Walk Through the Vedas

From rituals to the intellectual and the emotional

- Devdutt Pattanaik

The Hindu way of life is rooted in what is called Vedic truths. It has a long history and has contributed greatly to Indian thought.

In the beginning, there were sets of chants or Mantras. Compiled, they were known as Samhitas or collections. The earliest of these collections was known as the Rig Samhita. The wisdom they contained was known as Veda or knowledge. Later, other collections came into being, such as Yajur and Sama and Atharva, containing in varying proportions the hymns of the Rig Samhita.

The Mantras were used in two ways. They were chanted during magical rituals known as Yagna that played a key role in society. Manuals that explained how these rituals had to be conducted were known as the Brahmanas, so called because the rituals helped invoke the Brahman, or the great mysterious force that animates the cosmos. The keepers of these manuals and performers of these rituals came to be known as Brahmins. Another set of people saw the Mantras rather differently. They felt that the hymns had to be heard and contemplated upon. Contemplation would reveal metaphysical truths about the cosmos.