New← The Four Vedas
Rigveda
Ancient Hymns Illuminating Divine Mysteries
by Vedic RishisSacred TextPoetryPhilosophyHymns
चतुर्वेद
Originally in Sanskrit1400 BC
10 chapters1,219 pages22h read
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About This Book
The oldest surviving collection of Vedic hymns, the Rigveda preserves 1,028 Sanskrit compositions from around 1500 BC addressing deities like Agni, Indra, and Varuna. This foundational Hindu text includes the famous Hymn of Creation and Gayatri Mantra, offering direct access to the religious and cosmological thinking of early Indo-Aryan civilization.
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Vedic Rishis
c. 1500–1200 BC
The Vedic Rishis were ancient sages and seers who lived in the Indian subcontinent during the early Vedic period, approximately between 1500 and 1200 BC. While their individual identities are often shrouded in legend, these figures are revered as the inspired composers of the earliest Sanskrit hymns and mantras. The Rishis hailed from various tribes and regions, and their oral compositions formed the foundation of Hindu spiritual and ritual life. Their teachings were transmitted orally across generations, eventually being codified into the four Vedas. This process spanned centuries, with no single author but rather a collective spiritual authorship.
Places and Terms in this Book
Vṛtra— A serpent-like demon, obstructer of waters, slain by Indra with his thunderbolt.
Dyaus— Heaven, often personified as a Father and paired with Earth.
Etaśa— A worshipper who brought riches and received help from Indra.
Vala— A demon who imprisoned cows, cleft by Indra.
Dasyu— Indigenous inhabitants or demons, often depicted as enemies of the Aryans and gods, described as riteless and lawless.
Paruṣṇī— A river, which Indra is described as wearing like wool.
Vocabulary
Amṛta— Nectar of immortality, divine drink, found in waters and associated with healing.
Soma— A sacred plant, its juice is a ritual drink, intoxicating and divine, offered to gods and consumed by priests.
Brahman— A priest, especially one who recites hymns and performs sacred duties.
Asura— A powerful divine being; in some contexts, an enemy of the gods.
Dhiṣaṇā— A goddess, invoked for aid.
Iḷā— Goddess of speech, nourishment, and the sacred cow, associated with the sacred place of sacrifice.
