The Vedas
The word “Ved” means “to know” and “Veda” means “knowledge”, it is a Sanskrit word. It is sacred knowledge. Vedas are four in number:
• The rig Veda
• Yajur Veda
• Sama Veda
• Atharva Veda
The Vedas tell us all about the social, political, economic and religious life of the Aryans. The rig Veda, is the oldest and the most important, it’s a collection of hymns and mantras, the code of conduct and the ways to lead one’s life it also contains the names of the most important deities that the Aryans worshiped, which were:
• Indra ( the god of heaven and wars)
• Surya ( the sun god)
• Vayu (the god of the wind)
• Agni (the god of fire)
• Varuna
Vedas are basically epics and it is held that they were written from 2500 B.C to 500 B.C. Also two of the greatest epics were composed during this period. ‘The Ramayana’ and ‘The Mahabharata.’ that also tell us a great deal about the culture, society and religion of the people of that period.
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