Considered as the earliest literary records of Sanskrit Literature, the Vedas compiled by Rishi Vyasa are believed to be the oldest holy books in Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma). The Vedas are the large body of vast knowledge and text; the religious and spiritual teachings of which encompasses all aspects of life.
Origin of Vedas
The Vedas (word of Sanskrit origin, translating to ‘Knowledge’ or ‘To know’), as the records point out to be originated in the Indian Sub-continent and its written form origin dates back to 1600 BCE. The Rig Veda, the oldest of 4 Vedas is said to be authored in and around 1600 BCE. However, no definite date can be ascribed to the composition of the Vedas as the generational descend of the texts in Vedic periods was by literary oral tradition, which was then a precise and elaborate technique. The first of the written Vedas date to 1st millennium BCE, though the surviving ones now date only to somewhere in between 11th and 14th century mostly due to the ephemeral nature of the manuscript materials; the birch barks or palm leaves.
The tales tell humans did not compose the revered compositions of the Vedas, but the knowledge was discovered by intense meditation and sadhana (Yogic practice) by ancient sages, who then handed them down through generations by word of mouth. Also, the followers of the Vedic Philosophy regard the Vedas as Apaurusheya; meaning, not of a man or impersonal, and according to the Vedanta and Mimamsa schools of philosophy, the Vedas are considered as svatah pramana (In Sanskrit, meaning “self-evident means of knowledge”). Some schools of thought even assert that the Vedas as of eternal creation, mainly in the Mimasa tradition. In the Mahabharata, the creation of Vedas is credited to Brahma, the Supreme Creator. However, the Vedic hymns themselves assert that they were skillfully created by Rishis (sages), after inspired creativity.
Vedas
There are four Vedas: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda, and all of them together are attributed to as ‘Chaturveda’. The Rig Veda serves as the principal one and all three but the Arthaveda agree with one another in form, language, and content.
Each Veda has been sub classified into four major text types – The Samhitas, the most ancient layer of text in the Vedas, consisting of mantras, hymns, prayers, and benedictions which has in literary terms put together or joined the other three texts; the Aranyakas which constitute the philosophy behind the ritual sacrifice, the Brahmanas which in turn has the commentary on hymns of four Vedas and the Upasanas, the one that focuses on worship.