What kind of literature is in the Vedas?

Composed according to an advanced poetic technique and complex metrical system, the Veda consists of four types of literature: Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka, and Upanishad. Most important are the four Samhitas, which are the basic Vedas. The earliest is the Rig-Veda (rig=stanza of praise), a collection of 1,028 hymns.

Which is the last section of Vedic literature?

Upanishads
Upanishads are called Vedanta (the end of the Veda) firstly, because they denote the last phase of the Vedic period and secondly, because they reveal the final aim of the Veda. The Oldest Upanishads are Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads which date as back as the first millennium BC.

What is the importance of Vedic literature?

Vedic literatures are most important sources of knowledge about Aryans and Vedic period. The literature had grown in the course of many centuries and was handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth which also called shruti.

What is the aim of Sanskrit literature?

Sanskrit literature is as vast as the human life. There are four aims of human life which are called Purusharthas. They are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

What do you mean by later Vedic literature?

In India: Later Vedic period (c. 800–c. 500 bce) The principal literary sources from this period are the Sama-, the Yajur-, and the Atharvaveda (mainly ritual texts), the Brahmanas (manuals on ritual), and the Upanishads (Upanisads) and Aranyakas (collections of philosophical and metaphysical discourses).

What do you know about the social life of the Vedic age?

The Early Vedic society was tribal and basically egalitarian. Clean and kinship relations formed the basis of the society and family was the basic social unit. The later Vedic society came to be divided into four varnas called the brahmanas, rajanyas or kshatriyas, vaishyds and shudras.

What is literature of Vedic tradition?

Literature of Vedic Tradition comprises of six literary works : (1) Vedangas/Sutras, (2) Smritis Dharmashastras, (3) Mahakavyas, (4) Puranas, (5) Upvedas, (6) Shad-Dharshanas. ◘ (1) Vedangas/Sutras:- There are six Vedangas : (i) Shiksha : ‘Pratishakhya’ is the oldest text on phonetics.

What does the later Vedic literature contains?

The principal literary sources from this period are the Sama-, the Yajur-, and the Atharvaveda (mainly ritual texts), the Brahmanas (manuals on ritual), and the Upanishads (Upanisads) and Aranyakas (collections of philosophical and metaphysical discourses).

What are the features of later Vedic period?

The later Vedic period saw the rise of diverse arts and crafts. Excavations and explorations give some idea about settlements. The Vedic Aryans introduced the varna system. The later Vedic society was divided into brahmana, rajanya or kshatriya, vaishya and shudra.

What is literature in Sanskrit?

Sanskrit has an extremely rich and complex grammatical structure and an enormous vocabulary. It was a spoken language for centuries before the Vedas were written down.

What is meant by Vedic literature?

The Vedas are said to have been passed from one generation to the other through verbal transmission and are therefore also known as shruti (to hear) or Revelation. The term Vedic literature means the four Vedas and their Samhitas and the allied literature based on or derived from the Vedas.

Why is the Yajur-Veda a ritual text?

The Yajur-Veda or ‘The Book of Sacrificial Prayers’ is a ritual text as it consists of various mantras (hymns) for the purpose of recitation and rules to be observed at the time of sacrifice. In contrast to the first two (Rig-veda and Sama Veda) which are in verse entirely, this one is in both verse and prose.

Why are the Vedas called the revealed books of Hinduism?

The Hindus consider the Vedas to be revealed books and give them the titles of Apaurusheya (not made by man) and Nitya (Eternal). It is contented that the sages wrote under inspiration from God.

What is the difference between Rig-Veda and Xth Mandala?

The Xth Mandala contains the famous Purushasukta which explains that the four varnas: Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra were born from the mouth, arms, thighs and feet of the creator. Rig-veda is purely a religious work, and most of the hymns are all invocations to the gods.