and the unknown date X more probably falls in the third rather than in the second millennium before Christ.” Only it may be added, as a result of recent researches that 800 B. C., and 2000-500 B.C., which are usually assumed, being justified by fact. “The available evidence merely proves that the Vedic period extends from an unknown past say X to 500 B.C., none of the dates 1200-500 B.C., 1500-500 B. Winternitz, the latest authority on the subject has observed Jacobi also holds that the Vedic civilization flourished between 45 B. Tilak refers some Vedic texts to a period as far back as 6000 B. C., scholars like Jacobi and Tilak on astronomical grounds assign the Rig Samhita to a very old time. While Max Muller holds that the hymns of the Rig Veda must have been composed before 1200-1000 B. Visvamitra, but this may be taken more correctly to imply the composition of that group by a family or a school rather than by the individual.Īs regards the date of their composition there is much different of opinion amongst the scholars. Though every group is attributed to one name e. The Linguistic and cultural differences between different part of the Vedas suggest that they were composed at different times and by different people. Whether the Vedas are divine not, it cannot be denied that they are the oldest literary works of the Aryans vans and are a vast store-house of knowledge. The Rig Veda contains makes a reference only to the first three Vedas, which suggests that the fourth Veda was composed at some later date.Ĭertain scholars have claimed divine origin for the Vedas, which has been challenged by others. The Vedas are four in number-Rig-Veda, Sama-veda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. The word Veda has been derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Ved’ which means ‘spiritual knowledge’. This category of literature was composed by the Rishis on the basis of their memory and includes within its fold Vedangas and Upavedas etc. The Smriti literature on the other hand does not bear any divine character and is hence considered less sacred. This type of literature is regarded as the most sacred and includes’, the Vedas in its fold. The former is that part of the Vedic literature which, according to Hindu belief, was not composed by any living being but was revealed to certain sages by God and they passed on that knowledge orally from one generation to another. The vast literature of the Aryans is divided into two parts- Sruti and Smriti. The Arya Smajist scholars would, however, restrict the term to the four Vedas and consider the Brahmanas, Upanishads, Samhitas and Aranyakas as appendages to the Vedas. Though there are four Vedas-Rig- Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda, certain Sanatanist scholars include the Brahmanas, Upanishads and Aranyakas also amongst the Vedas. Vedas are not an individual library work like the Quran or the Bible, but is a mass of literature which has grown up in the course of centuries.