What Are The Vedas?
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The Vedas (literally “wisdom”), are key religious texts. They consist of four collections of hymns, philosophical teachings and instructions that are recited verbally:
the Sama Veda (chants and melodies), the Rig Veda (hymns to different gods), the Yajur Veda (ritual instructions), and the Atharva Veda (popular incantations and folklore).
Other prominent religious texts, like the epic Mahabharata, are often called “the Fifth Veda.”
… Each Veda is attached to associated literature called Brahmanas, which are concerned especially with rituals, and Upanishads, which explore a deeper philosophical understanding
of the universe. The Upanishads and their interpretations are sometimes called Vedanta, literally the “end of the Vedas.”
The Pluralism Project, Harvard University
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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.
Subhamoy Das, LearnReligions.com
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The Vedas are the religious texts which inform the religion of Hinduism (also known as Sanatan Dharma meaning “Eternal Order” or “Eternal Path”). The term veda means “knowledge”
in that they are thought to contain the fundamental knowledge relating to the underlying cause of, function of, and personal response to existence.
They are considered among the oldest, if not the oldest, religious works in the world. They are commonly referred to as “scripture”, which is accurate in that they can be defined
as holy writ concerning the nature of the Divine. Unlike the scriptures of other religions, however, the Vedas are not thought to have been revealed to a certain person or persons at
a specific historical moment; they are believed to have always existed and were apprehended by sages in deep meditative states at some point prior to c. 1500 BCE but precisely
when is unknown.
The Vedas existed in oral form and were passed down from master to student for generations until they were committed to writing between c. 1500 - c. 500 BCE
(the so-called Vedic Period) in India.
Joshua J. Mark, World History Encyclopedia
