The Rig-Veda

The most important and, according to scholars, oldest of the Vedas. It is divided into ten books (called mandalas) and has 1028 hymns in praise of various deities. These include Indra, Agni, Vishnu, Rudra, Varuna, and other early or “Vedic gods.” It also contains the famous Gayatri mantra and the prayer called the Puruśa Shukta (the story of Primal Man).

The Yajur-Veda

A priestly handbook for use in the performance of yajnas (sacrifices) It is divided into two sections, the earlier “black” and the more recent “white.”

Sama-Veda

This consists of chants and melodies to be sung during worship and the performance of yajna.

Atharva-Veda

Contains hymns, mantras and incantations, largely outside the scope of yajna.

Within each of the four books there are four types of composition, or divisions, as shown below. In the narrowest of senses, only the Samhitas comprise the true Vedas. The first two divisions relate to the performance of sacrificial rituals (the karma-kanda section), whereas the second pair consists of philosophy (and belong to the jnana-kanda section).

1. The Samhitas – literally “collections,” in this case of hymns and mantras. They form the Veda proper.
2. The Brahmanas – prose manuals of ritual and prayer for the guiding priests. They tend to explain the Samhitas. They also contain early versions of some stories.
3. The Aranyākas – literally “forest books” for hermits and saints. They are philosophical treatises.
4. The Upanishads – books of philosophy, also called “Vedanta,” the end or conclusion of the Vedas.

There are also two important bodies of supplementary literature, related closely to the Vedas themselves. They are:

• The Upavedas (usually considered smriti) which deal with the four traditional arts and sciences.
• The six Vedangas, which expound the sciences required to understand and apply the Vedas.

The Six Vedangas (branches of the Vedas)

1. Kālpa (ritual detail)
2. Siksha (pronunciation)
3. Vyākarana (grammar)
4. Nirukti (etymology)
5. Chandas (metre)
6. Jyotisha (astronomy/astrology)

The Four Upavedas (following the Vedas) explain arts and sciences

1. Ayur-veda (medicine)
2. Gandharva-veda (music and dance)
3. Dhanur-veda (warfare)
4. Shilpa-veda (architecture)