ITCS Topic 10

ITCS
TOPIC- 10
03-05-21
By
Dr. Shobhana Singh
Topics to be covered:
1-)Vedas
2-) Upnishads
➢Important words
SHRUTI
VEDAS
SMRITI
UPNISHAD
PURANAS
What are the VEDAS
The Vedas are considered the earliest literary record of Indo-Aryan civilization and the
most sacred books of India. They are the original scriptures of Hindu teachings,
containing spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of life. The philosophical
maxims of Vedic literature have stood the test of time, and the Vedas form the
highest religious authority for all aspects of Hinduism and are a respected source of
wisdom for mankind in general.
The word Veda means wisdom, knowledge or vision, and it serves to manifest the
language of the gods in human speech. The laws of the Vedas have regulated the
social, legal, domestic and religious customs of Hindus up to the present day. All the
obligatory duties of Hindus at birth, marriage, death etc. are guided by Vedic rituals.
Origin of the Vedas
It is difficult to say when the earliest portions of the Vedas came into existence, but it
seems clear they are among the very earliest written wisdom documents produced
humans. As the ancient Hindus seldom kept any historical record of their religious,
literary and political realization, it is difficult to determine the period of the Vedas with
precision. Historians provide us many guesses but none are guaranteed to be precise. It
is thought, though, that the earliest Vedas may date back to roughly 1700 BCE—the
late Bronze Age.
Who Wrote the Vedas?

Tradition has it that humans did not compose the revered compositions of the Vedas, but
that God taught the Vedic hymns to the sages, who then handed them down through
generations by word of mouth. Another tradition suggests that the hymns were
"revealed," to the sages, who were known as the seers or “mantradrasta” of the hymns.
The formal documentation of Vedas was done mainly by Vyasa Krishna Dwaipayana
around the time of Lord Krishna.(c. 1500 BC)
Classification of the Vedas
The Vedas are classified into four volumes: the Rig-Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and the
Atharva Veda, with the Rig Veda serving as the principal text. The four Vedas are collectively known as
“Chathurveda, ” of which the first three Vedas--Rig Veda, Sama Veda, and Yajur Veda--agree with one
another in form, language and content.
Structure of the Vedas

Each Veda consists of four parts--the Samhitas (hymns), the Brahmanas (rituals), the Aranyakas (theologies)
and the Upanishads (philosophies). The collection of mantras or hymns is called the Samhita.
The Brahmanas are ritualistic texts that include precepts and religious duties. Each Veda has several
Brahmanas attached to it.
The Aranyakas (forest texts) intend to serve as objects of meditation for ascetics who live in forests and
deal with mysticism and symbolism.
The Upanishads form the concluding portions of the Veda and is therefore called the “Vedanta” or the end
of the Veda. The Upanishads contain the essence of Vedic teachings.
The Rig Veda: The Book of Mantra
The Rig Veda is a collection of inspired songs or hymns and is a main source of information on the Rig Vedic
civilization. It is the oldest book in any Indo-European language and contains the earliest form of
all Sanskrit mantras, dating back to 1500 BCE- 1000 BCE. Some scholars date the Rig Veda as early as
12000 BCE - 4000 BCE.
The Rig-Vedic ‘samhita’ or collection of mantras consists of 1,017 hymns or ‘suktas’, covering about
10,600 stanzas, divided into eight ‘astakas,’ each having eight ‘adhayayas’ or chapters, which are sub-divided
into various groups. The hymns are the work of many authors, or seers, called ‘rishis.’ There are seven
primary seers identified: Atri, Kanwa, Vashistha, Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Gotama and Bharadwaja. The rig
Veda accounts in detail the social, religious, political and economic background of the Rig-Vedic
civilization.
The SamaVeda, YajurVeda and AtharvaVeda were compiled after the age of the Rig Veda and are
ascribed to the Vedic period.
The SamaVeda: The Book of Song

The SamaVeda is purely a liturgical collection of melodies (‘saman’). The hymns in the SamaVeda, used
as musical notes, were almost completely drawn from the Rig Veda and have no distinctive lessons of their
own. Hence, its text is a reduced version of the Rig Veda. As Vedic Scholar David Frawley puts it, if the
Rig Veda is the word, Sama Veda is the song or the meaning; if Rig Veda is the knowledge, SamaVeda is its
realization;if Rig Veda is the wife, the Sama Veda is her husband.
The YajurVeda: The Book of Ritual
TheYajurVeda is also a liturgical collection and was made to meet the demands of a ceremonial
religion. The YajurVeda served as a practical guidebook for the priests who execute sacrificial acts
while muttering simultaneously the prose prayers and the sacrificial formulae (‘yajus’). It is similar to
ancient Egypt’s “Book of the Dead.”
There are no less than six complete recessions of YajurVeda--Madyandina, Kanva, Taittiriya, Kathaka,
Maitrayani and Kapishthala.
The AtharvaVeda: The Book of Spell
The last of the Vedas, this is completely different from the other three Vedas and is next in importance
to the Rig Veda with regard to history and sociology. A different spirit pervades this Veda. Its hymns
are of a more diverse character than the Rig Veda and are also simpler in language. In fact, many
scholars do not consider it part of the Vedas at all. The AtharvaVeda consists of spells and charms
prevalent at its time and portrays a clearer picture of the Vedic society.
The Upanishads
The Upnishads are late Vedic Sanskrit texts of religious teachings which form the foundations of Hinduism.
They are the most recent part of the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, the Vedas, that deal with
meditation, philosophy, and ontological knowledge; other parts of the Vedas deal with mantras, benedictions,
rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices.
They were written somewhere between 1500 BCE and 1000 BCE during such times when the Indian society started to
raise their doubts about the traditional Vedic practices.
The Upanishads were composed and compiled by such people that engaged themselves in spiritual progress.
Moreover, the Upanishads focused on internal spiritual quests rather than external religious rites and sacrifices .
In fact, the name Upanishad is made up of two terms such as “upa” (near) and “shad” (to sit) meaning to “sit
down near an enlightened master.” So, Upanishads signify the action of sitting at the feet of an enlightened
or illuminated master (teacher) for spiritual instructions and discussions.
What Upanishads contain and what is written in Upanishads?

As of now, there are over 200 surviving Upanishads. However, only 14 of these are considered to be the most
important. The following are the most important Upanishads: Isa, Prasna, Kena, Mundaka, Taittiriya,
Aitareya, Brihadaranyaka, Katha, Svetasvatara, Mandukya, Chandogya, Kausitaki, Maitri, and Mahanarayana.
These texts cover some of the most important topics in Indian philosophy.
In the Upanishads, there is no single comprehensive system of thought. However, they do develop
some basic general principles such as Samsara, Karma, Dharma, and Moksha. These metaphysical
schemes have been shared by most Indian philosophers and religions.
➢the concept of Samsara states that the soul follows the process of reincarnation wherein when a person
dies, the soul will be reborn again taking another body.
➢The concept of Karma emphasizes on “actions” and states that all actions have consequences. It can be
good or bad. Karma is the basis which determines the conditions of next life.
➢The concept of “Dharma” emphasizes on right behavior or duty. It states that we all have a social
obligation.
➢The concept of “Moksha” emphasizes on liberation or release from the cycle of birth and death.
Who wrote the Upanishads?
The authors of most of the Upanishads are unknown and uncertain. Nobody knows the names of the authors
of the Upanishads. In fact, the ancient Upanishads have been embedded in the Vedas, which are the oldest
Hindu religious scriptures. Moreover, the Vedic texts are regarded as “Apauruseya” meaning “not of a man
but Superhuman.” In short, Upanishads were skillfully created by Rishis (sages) such as Yajnavalkya, Uddalaka
Aruni, Balaki, Pippalada, Shandilya, Shvetaketu, and Sanatkumara. There are even some women sages who
participate in the dialogues in the early Upanishads. These are Maitreyi and Gargi.
What are the 10 Upanishads?
There are over 200 Upanishads. However, the traditional number is 108. Of these, only 10 are regarded as
the Principal Upanishads. These are:
Isha
Prashan
Katha
Kena
Mandukya
Mundaka
Aitareya
Taittiriya
Brihadaranyaka ( the oldest upnishad)
Chhandogya
Upanishads Quotes
Brahman is Reality, Knowledge, and Infinity.
(Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1.3)
Aum. Asato ma sad-Gamaya; tamaso ma Jyotirgamaya; Mrityor-ma amrutam Gamaya. Aum.
Shanti, Shanti Shanti.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28)
‘Satyameva Jayate'
the opening line of a four-line mantra from the 'MUNDAKA Upanishad found in' AtharvaVeda.

ITCS Topic 10

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ITCS Topic 10

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

ITCS Topic 10

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ITCS

Who Wrote the Vedas?

Structure of the Vedas

The SamaVeda: The Book of Song

What Upanishads contain and what is written in Upanishads?

Who wrote the Upanishads?

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.