig Ved:

4.“The Bull has supported the sky.” Yajur Ved:

5.“God has firmly fixed the earth with pegs around it.”

6.“ North West of the heavens.” Yajur Ved:

7.“The sky is supported by pillars.” Yajur Ved:

8.“The Bull has supported the sky.” Yajur Ved:

Brother, I am giving you the translations of the relevant (which you are
looking for) portions of above Mantras one by one.

1. One who controls the moving earth, who causes cloud formation and
scattering, who is the source of light, is the sun.

2. Even before creation of the universe, There was One lord who was
master of all imperishable entities. He alone is the controller of all,
including earth. He alone is worthy to be worshipped.

3. Could not see much wrong in your translation. However meaning of

firm is inertia, i.e. tendency to remain in the state in which it is set. So
meaning of firmness in this Mantra is the unchangeable state of earth,
which is to move in a certain path.

4. Vrishabh in this Mantra means “possessor of best qualities” and has

come for Eeshvar and not for bull.

5. God has made earth firm in its motion by Sun’s attraction.

6. When sun appears to be in west… (where is heaven in this Mantra?)

7. Same as 4.

8. O! Possessor of knowledge of inner…

After mahabharta a new sect started known as Vaam margi, This sect was headed
by Brahmins and they put concept of snatan dharma and at the same time vedic
translations were quirked and manipulated and many of vedic words given the
form of deities with supernatural power, and too many fantasies were created,
caste system was in right light started by this sect, and in vedas we donot have
caste system.
 swami dyananda tried to translate vedas but many scholars including Ram
Krishanaparamhansa were not satisfied by his works as according to them the
meaning of sentences were quirked by dyananda too.

•
INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The process of appreciating Vedas has been interesting for me. At one time, I
denounced every vague statement and intended connotation in Vedas equating
them with mythology, fantasy and poetry. But as I take a second look at them
now, they seem to produce an awe and admiration for all those wise men who
wrote them. I think- ‘If only we could think the way they have thought’. I have to
admit though that this admiration is confined to the wise men who wrote these
books, but I definitely do not equate Vedas with any faculty of Science.

The modern physics which took a divergent path from many theological
philosophies around 16th Century went on an accelerated path of evolution in the
last 400 years and has now started to give room to some philosophical
interpretations though not necessarily based on theology. There is a sense of
awe for certain innate and as well apparent paradoxes in nature and the crux of
this bafflement in modern physics is actually an argument presented in Vedas,
that the Universe is continuous and a single entity, including the men and women
residing in it, and that whatever we see or perceive of Nature as independent and
separate is nothing but an illusion created by the mind of the man (maya?).

This is what many modern physicists might have felt upon the advent of
Quantum Theory, which made even Albert Einstein utter-"God does not play dice
with the Universe". Well, to his disappointment, it turns out that matter and force
and all other things that we know do not have any ‘real’ existence at the sub-
atomic levels. Their existence is governed by probability and characterized by
their relationships and interconnection to the others. Vedas that say- ‘It moves, it
moves not, it exists, it exist not’, are synonymous to the thoughts of these
scientists who were looking at the behaviors of sub-atomic particles of an atom.
The ‘real’ matter and forces could very well be just a simple case of a continuous
universe and valid only in a narrow frame of observation which the man is used
to.

For many Indians and Indophiles, Vedas, in revelation of the above observations
of scientists, actually appear to be a compendium of the ultimate results that
Modern Science obtained after a rigorous and methodical search spanning
thousands of years. It’s as if, to get to the same conclusions, scientists and
Indian mystics have taken different paths. If that is the case, the mystics seem to
have come to the same conclusion almost two thousand years ahead of the
scientists. Wow! This is so nice and convenient. It makes many Indians proud of
their own ancestry. Its as if, for all that we missed during scientific and industrial
revolutions of Europe and US between 16th and 19th century we already made up
thousands of years ago - and it is all well documented in our Vedas.
For many vedic scholars, astrologists, believers of great Indian ancestry, this
turns out to be a convenient exercise to showcase how these great books reveal
many great truths. They push this argument further and try to dig out different
interpretations and meanings to these texts and try to find out solutions to all
modern day problems. Since we as Indians couldn’t come up with inventions or
discoveries in the last thousand years, we take solace in our old Vedas and keep
ourselves happy. For everything that Modern Science has invented there seems
to be some answer, solution or reference in our Vedas. And at a first glance, it
does seem to be true- Vedas do have a collection of many references (which
could be equated to the results of Modern Science).

What is important, though completely ignored by most proponents of Vedas, is

the path that was taken to arrive at those conclusions. Modern Science is directly
responsible for the progress in technology, medicine, engineering and many
other fields that we have seen in the last thousand years, while Vedas are
confined to the spiritual and complex minds of few people who seem to have
seen the essence in its entirety but are unable to articulate it to understanding of
common man. Some claim they understand, but unfortunately their attempts to
teach us all their understanding is not understood by others. This is where the
lucidity, clarity and rigor of Science differ from arcane, vague and
allegorical Vedas.

Science throws out clear theories (based on commonly agreed axioms) which
can be taken up by anyone and reach the same conclusions, while Vedas do not
have any such theories; and to get to the same conclusion, one has to rely on
leaps of faith, intuition and supposedly some revelations.

How much ever we like to believe, Vedas do not seem to give us the same tools
to work with to arrive at the conclusions and deductions written in those books.
For all practical purposes, Vedas, with its deductions which are mystical, have to
considered as good books of aphorisms and truisms and nothing more. Vedas
may contain allegorical and fantastic descriptions of supposed flight, atomic
theory and other modern concepts, but we do not know whether they are the
conclusions after a thorough research or mere hypothesis or just whimsical
conundrums.

Though they appear to carry these profound truths they cannot be used in a
rational and intellectual discussion because they do not support their statements
with valid, accepted and rigorous proofs and methods. Some may dismiss this
argument saying that eastern way of arriving at a truth is different from western
methods, but even this argument is hollow, since no practical path is described
on how to arrive at these truths. We can appreciate such truths only when we
reach the same conclusion on our own taking up the path of Science. Some
would ask us to accept these results out of pure faith but then this would make it
more of a religion than science.
If Vedas do contain reference to Atomic Bomb or Flight or Laser Beam or
Wireless Technology, they do not have any close semblance with scientific
argument. We can’t take up a book of Vedas and build an Airplane. For all
practical purposes, these texts could be as fictitious as Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the
Rings’ with descriptions of middle earth and his fire-breathing-dragons. May be,
two thousands years from now someone will open this book and believe that we
actually had teleporting, immortality and levitation. It may turn out that Vedas are
mythological stories just like Greek and Roman mythologies with a dose of
philosophy. My sense of awe for Vedas is akin to what I have for other works of
fiction, ‘Time Machine’ from HG Wells, or ‘Matrix; from Wachowski Brothers.

According to me, Vedas for all their mysteriousness can be an interesting and
mysterious read but can never substitute or find itself close to any department of
Science.

[This is an updated and edited version from an article I wrote in May 1998]

Update:

CREATION OF MYTHOLOGY

A creation myth or creation story is a symbolic narrative of a culture, tradition or

people that describes their earliest beginnings, how the world they know began and how
they first came into it.[1][2][3] Creation myths develop in oral traditions,[2] and are the most
common form of myth, found throughout human culture.[4][5] In the society in which it is
told, a creation myth is usually regarded as conveying profound truths, although not
necessarily in a historical or literal sense.[4] They are commonly, although not always,
considered cosmogonical myths--that is they describe the ordering of the cosmos from a
state of chaos or amorphousness.[6] They are also commonly, although not always,
considered sacred accounts, and can be found in nearly all known religious traditions.[7][8]

Several features are found in all creation myths. They are all stories with a plot and
characters who are either deities, human like figures or animals who often speak and
transform easily.[9] They are set in a dim and nonspecific past, what historian of religion
Mircea Eliade termed in illo tempore.[8][10] And all creation myths speak to deeply
meaningful questions held by the society that shares them, revealing of their central
worldview and the framework for the self-identity of the culture and individual in a
universal context.[11]

Mythologists have applied various schemes to classify creation myths found throughout
human cultures. Eliade and his student, Charles H. Long, developed a classification based
on some common motifs that reappear in stories the world over. The classification
identifies five basic types:[12]

• Creation ex nihilo in which the creation is through the thought,

word, dream or bodily secretions of a divine being
 • Earth diver creation in which a diver, usually a bird or amphibian
sent by a creator, plunges to the seabed through a primordial ocean to
bring up sand or mud which develops into a terrestrial world
• Emergence myths in which progenitors pass through a series of
worlds and metamorphoses until reaching the present world
• Creation by the dismemberment of a primordial being
• Creation by the splitting or ordering of a primordial unity such as
the cracking of a cosmic egg or a bringing into form from chaos

Marta Weigle further developed and refined this typology to highlight nine themes,
adding elements such as deus faber, a creation crafted by a deity, creation from the work
of two creators working together or against each other, creation from sacrifice and
creation from division/conjugation, accretion/conjunction, or secretion.[12]

An alternative system based on six recurring narrative themes was designed by Raymond
Van Over:[12]

• a primeval abyss, an infinite expanse of waters or space

• an originator deity which is awakened or an eternal entity within
the abyss
• an originator deity poised above the abyss
• a cosmic egg or embryo
• an originator deity creating life through sound or word
• life generating from the corpse or dismembered parts of an
originator deity

] MEANING OF MYTHOLOGY
All creation myths are in one sense etiological because they attempt to explain how the
world was formed and where humanity came from.[13] While in popular usage the term
"myth" is often thought to refer to false or fanciful stories, creation myths are by
definition those stories which a culture accepts as both a true and foundational account of
their human identity. Ethnologists and anthropologists who study these myths point out
that in the modern context theologians try to discern humanity's meaning from revealed
truths and scientists investigate cosmology with the tools of empiricism and rationality,
but creation myths define human reality in very different terms. In the past historians of
religion and other students of myth thought of them as forms of primitive or early stage
science or religion and analyzed them in a literal or logical sense. However they are today
seen as symbolic narratives which must be understood in terms of their own cultural
context. Charles H. Long writes, "The beings referred to in the myth -- gods, animals,
plants -- are forms of power grasped existentially. The myths should not be understood as
attempts to work out a rational explanation of deity."[14]

While creation myths are not literal explications they do serve to define an orientation of
humanity in the world in terms of a birth story. They are the basis of a worldview that
reaffirms and guides how people relate to both the spiritual and natural world as well as
to each other. The creation myth acts as a cornerstone for distinguishing primary reality
from relative reality, the origin and nature of being from non-being.[15] In this sense they
serve as a philosophy of life but one expressed and conveyed through symbol rather than
systematic reason. And in this sense they go beyond etiological myths which mean to
explain specific features in religious rites, natural phenomena or cultural life. Creation
myths also serve as a framework for humanity's sense of self in terms of ultimate origins,
shaping concepts of place, time and purpose in the world.[16]

There are 5 texts that are generally considered the Vedic texts.

The Rig Veda is the oldest. It's also the most sacred. It contains hymns to the ancient
Vedic Gods.

The Sama Veda is a collection of formula or mantra to be sung by a udgatar or chanting

priest.

The Yayur Veda (there is a Black and a White one) are Veda's to be sung by the adhvaryu
or officiating priest

The Atharva Veda is also reasonably old. It contains stories, charms, predictions and
hymns.

da (Chopra, Deepak)
Veda are each dedicated to a specific deity. I'll list just the main ones. The present Hindus
have an uncounted number of gods to worship. Only Indra has survived to be of any
importance in their mythology.

Indra
289 (about a fourth) of the Rig Vedic hymns is dedicated to one God: Indra. Indra slays
the dragon of drought Vritra as well as the smasher of the Vala stone that held Morning
captive. In this way he liberated the rivers and daytime. Indra was, in other words, a most
powerful God who was responsible for drinking water and sunlight. He is sometimes
interpreted as related to the European thunder and storm gods Thor/Donner or
Zeus/Jupiter.
Agni
Agni is close second with 218 hymns dedicated to him. He is the god of Fire and since
fire sacrifice was central to the worship in the Rig Veda (and still in Zoroastrianism) it is
not surprising he was sung to so often.

Soma
Soma is the famous ritual drink of the ancient Indo-aryans (as the authors of the Vedas
are called). The drink was dedicated to Indra, so in a way the hymns dedicated to Soma
are also tribute to Indra.
The Upanishads
The first Hindu philosophy - religious views
Traditionally the Upanishads are seen as the end result of the Veda. In the Upanishad the
Veda are interpreted in ways that signal the start of Hinduism in India.

The Upanishads quotes, sayings and concepts

After the Vedas the Upanishads are the most revered texts in Hinduism. What are the
Upanishads? The Upanishads are texts which contain the basis of the later philosophy of
the Hindus. Vedanta especially is based on the Upanishads. This lens illustrat...

The Bhagavad Gita, Juan Mascaro translation: quotes

The Bhagavad Gita has been translated into Western languages numerous times. The
translation I present to you here is by Juan Mascaro, who was as much a poet as a
Sanskrit scholar. It's a very poetic translation that serves as a good introduction to...
More Indian spirituality
Hindu religious views and essays

The Vedas are the four ancient Indian collections of hymns and ritual formulae of the
Samhitā period (c. 2000–1100 BCE), works known as the ṛg Veda (see ṛg Veda), the
Atharva Veda (see Atharva Veda), the Sāma Veda (see Sāma Veda), and the Yajur Veda
(see Yajur Veda). The word veda means “knowledge,” and the Veda, as a collective
noun, has come to mean not only the four Vedas themselves, but the commentaries on
them. These include the Brāhmaṇas (see Brāhmaṇas) and Āraṇyakas (see Āraṇyakas) of
the period between c. 100 BCE until c. 800 BCE; the UpaniṢads (see Upaniṣads),
compiled between 800 and 500 BCE; and various sūtras (see Sūtras) and Vedāṇgas (see
Vedāṇgas). Vedāṇgas are technically smṛti (see Sṛuti)—that is, less sacred—texts rather
than sacred Śruti (see Hinduism, Vedic Mythology, Vedic Cosmogony, Vyāsa, Vālmīki,
Nārāyaṇa, Vedism, Sāvitrī, Vedānta).

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Vedas
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One of the traditional criteria for being considered an orthodox Hindu is that one must
acknowledge the authority of the four Vedas. These ancient religious texts (three
thousand to four thousand years old, although Hindus regard them as being much older)
often express ideas and values at odds with later Hinduism, much as the first five books
of the Old Testament express a religious ideology at variance from that of current
Christianity. Because of the authority and sacredness of the Vedas, many subsequent
religious movements claimed to be Vedic, and certain texts of later Hinduism-texts closer
to the worldview of contemporaneous Hindus-were referred to as Vedas. The strand of
Indian spirituality represented by the Hare Krishna movement, for example, refers to
certain Puranic texts-which are sacred texts dated later than the Vedas-as Vedas.

Among the original four Vedas, the Artharva Veda contains a fair amount of material on
dreams. Various dream omens are discussed (e.g., riding on an elephant in a dream is
considered auspicious, whereas riding on a donkey is inauspicious). The effects of
inauspicious dreams can be counteracted by certain purificatory rites. The Artharva Veda
also contains the unique assertion that the impact from an omen dream will take place
sooner or later depending on whether it occurred at the beginning of the evening (later) or
just prior to awakening (sooner).
The Vedas (Sanskrit वेद véda, "knowledge") are a large body of texts originating in
ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of
Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.[1]

The class of "Vedic texts" is aggregated around the four canonical Saṃhitās or Vedas
proper (turīya), of which three (traya) are related to the performance of yajna (sacrifice)
in historical (Iron Age) Vedic religion:

1. The Rigveda, containing hymns to be recited by the hotṛ;

2. The Yajurveda, containing formulas to be recited by the adhvaryu or officiating
priest;
3. The Samaveda, containing formulas to be sung by the udgātṛ.

The fourth is the Atharvaveda, a collection of spells and incantations, apotropaic charms
and speculative hymns.[2]

Some scholars also says that veda treya means three forms in veda, like 1) Poetry, 2)
Prose and 3) Song. Under this theory Atharva Veda also comes into count.

According to Hindu tradition, the Vedas are apauruṣeya "not of human agency",[3] are
supposed to have been directly revealed, and thus are called śruti ("what is heard").[4][5]
The four Saṃhitās are metrical (with the exception of prose commentary interspersed in
the Black Yajurveda). The term saṃhitā literally means "composition, compilation". The
individual verses contained in these compilations are known as mantras. Some selected
Vedic mantras are still recited at prayers, religious functions and other auspicious
occasions in contemporary Hinduism.

The various Indian philosophies and sects have taken differing positions on the Vedas.
Schools of Indian philosophy which cite the Vedas as their scriptural authority are
classified as "orthodox" (āstika). Other traditions, notably Buddhism and Jainism, which
did not regard the Vedas as authorities are referred to by traditional Hindu texts as
"heterodox" or "non-orthodox" (nāstika) schools.[6][7] In addition to Buddhism and
Jainism, Sikhism[8][9] and Brahmoism[10] many non-brahmin Hindus in South India [11] do
not accept the authority of the Vedas. Certain South Indian brahmin communities such as
Iyengars consider the Tamil Divya Prabandham or writing of the Alvar saints as
equivalent to the Vedas [12] . In most Iyengar temples in South India the Divya
Prabandham is recited daily along with Vedic Hymns.

The Sanskrit word véda "knowledge, wisdom" is derived from the root vid- "to know".
This is reconstructed as being derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *u̯eid-,
meaning "see" or "know".[13]

The noun is from Proto-Indo-European *u̯eidos, cognate to Greek (ϝ)εἶδος "aspect",

"form" . Not to be confused is the homonymous 1st and 3rd person singular perfect tense
véda, cognate to Greek (ϝ)οἶδα (w)oida "I know". Root cognates are Greek ἰδέα, English
wit, etc., Latin video "I see", etc.[15]

In English, the term Veda is often but mistakenly used to refer to the Samhitas (collection
of mantras, or chants) of the four canonical Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and
Atharvaveda).

The Sanskrit term veda as a common noun means "knowledge", but can also be used to
refer to fields of study unrelated to liturgy or ritual, e.g. in agada-veda "medical science",
sasya-veda "science of agriculture" or sarpa-veda "science of snakes" (already found in
the early Upanishads); durveda means "with evil knowledge, ignorant".[16]

Vedic KNOWLEDGE

The Vedas are among the oldest sacred texts. The Samhitas date to roughly 1500–1000
BCE, and the "circum-Vedic" texts, as well as the redaction of the Samhitas, date to c.
1000-500 BCE, resulting in a Vedic period, spanning the mid 2nd to mid 1st millennium
BCE, spanning the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Gavin Flood[17] sums up
mainstream estimates, according to which the Rigveda was compiled from as early as
1500 BCE over a period of several centuries. The Vedic period reaches its peak only after
the composition of the mantra texts, with the establishment of the various shakhas all
over Northern India which annotated the mantra samhitas with Brahmana discussions of
their meaning, and reaches its end in the age of Buddha and Panini and the rise of the
Mahajanapadas (archaeologically, Northern Black Polished Ware). Michael Witzel gives
a time span of c. 1500 BCE to c. 500-400 BCE. Witzel makes special reference to the
Near Eastern Mitanni material of the 14th c. BCE the only epigraphic record of Indo-
Aryan contemporary to the Rigvedic period. He gives 150 BCE (Patañjali) as a terminus
ante quem for all Vedic Sanskrit literature, and 1200 BCE (the early Iron Age) as
terminus post quem for the Atharvaveda.[18] The general accepted historical chronology of
the Vedas ranks the Rig Veda as the first, followed by the Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and
finally the Atharva Veda.

Transmission of texts in the Vedic period was by oral tradition alone, preserved with
precision with the help of elaborate mnemonic techniques. A literary tradition set in only
in post-Vedic times, after the rise of Buddhism in the Maurya period, perhaps earliest in
the Kanva recension of the Yajurveda about the 1st century BCE; however oral tradition
predominated until c. 1000 CE.[19] Due to the ephemeral nature of the manuscript material
(birch bark or palm leaves), surviving manuscripts rarely surpass an age of a few hundred
years.[20] The Benares Sanskrit University has a Rigveda manuscript of the mid-14th
century; however, there are a number of older Veda manuscripts in Nepal belonging to
the Vajasaneyi tradition that are dated from the 11th century onwards.

The Four Vedas

Rigveda (padapatha) manuscript in Devanagari, early 19th century

The canonical division of the Vedas is fourfold (turīya) viz.,[29]

1. Rigveda (RV)
2. Yajurveda (YV, with the main division TS vs. VS)
3. Sama-Veda (SV)
4. Atharva-Veda (AV)

Of these, the first three were the principal original division, also called "trayī vidyā", that
is, "the triple sacred science" of reciting hymns (RV), performing sacrifices (YV), and
chanting (SV).[30][31] This triplicity is so introduced in the Brahmanas (ShB, ABr and
others), but the Rigveda is the older work of the three from which the other two borrow,
next to their own independent Yajus, sorcery and speculative mantras.

Thus, the Mantras are properly of three forms: 1. Ric, which are verses of praise in metre,
and intended for loud recitation; 2. Yajus, which are in prose, and intended for recitation
in lower voice at sacrifices; 3. Sāman, which are in metre, and intended for singing at the
Soma ceremonies.

The Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda are independent collections of mantras and
hymns intended as manuals for the Adhvaryu, Udgatr and Brahman priests respectively.

The Atharvaveda is the fourth Veda. Its status has occasionally been ambiguous,
probably due to its use in sorcery and healing. However, it contains very old materials in
early Vedic language. Manusmrti, which often speaks of the three Vedas, calling them
trayam-brahma-sanātanam, "the triple eternal Veda". The Atharvaveda like the Rigveda,
is a collection of original incantations, and other materials borrowing relatively little from
the Rigveda. It has no direct relation to the solemn Śrauta sacrifices, except for the fact
that the mostly silent Brahmán priest observes the procedures and uses Atharvaveda
mantras to 'heal' it when mistakes have been made. Its recitation also produces long life,
cures diseases, or effects the ruin of enemies.

Each of the four Vedas consists of the metrical Mantra or Samhita and the prose
Brahmana part, giving discussions and directions for the detail of the ceremonies at
which the Mantras were to be used and explanations of the legends connected with the
Mantras and rituals. Both these portions are termed shruti (which tradition says to have
been heard but not composed or written down by men). Each of the four Vedas seems to
have passed to numerous Shakhas or schools, giving rise to various recensions of the text.
They each have an Index or Anukramani, the principal work of this kind being the
general Index or Sarvānukramaṇī.

Rigveda

Main article: Rigveda

The Rigveda Samhita is the oldest extant Indic text.[32] It is a collection of 1,028 Vedic
Sanskrit hymns and 10,600 verses in all, organized into ten books (Sanskrit: mandalas).
[33]
The hymns are dedicated to Rigvedic deities.[34]

The books were composed by poets from different priestly groups over a period of
several centuries, commonly dated to the period of roughly the second half of the 2nd
millennium BCE (the early Vedic period) in the Punjab (Sapta Sindhu) region of the
Indian subcontinent.[35]

There are strong linguistic and cultural similarities between the Rigveda and the early
Iranian Avesta, deriving from the Proto-Indo-Iranian times, often associated with the
Andronovo culture; the earliest horse-drawn chariots were found at Andronovo sites in
the Sintashta-Petrovka cultural area near the Ural Mountains and date to ca. 2000 BCE.[36]

Yajurveda

Main article: Yajurveda

The Yajurveda Samhita consists of archaic prose mantras and also in part of verses
borrowed and adapted from the Rigveda. Its purpose was practical, in that each mantra
must accompany an action in sacrifice but, unlike the Samaveda, it was compiled to apply
to all sacrificial rites, not merely the Somayajna. There are two major groups of
recensions of this Veda, known as the "Black" (Krishna) and "White" (Shukla) Yajurveda
(Krishna and Shukla Yajurveda respectively). While White Yajurveda separates the
Samhita from its Brahmana (the Shatapatha Brahmana), the e Black Yajurveda
intersperses the Samhita with Brahmana commentary. Of the Black Yajurveda four major
recensions survive (Maitrayani, Katha, Kapisthala-Katha, Taittiriya).

Samaveda
Main article: Samaveda

The Samaveda Samhita (from sāman, the term for a melody applied to metrical hymn or
song of praise[37]) consists of 1549 stanzas, taken almost entirely (except for 78 stanzas)
from the Rigveda.[23] Like the Rigvedic stanzas in the Yajurveda, the Samans have been
changed and adapted for use in singing. Some of the Rigvedic verses are repeated more
than once. Including repetitions, there are a total of 1875 verses numbered in the
Samaveda recension translated by Griffith.[38] Two major recensions remain today, the
Kauthuma/Ranayaniya and the Jaiminiya. Its purpose was liturgical, as the repertoire of
the udgātṛ or "singer" priests who took part in the sacrifice.

Atharvaveda

Main article: Atharvaveda

The Artharvaveda Samhita is the text 'belonging to the Atharvan and Angirasa poets. It
has 760 hymns, and about 160 of the hymns are in common with the Rigveda.[39] Most of
the verses are metrical, but some sections are in prose.[39] It was compiled around 900
BCE, although some of its material may go back to the time of the Rigveda,[40] and some
parts of the Atharva-Veda are older than the Rig-Veda[39] though not in linguistic form.

The Atharvanaveda is preserved in two recensions, the Paippalāda and Śaunaka.[39]

According to Apte it had nine schools (shakhas).[41] The Paippalada text, which exists in a
Kashmir and an Orissa version, is longer than the Saunaka one; it is only partially printed
in its two versions and remains largely untranslated.

Unlike the other three Vedas, the Atharvanaveda has less connection with sacrifice.[42][43]
Its first part consists chiefly of spells and incantations, concerned with protection against
demons and disaster, spells for the healing of diseases, for long life and for various
desires or aims in life.[39][44]

The second part of the text contains speculative and philosophical hymns.[45]

The Atharvaveda is a comparatively late extension of the "Three Vedas" connected to

priestly sacrifice to a canon of "Four Vedas". This may be connected to an extension of
the sacrificial rite from involving three types of priest to the inclusion of the Brahman
overseeing the ritual.[46]

The Atharvaveda is concerned with the material world or world of man and in this
respect differs from the other three vedas. Atharvaveda also sanctions the use of force, in
particular circumstances and similarly this point is a departure from the three other vedas.

Brahmanas
Further information: Brahmanas
The mystical notions surrounding the concept of the one "Veda" that would flower in
Vedantic philosophy have their roots already in Brahmana literature, for example in the
Shatapatha Brahmana. The Vedas are identified with Brahman, the universal principle
(ŚBM 10.1.1.8, 10.2.4.6). Vāc "speech" is called the "mother of the Vedas" (ŚBM
6.5.3.4, 10.5.5.1). The knowledge of the Vedas is endless, compared to them, human
knowledge is like mere handfuls of dirt (TB 3.10.11.3-5). The universe itself was
originally encapsulated in the three Vedas (ŚBM 10.4.2.22 has Prajapati reflecting that
"truly, all beings are in the triple Veda").

Vedanta

Veda Vyasa (contemporary painting) attributed to have compiled the Vedas

Further information: Vedanta, Upanishads, and Aranyakas

While contemporary traditions continued to maintain Vedic ritualism (Śrauta, Mimamsa),

Vedanta renounced all ritualism and radically re-interpreted the notion of "Veda" in
purely philosophical terms. The association of the three Vedas with the bhūr bhuvaḥ
svaḥ mantra is found in the Aitareya Aranyaka: "Bhūḥ is the Rigveda, bhuvaḥ is the
Yajurveda, svaḥ is the Samaveda" (1.3.2). The Upanishads reduce the "essence of the
Vedas" further, to the syllable Aum (ॐ). Thus, the Katha Upanishad has:

"The goal, which all Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which
humans desire when they live a life of continence, I will tell you briefly it is Aum"
(1.2.15)

Vedanga

Main article: Vedanga

Six technical subjects related to the Vedas are traditionally known as vedāṅga "limbs of
the Veda". V. S. Apte defines this group of works as:
"N. of a certain class of works regarded as auxiliary to the Vedas and designed to aid in
the correct pronunciation and interpretation of the text and the right employment of the
Mantras in ceremonials."[47]

These subjects are treated in Sūtra literature dating from the end of the Vedic period to
Mauryan times, seeing the transition from late Vedic Sanskrit to Classical Sanskrit.

The six subjects of Vedanga are:

• Phonetics (Śikṣā)
• Ritual (Kalpa)
• Grammar (Vyākaraṇa)
• Etymology (Nirukta)
• Meter (Chandas)
• Astronomy (Jyotiṣa)

Parisista

Main article: Parisista

Pariśiṣṭa "supplement, appendix" is the term applied to various ancillary works of Vedic
literature, dealing mainly with details of ritual and elaborations of the texts logically and
chronologically prior to them: the Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Sutras. Naturally
classified with the Veda to which each pertains, Parisista works exist for each of the four
Vedas. However, only the literature associated with the Atharvaveda is extensive.

• The Āśvalāyana Gṛhya Pariśiṣṭa is a very late text associated with the Rigveda
canon.
• The Gobhila Gṛhya Pariśiṣṭa is a short metrical text of two chapters, with 113
and 95 verses respectively.
• The Kātiya Pariśiṣṭas, ascribed to Kātyāyana, consist of 18 works enumerated
self-referentially in the fifth of the series (the Caraṇavyūha)
• The Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda has 3 parisistas The Āpastamba Hautra Pariśiṣṭa, which
is also found as the second praśna of the Satyasāḍha Śrauta Sūtra', the Vārāha
Śrauta Sūtra Pariśiṣṭa and the Kātyāyana Śrauta Sūtra Pariśiṣṭa.
• For the Atharvaveda, there are 79 works, collected as 72 distinctly named
parisistas.[48]

Puranas

Main article: Puranas

A traditional view given in the Vishnu Purana (likely dating to the Gupta period[49])
attributes the current arrangement of four Vedas to the mythical sage Vedavyasa.[50].
Puranic tradition also postulates a single original Veda that, in varying accounts, was
divided into three or four parts. According to the Vishnu Purana (3.2.18, 3.3.4 etc.) the
original Veda was divided into four parts, and further fragmented into numerous shakhas,
by Lord Vishnu in the form of Vyasa, in the Dvapara Yuga; the Vayu Purana (section 60)
recounts a similar division by Vyasa, at the urging of Brahma. The Bhagavata Purana
(12.6.37) traces the origin of the primeval Veda to the syllable aum, and says that it was
divided into four at the start of Dvapara Yuga, because men had declined in age, virtue
and understanding. In a differing account Bhagavata Purana (9.14.43) attributes the
division of the primeval veda (aum) into three parts to the monarch Pururavas at the
beginning of Treta Yuga. The Mahabharata (santiparva 13,088) also mentions the
division of the Veda into three in Treta Yuga.[51]

Upaveda

The term upaveda ("applied knowledge") is used in traditional literature to designate the
subjects of certain technical works.[52][53] Lists of what subjects are included in this class
differ among sources. The Charanavyuha mentions four Upavedas:

• Medicine (Āyurveda), associated with the Rigveda

• Archery (Dhanurveda), associated with the Yajurveda
• Music and sacred dance (Gāndharvaveda), associated with the Samaveda
• Military science (Shastrashastra), associated with the Atharvaveda

But Sushruta and Bhavaprakasha mention Ayurveda as an upaveda of the Atharvaveda.

Sthapatyaveda (architecture), Shilpa Shastras (arts and crafts) are mentioned as fourth
upaveda according to later sources.

"Fifth" and other Vedas

Some post-Vedic texts, including the Mahabharata, the Natyasastra and certain Puranas,
refer to themselves as the "fifth Veda".[54] The earliest reference to such a "fifth Veda" is
found in the Chandogya Upanishad. "Dravida Veda" is a term for canonical Tamil Bhakti
texts.[citation needed]

Other texts such as the Bhagavad Gita or the Vedanta Sutras are considered shruti or
"Vedic" by some Hindu denominations but not universally within Hinduism. The Bhakti
movement, and Gaudiya Vaishnavism in particular extended the term veda to include the
Sanskrit Epics and Vaishnavite devotional texts such as the Pancaratra.[55]