Vedas (वेद)

The word Veda is derived from the root word Vid (to know). It refers a vast body of spiritual knowledge. The Vedas (वेद) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. It has been composed in Vedic Sanskrit.

There are 4 Vedas namely

ऋक् (Ṛg or Rig)
यजुः (Yajuh)
साम (Saam).
अथर्व (Atharva).

They are also called मन्त्रसंहिता (Mantra Samhita). संहिता (Samhita) means a collection. This collection is unique as the present form of this Samhita clearly indicates that the collection is not a single work, but consists of older and later elements.

There are 4 उपवेद (upa-Veda) corresponding to each of these 4 main Vedas.

स्थापत्य (Sthaapatya)
धनुः (Dhanuh)
गान्धर्व (Gaandharva).
आयुः (Aayuh).

Vedās are called śruti ("what is heard") distinguishing them from other Sanskrit texts, which are called smṛti ("what is remembered").
The other name for Vedā is ‘Apourusheya’. Apourusheya means ‘not human composition’. Shruti means heard/revealed. In other words, Vedas are those hymns/Mantras which are heard or revealed to seers and uttered by them in transcendental state.

Vedas were passed down orally from one generation to the other and were not written down for many many years.
The four Vedas have been transmitted in various Shakhas or branches or schools.

Each Veda is comprised of Mantra (मन्त्र) and Brahmaṅa (ब्राह्मण).

• Mantra sections (मन्त्र भाग) are called संहिता (Samhita). They are the most ancient part of the Vedas, consisting of hymns of praise to God
  
• Brahmaṅa (ब्राह्मण) is further divided into
  • Brahmaṇa Graṅtha (ब्राह्मण ग्रन्थ) are rituals and prayers to guide the priests in their duties.
  • Āraṇyak (आरण्यक) concern worship and meditation.
  • Upaniṣad (उपनिषद) consist of philosophical teachings.

Interesting facts about Vedas

Ṛg Veda

• Ṛg Veda Samhita is the oldest of the four vedas and consists of 1028 hymns praising the ancient gods.
• A Ṛg mantra has a metrical structure determined by the number of syllables in it. There are seven well known families of meters (छन्दस्): Gayatri (गायत्री), Ushanik (उष्णिक्), Anushtup (अनुष्टुप), Brhati (बृहती), Paṅkti (पङ्क्ति), Trishtup (त्रिष्टुप), and Jagati (जगती).
• There are 1,028 hymns (sūkta) in the Rigveda. Most of these hymns are dedicated to specific deities. The most prominent deity is Indra; Agni the sacrificial fire and messenger of the gods; and Soma, the ritual drink dedicated to Indra, are additional principal deities. Get to know more about Vedic or Rigvedic Deities here
• In the beginning Rig Veda consisted a single collection of mantras with a non‐linear structure with every mantra connected to many others. It was later divided in two different ways:
  
  
  1. The Ashtaka Method - Ashtaka means eight. This method was designed to facilitate easy memorization by apportioning more less equal number mantras to each section. The Rig Veda is divided into 8 Ashtakas; each Ashtaka is divided into 8 Adhyayas; each Adhyaya has a varied number of Vargas ( varying from 221 to 331); and each Varga has a varied number of mantras (varying from 1,147 to 1,730).
  
  
  2. The Mandala Method - This method was designed to group mantras based on the subject matter. The Rig Veda is divided into 10 Mandalas; each Mandala contains 4 to 24 Anuvāka; each Anuvāka contains 43 to 191 Suktas; in all 1,028 Suktas contain 10,552 mantras. Anuvāka literally means 'saying after' or 'reciting (the Vedas) after' or 'following' the teacher.

Yajur Veda

• Yajur Veda Samhita is used as a handbook by priests performing the vedic sacrifices.
  Yajurveda can be thought to be made up of कृष्णयजुर्वेद (Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda) and शुक्लयजुर्वेद (Śukla Yajurveda).
• Only 5 Yajur Veda Samhitas are available:
  1. Taittiriya Samhita
  2. Maitrayaniya Samhita
  3. Kathaka Samhita
  4. Kapisthala‐Kathaka Samhita
  5. Vajasaneyi Samhita
  The first four belongs to Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda. Vajasaneyi Samhita is the only belonging to Śukla Yajur Veda.

Sama Veda

• Sama Veda Samhita consists of chants and tunes for singing at the sacrifices.
• Sama Veda comprises mostly of Rig Vedic mantras (Riks) set to the saptasvara system of Indian music to be sung at appropriate places in a sacrifice.
• Sama Veda has around thousand shakhas (branches) of which only 13 are discovered so far. These 13 are the names of the teachers who are responsible for their recension.
• Sama Veda is the origin of Indian classical music

Atharva Veda

• Atharva Veda Samhita preserves many traditions which pre-date the Aryan influence and consists of spells, charms and magical formulae.
• It is the Udgatri (One of the four officiating priest in Vedic sacrifice) along with his three assistants (hotri, adhvaryu and Brahma) chant the mantras.
• The word Atharva comes from Athar, an obsolete word for fire or priest of fire. Atharvan may be a name of the ancient sage who brought down fire from heavens to start sacrificial rites on earth. Atharvan is also regraded as the son of Brahma
• Atharva Veda differs from the other three in the sense that it deals with issues of life as opposed to issues of hereafter. Major portion of this Veda is concerned with diseases and their cure, rites for prolonging life, rites for fulfilling one’s desire, building construction, trade and commerce, statecraft, and Propitiatory rites.