Vedas means “Knowledge.”  Vedas are the basis of Hinduism. They are the literature of foremost importance in Hinduism. Before the existence of the Vedas, Hinduism was of a somewhat primitive type. Vedas gave it new dimensions.

Vedas are the revelation of God to human beings through the sages. Vedas were not written at any time, but they were transferred from one generation to another through the teacher-disciple tradition. Disciples used to memorize the Vedas and then teach their disciples when they became teachers.

There are four principal Vedas.

The four Vedas are:

1. Rigveda

2. Samveda

3. Yajurveda

4. Atharvaveda

The Veda consists of four main types of literary works:

1. Samhita: Samhita is a collection of hymns, proverbs, etc.

2. Brahmanas: Brahmanas concentrate on the ritualistic side of the Vedic religion. They provide information on how to perform or offer prayers, ceremonies, and sacrifices.

3. Aranyakas: These are treaties giving instructions to hermits who live in the forest. They are like Brahmanas only, but they concentrate on the mystic aspect of a ritual rather than the description.

4. Upanishads: Upanishads are philosophical and try to find out the relationship between God and the Soul (Aatma and Parmatma).

Rigveda: Rigveda is the first literature known to mankind. Though the definite date is unavailable, they must have been composed before 1000 B.C. Rigveda is a collection of 1017 hymns divided into 10 books.

Samveda: Saman means “melody.”  Most of the texts in the Samveda are derived from the Rigveda. The Samaveda has verses praising various Vedic period deities such as Indra, Agni, Soma, etc. A particular melody is assigned to a particular verse.

Yajurveda: Yajurveda is the book of sacrificial prayers. The texts provide guidance on performing the manual work in preparing a sacrifice.

Atharvaveda: Atharvaveda is the last of the four Vedas. It is also called “Book of Magical Formulae.”  It contains spells and incantations for healing illnesses, exorcising evil spirits, and other purposes.

Science in Vedas: There is substantial evidence showing that a lot of modern science already exists in the Vedas. The only problem is that this knowledge has been coded, and it is very hard to decode it, but with the advent of modern science, many verses of the Vedas can be correlated with modern science. Besides that, some verses are clear enough to reveal the science within the Vedas.

Vedas have already explained the concepts of magnetism, the origin of the universe, solar storms, the periodic table, etc., and are in perfect harmony with modern science.

Using Vedic mathematics tricks, you can solve modern-day arithmetic problems in less time without using a calculator. Vedic mathematics has become very popular, and many people are learning this ancient technique to solve modern mathematical problems. It is beneficial for competitive and school exams.

Besides the Vedas, there are four Upavedas also. These are subsidiary Vedas, which are about nonreligious subjects. The names of those four Upvedas are:

1. Ayurveda (Medical Science)

2. Dhanurveda (Military Defence)

3. Gandharvaveda (Knowledge of Music)

4. Shilpveda (Architectural Science)