The Vedas

What Are Vedas?

The word "veda" translates from Sanskrit as knowledge or wisdom. The Vedas are perhaps the oldest written text on our planet today and are the most sacred texts of the Hindus. They were composed and performed orally over a lengthy period of time, generally  over 6,000 BCE. They are considered by Hindus to be revealed literature, having originated with the Gods whose praise they sing. The core of the Vedas is formed by the Mantras which represent hymns, prayers, incantations, magic and ritual formulas, charms etc. The hymns and prayers are addressed to a pantheon of Gods (and a few Goddesses), important members of which are Rudra , Varuna , Indra , Agni , etc. The mantras are supplemented by texts regarding the sacrificial rituals in which these mantras are used as well as texts exploring the philosophical aspects of the ritual tradition, narratives etc. The first portion of the Vedas called the Samhita are the result of their curiosity about the nature of creation, about who created life and who created nature. The Vedic thinkers ascribed creation to celestial beings and Gods. Hence the Samhitas are largely a collection of hymns in praise of the deities of creation. The second section of the Vedas called the Brahmanas contains mantras dedicated to the deities and description of the offerings of suitable foods during worship. The Brahmanas give examples of the many different kinds of rituals and ceremonies. This was the ceremonial phase of religious life, which was elaborate, exotic and dramatic. But this phase too passed into another to answer the new curiosities of man, the new phase developed as an answer to a new question : what if this elaborate ceremonial life was not possible, then, what path was there for people to follow? It was then, that the third section of the Vedas was produced, called the Aranyaka . Aranya means forests and Aranyaka means, relation to forest life. In the Aranyaka are prescribed various kinds of meditation upon the deities. Turned inwards away from the objects of the world, the mind of man became concentrated. The clarity of vision increased manifold and took them to transcendental, spiritual levels of the mind and consciousness. These were direct, intuitive glimpses of spiritual philosophical truth. Thence came the last section of the Vedas, the Upanishads . They were called the Vedanta - the completion of the thinking of their authors. In realizing the true nature of the soul lies the fulfillment of mans life. Towards this realization of the self, contemplation is necessary. And, the contemplation is of knowledge. The Upanishads show us this very direction. You may now ask : how can these very ancient directions be applied to the modern world and life? The answer to this is that, all that advances of the modern world have done is to touch the externals, the objective part of life, none has touched the internal, the core of man.

source: thehindulife.com