What are Vedas?

What are the Vedas?

contributed by Dr. Deen B Chandora

What are the Vedas?

The word Veda means knowledge. The divine knowledge was revealed at the dawn of civilization. Vaidic knowledge is in the form of four holy books that make the basis of Vaidic-Sanatan Hindu Dharma. The books are Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda. Rigveda contains 10,522 mantras, or hymns; Yajurveda has 1,975; Samaveda has 1,875; whereas, Atharvaveda has 5,977 Mantras, or hymns. There are 20,349 total Mantras, or hymns, in all the four Vedas.

The word Veda is derived from the root Vida. Vida has five forms, or meanings. In short, all forms may be summarized in saying by itsvirtue all people can know, acquire, deliberate, live, and subsist.The Vedas are the principal sources of all knowledge and sciences. It may be the coincidence that happens to be Hindus, who by maintaining the scriptural status of Vedas, were able to preserve this treasure of all scientific knowledge for the modern world.