Fw: Vedas: World's Oldest Spiritual Teachings

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A Brief Introduction

The Vedas are considered the earliest literary record of Indo-Aryan

civilization, and the most sacred books of India. They are the

original scriptures of Hindu teachings, and contain spiritual

knowledge encompassing all aspects of our life. Vedic literature with

its philosophical maxims has stood the test of time and is the highest

religious authority for all sections of Hindus in particular and for

mankind in general.

Veda” means wisdom, knowledge or vision, and it manifests the language

of the gods in human speech. The laws of the Vedas regulate the

social, legal, domestic and religious customs of the Hindus to the

present day. All the obligatory duties of the Hindus at birth,

marriage, death etc. owe their allegiance to the Vedic ritual. They

draw forth the thought of successive generation of thinkers, and so

contain within it the different strata of thought.

Origin of the Vedas

The Vedas are probably the earliest documents of the human mind and is

indeed 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.

Historians provide us many guesses but none of them is free from

ambiguity.

Who wrote the Vedas?

It is believed that humans did not compose the revered compositions of

the Vedas, which were handed down through generations by the word of

mouth from time immemorial. The general assumption is that the Vedic

hymns were either taught by God to the sages or that they were

revealed themselves to the sages who were the seers or “mantradrasta”

of the hymns. The Vedas were mainly compiled by Vyasa Krishna

Dwaipayana around the time of Lord Krishna (c. 1500 BC)

Classification of the Vedas

The Vedas are four: The Rig-Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and

the Atharva Veda, the Rig Veda being the main. The four Vedas are

collectively known as “Chathurveda, ” of which the first three Vedas

viz., Rig Veda, Sama Veda and Yajur Veda agree in form, language and

content.

Structure of the Vedas

Each Veda consists of four parts – the Samhitas (hymns), the Brahmanas

(rituals), the Aranyakas (theologies) and the Upanishads

(philosophies). The collection of mantras or hymns is called the

Samhita. The Brahmanas are ritualistic texts and include precepts and

religious duties. Each Veda has several Brahmanas attached to it. The

Upanishads form the concluding portions of the Veda and therefore

called the “Vedanta” or the end of the Veda and contains the essence

of Vedic teachings. The Upanishads and the Aranyakas are the

concluding portions of the Brahmanas, which discuss philosophical

problems. The Aryanyakas (forest texts) intend to serve as objects of

meditation for ascetics who live in forests and deal with mysticism

and symbolism.

The Mother of All Scriptures

Although the Vedas are seldom read or understood today, even by the

devout, they no doubt form the bedrock of the universal religion or

“Sanatana Dharma” that all Hindus follow. The Vedas have guided our

religious direction for ages and will continue to do so for

generations to come. And they will forever remain the most

comprehensive and universal of all ancient scriptures.