The Vedas are a collection of ancient religious texts composed in India between 1500-1000 BCE. They include hymns, prayers, myths and formulas considered sacred in Vedic religion. The core Vedic texts are known as the Samhitas and include the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The texts contain hymns praising gods like Indra and Agni and instructions for ritual sacrifices. The Upanishads were later works that concluded the Vedas, discussing concepts like karma, samsara, dharma and moksha. They assert that the true self (atman) is identical to the ultimate reality of the universe (Bra

1. THE
VEDAS
by Somu Rajesh

2. VEDA
Wisdom Knowledge Vision
hinduisim.about.com

3. ancient.eu.com
The Vedas are a collection of hymns and
other religious texts composed in India
between about 1500 and 1000 BCE. It
includes elements such as liturgical material
as well as mythological accounts, poems,
prayers, and formulas considered to be
sacred by the Vedic religion.

4. britannica.com
VEDIC
RELIGION?
Vedism is the oldest stratum of religious activity
in India for which there exist written materials. It
was one of the major traditions that shaped
Hinduism

5. The basic Vedic texts are the Samhita “Collections” of
the four Vedas:
1. Rig-Veda “Knowledge of the Hymns of Praise”
2. Sama-Veda “Knowledge of the Melodies”
3. Yajur-Veda “Knowledge of the Sacrificial formulas”
4. Atharva-Veda “Knowledge of the Magic formulas”
ancient.eu.com

6. The RIG-
VEDA
“Wisdom of the Verses”
Rig Veda consists of 10,552 verses (collected into 10 books) of
hymns and mantras used by the hotri priests.
The hymns of the Rig Veda focus on pleasing the principal gods
Indra (war, wind and rain), Agni (the sacrificial fire), Surga (the
sun) and Varuna (the cosmic order) through ritual sacrifices. the
Vedic gods also forgive wrongdoing and mete out justice in the
afterlife.
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7. The YAJUR-
VEDA
“Wisdom of the Sacrifical Formulas"
liturgical works consisting primarily of selections from
the Rig Veda. The Yajur Veda was used by udgatri
priests and contains brief prose to accompany ritual
acts, many of which are addressed to the ritual
instruments and offerings.
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8. The ATHARVA-
VEDA
“Wisdom of the Sacrifical Formulas"
Was added significantly later than the first three Samhitas,
perhaps as late as 500 BC. It consists of 20 books of hymns
and prose, many of which reflect the religious concerns of
everyday life. This sets the Arharva Veda apart from the
other Vedas, which focus on adoring the gods and
performing the liturgy of sacrifice, and makes it an important
source of information on the practical religion and magic of
the time.
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9. UPANISHAD
S

10. The term Upanishad means
literally "those who sit near".
Upa- near, ni- down, sad- to sit:
Sitting near the teacher

11. • Collected by several seers and elders
between 800-500 BCE, the
Upanishads are a conclusion and
accomplishment of an previous form
of Hindu sacred texts called the
Vedas.
• Upanishads are Vedanta: End of
the Vedas

12. Most Important Upanishads
• Isa
• Kena
• Katha
• Prasna
• Mundaka
• Mandukya
• Taittiriya
• Aitareya
• Chandogya
• Brhadaranyaka
• Svetasvatara
• Kausitaki
• Mahanarayana
• Maitri

13. • Human intellect is not an adequate tool to
understand the immense complexity of reality.
• The Upanishads do not claim that our brain is
entirely useless; it certainly has its use.
• The highest understanding, according to this
view, comes from direct perception and
intuition.

14. SAMSAR
A
The concept of Samsara is
reincarnation, the idea that after we die
our soul will be reborn again in another
body.

15. Karma
• Karma, which literally means “action”, the idea that all
actions have consequences, good or bad.
• Karma determines the conditions of the next life, just like our
life is conditioned by our previous karma.
• There is no judgment or forgiveness, simply an impersonal,
natural and eternal law operating in the universe.

16. Dharma
• Dharma means “right behavior” or “duty”,the
idea that we all have a social obligation.
• Each member of a specific caste has a
particular set of responsibilities, a dharma.
• For example, among the Kshatriyas (the warrior
caste), it was considered a sin to die in bed; dying in
the battlefield was the highest honor they could aim
for.

17. Moksha
• Moksha means “liberation” orrelease.
• The eternal cycle of deaths and resurrection can
be seen as a pointless repetition with no ultimate
goal attached to it.
• Seeking permanent peace or freedom from
suffering seems impossible, for sooner or later
we will be reborn in worse circumstances.

18. The Upanishads tell us that
the core of our own self is
not the body, or the mind,
but atman or “Self”.

19. Brahman is the one underlying substance of
the universe, the unchanging “Absolute
Being”, the intangible essence of the entire
existence.