The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
The class of "Vedic texts" is aggregated around the four canonical Saṃhitās or Vedas proper, of which the first three are related to the performance of yajna (sacrifice) in historical Vedic religion:
- The Rigveda, containing hymns to be recited
- The Yajurveda, containing formulas to be recited
- The Samaveda, containing formulas to be sung
- The fourth is the Atharvaveda, a collection of spells and incantations, apotropaic charms and speculative hymns.
The Vedas, although written down by now, are traditionally chanted by Brahmin priests. The hymns of the Rig Veda, arguably the most important, typically describe praisings of and homage to different gods of the Aryans, the ancient race of people's from the Bactrian steppes of modern Iran that created the Brahmin religion.
Brahmins chanting the Vedas
