It contains about 760 hymns of which 160 hymns are in common with the Rig Veda. The Atharva Veda contains vivid descriptions of different kinds of worship and invocations. “Atharva” means a priest who has the knowledge about the secret lore.
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It is believed that they were composed between 14 BC. It is the book of sacrificial prayers and describes the rituals used during Yajna. “Yajur” means ceremony and the Yajur Veda mainly describes the procedure of performing the rituals. It is said that the Rig Veda was composed around 1700 BC.
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THE SAMA VEDA FULL
These were recited during sacrificial rites and other ceremonies with full devotion. It has a collection of 1028 Vedic hymns in Sanskrit and as much as 10,600 verses in all which are organized into ten books known as mandalas. In fact, Rig Veda is regarded as the oldest religious text in the world. “Rig” means ritual and the Rig Veda mainly contains hymns and prayers (Mantras) dedicated to the worship of the universal forces usually referred as Rig Vedic deities or demigods. The Aranyakas and Upanishads came in the later Vedic era. The Samhitas were the earliest composition and were followed by the Brahmanas. (They have been listed in the order of their composition)Įach Veda is subsequently divided into four parts, namely: However, originally (in the beginning) there were only three Veda and were known as the “Triple Vedas” or “Vedatraya.” The fourth Veda was included subsequently. The Vedas help humans to attain all these endeavors. In the latter half, they should pursue spiritual goals, lead an austere life and ascend to the abode of God. In the first half of life, humans should acquire knowledge, pursue material goals, and serve their family. In fact, Vedas are those books of knowledge that help people to attain these four goals in life. This means that an individual should aim to fulfill the four essential aspects of life in the form of religious obligations, earning wealth, seeking pleasure, and finally go for achieving liberation. In fact, Hinduism strives and advocates a balanced life aiming for the four goals of human life as Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. Each of the hymns contained in Vedas is long and is composed of several verses. The Vedas are huge religious texts and contain thousands of hymns.
![the sama veda the sama veda](https://www.hindufaqs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/vedas.gif)
However, Vedas existed several thousands of years ago before being actually written in textual format. So, Vedas are essentially the heard ones and were described as “Shruti.” It is only about 5000-7000 years ago that Vedas were penned down for the benefit of mankind.
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Initially, the Veda were not written down but were transferred from one generation of Rishis to other by vocal means. Hindus believe that God revealed the Vedas to the Rishis when they were in a state of deep meditation and prayed to God for eternal knowledge for the well-being of humans in the world. Hence, Vedas are not man-made, but the heard ones. Moreover, Vedas were born under inspiration when seers deeply enquired about the very truth of existence. If we go by the Hindu beliefs, it is said that Vedas were composed by several Rishis when they were in the state of deep meditation. In fact, the word “Veda” is derived from the Sanskrit root “Vid” which means “to know.” So, Vedas literally means knowledge.