Vedic Literature and Swadeshi Movement

Vedic Literature

• Vedic texts are classified into two parts: Shruti and Smriti.
• Shruti texts are considered to be of divine origin, revealed to sages during meditation.
• Shruti includes the four Vedas and the Samhitas.

The Four Vedas

• Rig Veda: the oldest Veda, depicting the life of early Vedic people in India, with 1028 hymns divided into 10 mandalas.
• Upveda of Rig Veda: Ayurveda.
• Brahmana associated with Rig Veda: Aiteraya.

Sam Veda

• A collection of verses drawn from the Rig Veda.
• Upveda of Sam Veda: Gandharva Veda.
• Brahmana associated with Sam Veda: Sadavimsha.

Yajurveda

• Deals with procedures for performing sacrifices.
• Subdivided into Shukla Yajurveda and Krishna Yajurveda.
• Upveda of Yajurveda: Dhanur Veda.
• Brahmana associated with Yajurveda: Gopatha.

Atharva Veda

• Focuses on everyday magic spells, chants, hymns, prayers, weddings, and funerals.
• Name "Atharva" comes from the priest Atharvan, a religious innovator and healer.
• Last among the Vedas to be composed, with 5687 mantras in 20 chapters.

Vedangas

• Literally means "Limb of the Vedas".
• Six Vedangas: Shiksha (Phonetics), Kalpa (Ritualistic science), Jyotisha (Astronomy), Vyakaran (grammar), Nirukta (Etymology), and Chhanda (Metrics).
• Written in the form of sutras, considered to be of human origin.

Upanishads

• Indicate knowledge acquired by sitting close to the teacher.
• Also known as Vedanta, with 108 Upanishads, of which 13 are prominent.
• Introduced the concept of Atma and Brahman, with Brahman as the underlying substance of the universe.

Puranas

• Literally means "ancient" or "old".
• Composed by Ved Vyas, discussing religious development from the 5th and 6th centuries.
• Subdivided into 18 Mahapuranas and Upapuranas.
• Discusses five subjects in the time span of four ages.

Dharmashastra

• A text about morality and religious duty.
• Refers to the fulfilment of purushastra, including Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha.
• Subdivided into Dharma sutras and Smritis.