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## The Vedas: The Vedas are considered the foundation of Brahmanical literature. They are the "store-house of knowledge of the Aryans". There are four Vedas: - **Rig Veda:** The oldest surviving poetry. It throws a flood of light on the social, economic and political life of the early Aryans (150...

## The Vedas: The Vedas are considered the foundation of Brahmanical literature. They are the "store-house of knowledge of the Aryans". There are four Vedas: - **Rig Veda:** The oldest surviving poetry. It throws a flood of light on the social, economic and political life of the early Aryans (1500-1000 BCE). - **Sama Veda:** Consists of 1875 mantras (hymns), mostly taken from Rig Veda. These verses were sung using specifically indicated melodies while performing sacrifices. - **Yajur Veda:** Consists of various mantras for the purpose of recitation and rules to be observed at the time of sacrifice. - **Atharva Veda:** Contains charms and spells in verse to ward off evils and diseases. Each Veda has four parts: - **Samhita:** A collection of mantras of many sages. - **Brahmana:** Prose commentaries that elaborate on each Veda's content. - **Aranyaka:** Studied and taught by men who live in forests. - **Upanishad:** Deal with mysticism and symbolism of sacrifice and priestly philosophy. ## The Brahmanas: These prose commentaries on the Samhita portion of the Vedas are called the Brahmanas. They are simple elaborations on the contents of the Vedas. ## The Aranyakas or Forest Books: The literal meaning of Aranyaka is forest. These books were studied and taught by men who live in Vanprasth (forest dwellers). They are not separate books from the Brahmanas but are the concluding parts of the Brahmanas. ## The Two Epics: ### The Ramayana ### The Mahabharata