Are You a Hinduism Scripture Scholar?

Study Notes

Ancient Scriptures of Hinduism

The Vedas are a collection of religious texts that originated in ancient India.
They are written in Vedic Sanskrit, making them the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, and the Atharvaveda, each with subdivisions including Samhitas, Aranyakas, Brahmanas, and Upanishads.
Vedas are considered to be apauruṣeya, meaning "not of a man, superhuman" and "impersonal, authorless" revelations of sacred sounds and texts heard by ancient sages after intense meditation.
The mantras, the oldest part of the Vedas, are recited in the modern age for their phonology rather than semantics.
The Vedas have been orally transmitted since the 2nd millennium BCE with the help of elaborate mnemonic techniques.
The various Indian philosophies and Hindu denominations have taken differing positions on the Vedas.
Vedas are called Maṛai or Vaymoli in parts of South India.
The Vedas were written down only after 500 BCE, but only the orally transmitted texts are regarded as authoritative.
The emphasis in Vedas transmission is on the "proper articulation and pronunciation of the Vedic sounds".
The Vedas were composed between c. 1500 and 1200 BCE, while the other three Samhitas are considered to date from the time of the Kuru Kingdom, approximately c. 1200–900 BCE.
The Vedas are considered to be among the oldest sacred texts, with a Vedic period spanning the mid 2nd to mid 1st millennium BCE or the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.Overview of the Vedas
The Vedas are the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, composed in Vedic Sanskrit between 1500 BCE and 500 BCE.
They consist of four primary texts: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda, each subdivided into Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.
The Vedas were transmitted orally and were written down after 500 BCE.
The Vedas were preserved through memorization and recitation, with up to eleven forms of recitation and "proof-reading" by comparing different recited versions.
The Vedas were part of the curriculum at ancient universities like Taxila, Nalanda, and Vikramashila.
The Vedas were transmitted in various schools called shaakhas, with each school representing an ancient community from a particular area or kingdom.
The Rigveda is the oldest extant Indic text, with 1,028 hymns and 10,600 verses in ten books.
The Samaveda consists of 1549 stanzas, taken almost entirely from the Rigveda, and is structured as songs.
The Yajurveda consists of prose mantras and is a compilation of ritual offering formulas.
The Atharvaveda contains hymns and verses for dealing with diseases and adversities.
The Vedas can be interpreted in three ways, giving "the truth about gods, dharma, and parabrahman."
The Vedas were revised, interpolated, and adapted locally, giving rise to various recensions of the text.
The Vedas discuss ideas akin to the heterodox sramana-traditions.Overview of the Vedas and Related Texts
The Vedas are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, composed between 1500-1000 BCE.
The Vedas are divided into four collections: Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda.
The Rigveda is the oldest and most important of the Vedas, containing 1028 hymns dedicated to various deities.
The Samaveda is a collection of hymns from the Rigveda, set to music for use in rituals.
The Yajurveda contains instructions for Vedic rituals and sacrifices.
The Atharvaveda includes hymns and spells for healing, protection, and other practical purposes.
The Brahmanas are commentaries on Vedic rituals and beliefs.
The Aranyakas and Upanishads are philosophical texts that explore the nature of reality and the self.
The Vedangas are auxiliary fields of study that help interpret the Vedas.
The Puranas are a vast collection of mythological and historical stories, often used to teach moral lessons.
The authority of the Vedas is contested among different Hindu denominations and Indian philosophies.
Western scholars have studied the Vedas since the 17th century, with translations and commentary published in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Rigveda was inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2007.

Description

Test your knowledge of the ancient scriptures of Hinduism with our quiz! From the four primary texts of the Vedas to the philosophical Upanishads and mythological Puranas, this quiz covers the key concepts and historical context of these sacred texts. Challenge yourself and see how well you know the oldest scriptures of one of the world's oldest religions.