Vedas For Dummies — Introduction
This blog post is first in the series “Vedas For Dummies”.
Veda means ‘knowledge’. According to contemporary notion, there are four Vedas namely Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. However, accounting to the Buddhist tests and the Manusmriti (law code of Manu), around second century CE, only three Vedas were mentioned — Rig, Yajur and Sama. However, in Mahabharatha and later literature, there is acknowledgement of the four Vedas.
Rig Veda
Rig means to ‘praise’. Rig Veda is the first and most ancient Veda. It was largely composed within the Indian subcontinent, though it included features from elsewhere like languages. Rig Veda is an anthology of 1028 poems.
Sama Veda
Sama means ‘song’. The Sama Veda refers to the Rig Veda, though it has its own indigenous tradition with own language and ritual structures. There exists limited knowledge on its origins. Sama Veda also called the Veda of Melodies, is in the form of musical chants. Each Samaveda chant is followed by a Rigveda recitation called sastra (meaning weapon).
There are two types of Samaveda chant — grama-geya-gana (to be sung in the village) and aranya-geya-gana (to be sung in the forest). The former are accessible and more popular, while the latter are more complex and extremely powerful.
Yajur Veda
The term ‘Yajur’ comes from ‘yajus’ which refer to the ritual (sacrificial) formulas. They are muttered in a low voice upamsu — meaning ‘articulated (within the mouth) but inaudible’.
According to Sayana, a scholar on Vedas, Rigveda and Samavedas are like pictures (citra) and Yajurveda is the wall (bhitti) which holds and supports them. The supporting structure refers to the rituals which are the complex activities highlighted within the Yajurveda. The Yajur Veda refers to both Rig- and Sama Vedas. Hence it is believed to have been developed after Rig- and Sama Vedas. It incorporates both the Rigvedic verse and Samavedic chants into its ritual framework.
Yajur Veda has two variants — Black and White Yajur Veda. Black Yajur Veda is the older variant which is popular in South India, while White Yajur Veda is dominant in North India. White Yajur Veda was called white because it separated mantra and brahmana portions which were mixed in the earlier Yajurveda.
Atharva Veda
Atharva means ‘fixed (or uniform)’. Atharva Veda is structured entirely in the form of poetry or in other words contains only Mantras. It largely consists of sorcery invocations (black and white magic), speculative or mystical poetry, fragments of grhya (domestic) and royal ritual, and specific compositions linked to the arts of healing.
