Question

What were the Vedas? Also describe the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda.

Answer 1

Answer: The Vedas were a body of religious texts coming from ancient India and written in Vedic Sanskrit.

Explanation: The Vedas were a group of religious texts composed in an Indo-European language known as Vedic Sanskrit. Moreover, this body of texts got his name from the Sanskrit word véda, which means "knowledge", and it is made up of four vedas: the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Atharva Veda and Yajur Veda. The Rig Veda consists in 1,028 hymns that are organized into ten books known as mandalas. These books differ in length. On the other hand, the Sama Veda is made up of 1,549 verses and it is known as the Veda of melodies and chants. Furthermore, the Atharva Veda includes 730 hymns which are organized into 20 books. Moreover, it is known as "the Veda of magical formulas". Both the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda take verses from the Rig Veda.

Answer 2

The Vedas are a collection of hymns and other religious texts composed in India between about 1500 and 1000 BCE. 

The Rig Veda is a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns.

The Sama Veda is the Veda of melodies and chants.

The Atharva Veda is the "knowledge storehouse of atharvāṇas, the procedures for everyday life".