Why is vedas important

It has, nevertheless, an important place within the Hindu tradition. The Bhagavad Gita takes the form of a dialogue between prince Arjuna and Krishna , his charioteer. Arjuna is a warrior, about to join his brothers in a war between two branches of a royal family which would involve killing many of his friends and relatives.

He wants to withdraw from the battle but Krishna teaches him that he, Arjuna, must do his duty in accordance with his class and he argues that death does not destroy the soul.

Krishna points out that knowledge, work and devotion are all paths to salvation and that the central value in life is that of loyalty to God. It tells the story of Prince Rama who was sent into exile in the forest with his wife, Sita , and his brother, Lakshamana.

Sita was abducted by the evil demon Ravana but ultimately rescued by Prince Rama with the help of the Monkey God, Hanuman. The symbolism of the story has been widely interpreted but basically is the story of good overcoming evil. Many people have said that it is a story about dharma or duty. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. They are concerned with the nature of the Divine and are not restricted to one particular God or idea.

The Vedas were usually orally passed down from one generation to the other until they were written on record between c to BCE, the so-called Vedic Period of India. The Vedas are a collection of thousands of hymns, which are nothing but divine revelation. These revelations were in the form of hymns, which were passed on to their disciplines orally. Vedas traced its roots to a period when there was a single universal language and no scripts. A major part of Vedas is hymns, which must be chanted with grandeur because there is a spiritual significance of the chants.

The chants produce beneficial vibrations which ensure well-being and healing. It may be termed as a therapeutic experience. An interesting fact about the Vedas is that even the sound of the mantras has a meaning, apart from the lyrics. The sound and lyrics are embedded together over time, which is said to have defied corruption and mutation.

Vedas teach the truth about the unknown and eternity. It pertains to the cognizance of these undiscovered sense organs-regarding living organisms jivas , the universe Jagat , and God Ishvara. Ancient saints and sages believed that nature and its powers are the manifestations of Brahma.

They describe the creation, preservation, and ultimate dissolution of the universe. The Vedas also deal with the development of the soul- its evolution, destiny, bondage, and freedom. Liberation is inevitable, and so is oblivion. Vedas advocate that there exists a deep-rooted relationship between matter and soul, the universe and living beings, which have answers to all worldly problems.

There are four distinctive parts of the Vedas, which are arranged chronologically. Let us refer below to know those parts or compositions:. These are the oldest known part of the Vedas, which are primarily constituted of hymns and prayers in praise of God. The Brahmanas are mainly a handbook of rituals and prayers so to guide the priests in their rituals. Vedic ritualism, a composite of ancient Indo-Aryan and Harappan culture, contributed to the deities and traditions of Hinduism over time.

The Vedas are split into four major texts and contain hymns, mythological accounts, poems, prayers, and formulas considered sacred to the Vedic religion. The Vedas were transmitted orally during the course of numerous subsequent generations before finally being archived in written form. Not much is known about the authors of the Vedas, as the focus is placed on the ideas found in Vedic tradition rather than those who originated the ideas.

The oldest of the texts is the Rig Veda, and while it is not possible to establish precise dates for each of the ancient texts, it is believed the collection was completed by the end of the 2nd millennium BCE Before Common Era.

There are four Indo-Aryan Vedas: the Rig Veda contains hymns about their mythology; the Sama Veda consists mainly of hymns about religious rituals; the Yajur Veda contains instructions for religious rituals; and the Atharva Veda consists of spells against enemies, sorcerers, and diseases. Depending on the source consulted, these are spelled, for example, either Rig Veda or Rigveda.

Rigveda Manuscript. A manuscript copy of the Rigveda, the oldest and most important of the four Vedas of the Vedic religion, from the early 19th century. The Rig Veda is the largest and considered the most important of the collection, containing 1, hymns divided into 10 books called mandalas.

The verses of the Sam Veda are taken almost completely from the Rig Veda, but arranged differently so they may be chanted. The Samhitas are the oldest part of the Vedas, it consists of chants of praise to God.

The Aranyakas concern worship and meditation. The Upanishads consist of the mystical and philosophical teachings of Hinduism. The Samhitas Rig-Veda Samhita c. Samaveda Samhita consists of chants and tunes for singing at the sacrifices. The Upanishads Its literal meaning is those who sat down beside their teachers.

The major Upanishads are mostly composed between BCE and are partly text, partly verse. Later Upanishads continued to write down in the 16th century. Originally they were in oral form. The early Upanishads are related to the understanding of the sacrificial rites.