4 Types of Vedas with Features (Ancient History Notes)

There are four types of Vedas: Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda and Athravaveda. Vedas are a collection of ancient religious texts that form the foundation of Hindu scripture. Rigveda, the oldest, contains hymns and praises dedicated to various deities. Samaveda focuses on musical chants derived from Rigvedic hymns for Vedic rituals. Yajurveda provides prose mantras essential for rituals and ceremonies, with two branches, Shukla and Krishna. Atharvaveda includes spells and charms and covers diverse topics such as medicine and daily rituals. Each Veda has its own Samhita, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads. Together, these Vedas form the basis of Hindu philosophy and religious practices.

What is Vedas?

Vedas is derived from the Sanskrit word “vid” meaning “to know“. Vedas are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism that were composed in Vedic Sanskrit. There are four types of Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, and the Atharvaveda. Each Veda has its own Samhita (collection of hymns and mantras), Brahmanas (commentaries on rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices), Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices), and Upanishads (texts on meditation, spiritual knowledge, and philosophical teachings).

Vedas are sruti meaning “what is heard“, that is the Vedas are believed to have been directly revealed to ancient sages or seers (Rishis) during meditation. The four Vedas are considered the primary sources of knowledge in Hinduism, and their verses are chanted and preserved through an oral tradition.

Types of Vedas and their Features

Vedas are religious texts that originated in ancient India. There are four types of Vedas and they are collectively known as Chaturvedi. The types of Vedas are:

Vedas	Main Features
Rigveda	Hymns and praises to various deities
Samaveda	Musical chants for Vedic rituals
Yajurveda	Prose mantras essential for rituals
Atharvaveda	Hymns, incantations, and spells, covering diverse subjects

Each of these four Vedas is further classified into four divisions:

• Samhitas: It form the core of Veda and consists of Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda. It was composed between 1500–1200 BCE. It consists of a collection of mantras, hymns and prayers.
• Brahmanas: It is associated with Samhitas, explaining rituals and their meanings. It was composed between 900 BCE to 700 BCE. It is known as the Karma Kanda part of the Vedas.
• Aranyakas: It forms the third part of the Vedas and discuss and interprets the ceremonies, from ritualistic to symbolic meta-ritualistic points of view.
• Upanishads: It is composed between 800 BCE and the end of the Vedic period. They are derived from the Aranyakas. It consists of philosophical works, including older principal Upanishads like Bṛhadaraṇyaka and Chandogya. It forms the foundations of the Hindu religion.
• Some scholars add a fifth category – the Upasanas (worship).

Four Types of Vedas and Their Contents

The Vedas are ancient Hindu scriptures containing hymns, rituals, and philosophical teachings that form the foundation of Hindu religious and spiritual knowledge. The four types of vedas are discussed as follows:

Rigveda

The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas, written in ancient Sanskrit. It was composed between 1500–1200 BCE and consists of a collection of hymns and praises dedicated to various deities and cosmic forces. Features of Rigveda are:

• The word rigveda means “Praise Knowledge”.
• The Rigveda is divided into ten books known as Mandalas, and each Mandala is further subdivided into 1028 hymns called Sukthas. Books 1 and 10 are the longest and youngest as they were written after books 2 to 9.
• Rigvedic books 2-9 discuss cosmology and deities, and books 1 and 10 deal with philosophical questions.
• Rigvedic books 2-7 also called family books are the oldest and shortest.
• It also contains the famous Gayatri mantra in Mandal 3 dedicated to Savitar, the Sun deity,and the prayer called the Purusha Shukta 
• It has 10600 verses and the hymns in the Rigveda are dedicated to a variety of deities including Agni, Indra, Varuna and Ushas.
• The ninth mandala is dedicated to Soma.
• Beyond its religious significance, the Rigveda provides insights into the social, cultural, and economic life of the ancient Indo-Aryan people.
• The Rigveda has been transmitted through an oral tradition for centuries, with priests (Rishis) memorizing and chanting the hymns during rituals. The preservation of the Rigveda has played a crucial role in the continuity of Vedic traditions.

Samaveda

The Samaveda deals with musical chants and melodies used in Vedic rituals. It was composed between 1200-800 BCE. Features of samveda are:

• Samveda also known as veda of chant is a collection of melodies or chants (sāman), which are derived from the hymns of the Rigveda. It consists of 1549 stanzas, except 75 mantras all are derived from rigveda, mainly from the 8^th and 9^th mandal.
• Rigveda is more focused on hymns and praises in a poetic form, while the Samaveda adapts these hymns into musical patterns suitable for chanting during rituals.
• The text of samveda are larger than rigveda.
• The priests who recites and chants the mantra of Samaveda are known as “Udgatṛ” or “samaga.
• There are two Upanishads present in Samaveda- Chandogya Upanishad and Kena Upanishad.
• It consists of two main parts. The first part includes four melody collections called gana(gramageya and aranyageya) and the second part consists of three verse “books” called archika(purvachika and uttarachika).
• Some of the rigvedic verses are repeated in samveda and including repetition there are 1875 verses in the Samaveda. These recension were translated by Griffith.
• There are three recensions of the text present in the Samaveda – Raṇayaniya, Kauthuma, and Jaimaniya
• It is considered as the root of the Indian classical music and dance.

Yajurveda

Yajurveda means “worship knowledge”. It was composed between 1100-800 BCE. Yajurveda mainly focuses on the prose mantras used in various rituals and ceremonies. Features of yajurveda are:

• Unlike the poetic hymns of the Rigveda or the musical chants of the Samaveda, the Yajurveda consists mainly of prose mantras. These mantras are used by priests during Vedic rituals and ceremonies, particularly those involving sacrifices.
• The Yajurveda is divided into two branches — the “Shukla Yajurveda” (White Yajurveda) and the “Krishna Yajurveda” (Black Yajurveda).
• The ‘white’ means “well arranged” and ‘black’ means “the un-arranged, motley collection”. Shukla Yajurveda is associated with the recitation of mantras during rituals, while the Krishna Yajurveda contains additional explanations and interpretations.
• The priests who recites the prose of the Yajurveda are known as “Adhvaryu.”
• It contains one of the largest Brahmana named Satapatha Brahmana.
• The oldest layer of the Yajur Veda contains 1875 verses, most of which are taken from the Rigveda.
• The middle layer of the Veda includes the Satapatha Brahmana, which serves as a commentary on the Shukla Yajurveda.
• The youngest layer of Yajurveda text consists of largest collection of primary Upanishads.
• The White Yajurveda separates the Samhita from the Shatapatha Brahmana and the Black Yajurveda intersperses the Samhita with Brahmana commentary.
• Texts from four major schools of black yajurveda have survived and these form important upanishads of yajurveda. These are: Maitrayani, Katha, Kapisthala-Katha, Taittiriya.
• Two main school of the White Yajurveda that have survived are: Kanva and Madhyandina.`

Athravaveda

Athravaveda also called “Veda of magical formulas” is attributed to sage Atharvan who composed this veda. Atharvaveda can be understood as the “Knowledge/Wisdom of Atharvan” or the “Scripture of Atharvan. It was composed between 1000-800 BCE. Featutes of Athravaveda are:

• Atharvaveda contains hymns, spells, and charms that addresses a wide range of subjects, including magic, healing, and daily life.
• It consists of 730 hymns/suktas, 6000 mantras, and 20 books.
• The 160 hymns of athravaveda are in common with the Rigveda and the 20 books of the Atharvaveda are arranged based on the length of the hymns they contain.
• Athravaveda provides information related to vedic culture, the customs and beliefs, and daily life of ancient Vedic society such as governance and king.
• Hymns of the Athravaveda are related to charms and magic spells intended to be recited by individuals seeking specific benefits or often by a sorcerer acting on their behalf.
• It also includes hymns associated with the two major rituals: marriage and cremation.
• It contains three important Upanishads: Manduka, MAndukya, Prahsna.
• ‘Satyameva Jayate’ is borrowed from Manduka Upanishad.
• The two surviving renditions of Atharvaveda are Paippalada and the Saunakiya.
• The Atharvaveda is considered to be a later compilation compared to the Rigveda.

Vedas and Other Literature

Other literature that are related to or derived from vedas are:

Vedangas

Vedangas are six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism that are related with study and understanding of the Vedas. It provides various methods and tools that help in the correct pronunciation, recitation, and interpretation of Vedic texts. The types of vedangas are as follows:

1. Shiksha: It Focuses on pronunciation.
2. Kalpa: It deals with Vedic rituals and ceremonies.
3. Vyakarana: It is associated with vedic grammar.
4. Nirukta: It is related with etymology and interpretation.
5. Chandas: It focuses on Vedic meters and poetic structures.
6. Jyotisha: It deals with the study of astronomy and astrology.

Upavedas

Upavedas are subsidiary Vedas that specialize in specific knowledge domains. These are considered smritis and are supplementary to the primary Vedic texts. The four Upavedas are:

1. Ayurveda: It focuses on health and medicine. It is associated with Athrvaveda.
2. Gandharvaveda: It is related to music and dance. It is associated with Samaveda
3. Sthapatyaveda: It deals with architecture. It is associated with Rigveda.
4. Dhanurveda: It deals with warfare and archery. It is associated with Yajurveda

The Vedas stand as the foundational pillars of ancient Indian wisdom and spirituality, offering a profound glimpse into the religious, ritualistic, and philosophical heritage of the early Indo-Aryan civilization. These sacred texts, composed in an ancient form of Sanskrit, not only encapsulate hymns, rituals, and chants but also delve into the fundamental questions of existence and the nature of the divine.

FAQs on 4 Types of Vedas

1. Which is the oldest veda?

Rigveda is the oldest veda. Rigveda means “The Knowledge of Verses” and consists of a collection of hymns and praises dedicated to various deities and cosmic forces.

2. Are Vedas written by God?

In Hinduism, the Vedas are considered apauruṣeya, meaning “not of a man, superhuman” and “impersonal, authorless”. Vedas are not written by humans but revealed by the divine through sages during deep meditation, making them eternal and divine in origin.

3. Which Veda to read first?

There is no specific order in which vedas are to be read. Rigveda is the oldest text and is known as early vedic text and other vedas Samveda, Yajurveda and Athravaveda are known as later vedic text.

4. Which Veda is smallest?

Samveda is the smallest of the four vedas. It is a liturgical text which consists of 1,875 verses. It deals with musical chants and melodies used in Vedic rituals.

5. What is the difference between Krishna Yajur Veda and Shukla Yajur Veda?

In Shukla Yajur Veda, there is a clear division between the Samhitas and Brahmanas, whereas in Krishna Yajur Veda, there is no clear separation between the two. Thereby, the Shukla Yajur Veda is known as white Yajur Veda and the Krishna Yajur Veda is known as the black Yajur Veda.