Rigveda
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
The oldest of the four Vedas: a collection of hymns to deities such as Agni, Indra and Varuna, and one of the oldest surviving texts in any Indo-European language.
| Tradition | Hindu (Vedic) |
|---|---|
| Type | Veda |
| Language | Vedic Sanskrit |
| Period | c. 1500–1000 BCE (scholarly estimate) |
| Composed or compiled by | Traditionally regarded as apaurusheya (not of human authorship), "seen" by rishis such as Vishvamitra, Vasishtha and others |
What it contains
- 10 books (mandalas) containing 1,028 hymns (suktas), in the main surviving recension.
- Hymns to Agni (fire), Indra, Varuna, Soma, Ushas (dawn) and other deities.
- The Gayatri Mantra (3.62.10), still recited daily by millions.
- Philosophical hymns such as the Nasadiya Sukta (10.129) on the origin of the universe.
- Its Brahmanas (Aitareya, Kaushitaki), Aranyakas and Upanishads (Aitareya, Kaushitaki) form part of the wider Rigvedic literature.
Significance
The Rigveda is the foundation of Vedic religion and Sanskrit literature. Manuscripts of the Rigveda held at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, were inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2007. The tradition of Vedic chanting is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.