Vedas

The Veda (also Weda) or the Vedas (Sanskrit, m., वेद, veda, "knowledge", "sacred teaching") is a collection of religious texts in Hinduism, first transmitted orally and later written down. Many Hindu streams pass down a basic authority of the Veda. The core of the Veda is the oral tradition of the shruti, which are chants "heard" by rishis (sages), i.e. revelations.

Since it is a tradition of Vedic chants, the exact recitation of which was important, they were transmitted orally with great accuracy. The knowledge was originally only allowed to be passed on to "twice-born ones" (dvija) after an initiation rite (upanayana). From about the 5th century AD, individual verses were presumably also recorded in writing, but were still regarded as Brahmanic secret knowledge. Even into modern times, Brahmins remained skeptical about the printing of Vedic lore. Even today there are Brahmins who have mastered the Vedas by heart.

There are four Vedas: Rigveda, Samaveda, the white and black Yajurveda, and the Atharvaveda. (Sometimes the Agamas, from which the Tantra teachings developed, are called the fifth Veda).

The terms "Veda" and "Vedic" are also used in India in a broader sense meaning "knowledge" and refer not only to the tradition of Vedic chants, but to religious and secular knowledge par excellence (see also Vedic Language).

The tradition of Vedic chanting was included by UNESCO in the Collection of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003 and in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

Layers of lore

Early Vedic period

Samhita Stratum

The oldest layer (c. 1200 B.C. to 900 B.C.) of the Veda is formed by the four samhitas (collections). They form the actual core of the Veda:

• the Rigveda Samhita, (hymns)
• the Samaveda Samhita, (songs)
• the Yajurveda Samhita, with Vajasaneyi Samhita (belongs to the white Yajur Veda), Maitrayani Samhita (belongs to the black Yajur Veda), (sacrificial formulae)
• the Atharvaveda Samhita, (magic formulas)

Late Vedic period

Brahmana stratum

The next Vedic layer (ca. 800 B.C. to 600 B.C.) is formed by the Brahmanas (ritual texts, interpretations):

• z. E.g. the Aitereya Brahmana (belongs to the Rigveda)
• z. E.g. the Shatapatha Brahmana (belongs to the white Yajurveda)

Aranyaka stratum

In addition, there are the Aranyakas ("forest texts"):

• z. E.g. the Kaushitaki-Aranyaka (belongs to the Rigveda)
• z. e.g. the Taittiriya-Aranyaka (belongs to the black Yajurveda)

Upanishad Stratum

Another layer (ca. 700 B.C. to 500 B.C.) is formed by the Upanishads (philosophical, mystical teachings). However, not all Upanishads are counted as part of the Veda.

• z. E.g. the Aitereya Upanishad (belongs to the Rigveda)
• z. E.g. the Chandogya Upanishad (belongs to the Samaveda)
• z. E.g. the Taittiriya Upanishad (belongs to the black Yajurveda)
• z. E.g. the Mundaka Upanishad (belongs to the Atharvaveda)

One must take into account that these layers were not always really separate, since they were oral traditions that were not fixed as texts until much later (from the 5th century AD). The name Brihadaranyaka-Upanishad makes it clear that this very important text contains an Aranyaka and an Upanishad. The Brihadaranyaka-Upanishad is again part of the Shatapathabrahmana. Especially in the case of Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads, there is a strong overlap: the Chandogya Upanishad, for example, is part of the Chandogya Brahmana.

Samhitas

The Samhitas have been handed down in an early form of Sanskrit, the Vedic named after the Veda. They contain mainly verses spoken or chanted by the priests of the Vedic religion during sacrificial ceremonies. The later Upanishads use Sanskrit.

The Riksamhita (Rig Veda) contains 1028 hymns in ten song circles ("mandalas") with a total of over 10,000 verses ("ric", hence the name), the Samaveda (saman = "melody") comprises almost exclusively verses from the Rigveda, arranged differently according to liturgical considerations. The Yajurveda has come down to us in two versions, the "black" (krishna) and the "white" (shukla) Yajurveda. It is in prose and contains mainly mantras (yajus = "sacrificial sayings"). The Atharvaveda contains old as well as newer material than the other Vedas, many spells and magical hymns.

According to Indian tradition, the first three Vedas are also called the "Threefold Knowledge", trayi vidya, and the Atharvaveda was equated with them only later. According to Western estimates, this happened perhaps in the 3rd century BC, when the Atharvaveda Samhita received its fixed form. The other three Vedas were canonized earlier, and the Rigveda is believed to have been composed between about 1200 BC and 900 BC. In Hinduism, however, it is believed that the texts are several thousand years older.

Brahmanas

The four Samhitas are followed by other texts that also belong to the Shruti (and thus to the Veda in a broader sense). The Brahmanas are ritual verses written in prose, which unfold a sacrificial prescription. Not infrequently, the Brahmanas also contain an Aranyaka and an Upanishad.

Aranyaka's

The Aranyakas ("forest texts") are mystical secret teachings that were not taught in the village but in the forest. They contain sacrificial symbolism and priestly philosophy. Originally, they were mostly individual chapters of the Brahmanas, intended as studies for the third stage of life, the Vanaprastha (living in forest solitude), and later became independent works for the Brahmanic schools.

Upanishads

The Upanishads (literally: "to sit around (the teacher)") are spiritual insights and "secret teachings" that were conveyed in direct exchange between teacher and student. These are believed to have originated between 700 and 500 BC. In the Upanishads, the basis was formulated of what still determined the philosophy and religion of India centuries later: the doctrine of Atman and Brahman, Samsara and Karma. In particular, the 10 mukhya upanishads (main Upanishads) have shaped later Hinduism.

Rigveda in Sanskrit, 19th century manuscript

Vedic Chants

The tradition of singing Vedic hymns was included in the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003. An example: "Go to the Mother, go to the Earth, The wide, broad, blessed ... Open, Earth, do him no harm, Receive him kindly and with loving greeting." (Quotation of a Vedic chant from : Helmuth von Glasenapp, Hans Heinrich Schaeder: In memory of R. Otto Franke. In: Carl Diesch (ed.): Königsberger Beiträge. Festgabe zur vierhundertjährigen Jubelfeier der Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek zu Königsberg Pr. Gräfe & Unzer, Königsberg/Pr. 1929, pp. 104-124).