Vedic mythology. Vedic mythology refers to the mythological aspects of the historical Vedic religion and Vedic literature, alluded to in the hymns of the Rigveda. The central myth at the base of Vedic ritual surrounds Indra who, inebriated with Soma, slays the dragon (ahi) Vrtra, freeing the rivers, the cows and Dawn. It has directly[dubious ] contributed to the evolution and development of later Hinduism and Hindu mythology.
Vedic mythology[edit] The Vedas in Puranic mythology[edit] The Vishnu Purana attributes the current arrangement of four Vedas to the mythical sage Vedavyasa.[2] Puranic tradition also postulates a single original Veda that, in varying accounts, was divided into three or four parts. Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva constitute the "Four Vedas".[3] The Rig Veda (mantras) is a collection of inspired songs or hymns and is a main source of information on the Rig Vedic civilization. See also[edit] References[edit] Further reading[edit] Buitenen, J. Historical Vedic religion. Map of northern India in the late Vedic period.
The location of Vedic shakhas is labelled in green. Thar desert is in orange The religion of the Vedic period (also known as Vedism[note 1]) was the religion of the Indo-Aryans of northern India. It is a historical predecessor of modern Hinduism, though significantly different from it. [note 2] The Vedic liturgy is conserved in the mantra portion of the four Vedas,[6] which are compiled in Sanskrit. The religious practices centered on a clergy administering rites. Origins[edit] The Vedic religion was the religion of the Indo-Aryans,[note 3] and existed in northern India from c. 1750 to 500 BCE. The Indo-Aryans were pastoralists who migrated into north-western India after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization,[note 5] bringing with them their language and religion. The Vedic beliefs and practices of the pre-classical era were closely related to the hypothesised Proto-Indo-European religion,[26][27] and the Indo-Iranian religion.
Rigveda c.1500-1200 BCE. The Rigveda (Sanskrit: ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise, verse"[1] and veda "knowledge") is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns.[2] It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of Hinduism known as the Vedas.[3] Some of its verses are still recited as Hindu prayers, at religious functions and other occasions, putting these as the world's oldest religious texts in continued use.[4] The Rigveda contains several mythological and poetical accounts of the origin of the world, hymns praising the gods, and ancient prayers for life, prosperity, etc.[5] It is one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language.[6] Philological and linguistic evidence indicate that the Rigveda was composed in the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, roughly between 1700–1100 BC[7] (the early Vedic period).
Text Organization Mandala The text is organized in 10 books, known as Mandalas, of varying age and length. Sukta and the final pada is Recensions. Discovering the Vedas: Origins, Mantras, Rituals, Insights - Frits Staal. The Celestial Key to the Vedas: Discovering the Origins of the World's ... - B. G. Sidharth. The Wisdom of the Vedas - J. C. Chatterji. Tales From The Vedas And Other Scriptures - Mahesh Sharma. Ásura- in Early Vedic Religion - Wash Edward Hale. The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination - William K. Mahony. Mantra.