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Rigveda

File:Rigveda_MS2097.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as Rig veda, Rigvedic, Rg Veda, ṛg Veda, Ṛg Veda

The Rigveda or Rig Veda (, , from ऋच्, "praise" and वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (sūktas). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (śruti) known as the Vedas. Only one Shakha of the many survive today, namely the Śakalya Shakha. Much of the contents contained in the remaining Shakhas are now lost or are not available in the public forum.

AI overview

The Rigveda is an ancient Indian collection of hymns written in Vedic Sanskrit, and it is one of the four most sacred texts in Hinduism. It is historically significant because it is one of the oldest known religious texts, though only one complete version survives today and much of its original content has been lost over time.

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Key facts

Religious text.religion
Historical Vedic religionHinduism
Religious text.image
Rigveda MS2097.jpg
Religious text.caption
Rigveda (padapāṭha) manuscript in Devanāgarī, early 19th century. After a scribal benediction (śrīgaṇéśāyanamaḥ oṁ), the first line has the first pada, RV 1.1.1a (agniṃ iḷe puraḥ-hitaṃ yajñasya devaṃ ṛtvijaṃ – "I praise Agni, the chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice"). The pitch-accent is marked by underscores and vertical overscores in red.
Religious text.image_size
280px
Religious text.language
Vedic Sanskrit
Religious text.period
c. 15001000 BCE (Vedic period)
Religious text.chapters
10 mandalas
Religious text.verses
10,552 mantras
Religious text.background
FFC569

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Rigveda MS2097.jpg
Show 4 more facts
title
ऋग्वेद
Commons category
Rig Veda
inception
1500-00-00
entry in abbreviations table
RV.
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Article

34 sections
Contents
  • Dating and historical context
  • Dating
  • Historical and societal context
  • Text
  • Composition
  • Collection and organisation
  • Organisation
  • Mandalas
  • Hymns and prosody
  • Transmission
  • Recensions
  • Manuscripts
  • Versions
  • Scripts
  • Comparison
  • Contents
  • Hymns
  • Rigveda Brahmanas
  • Rigveda Aranyakas and Upanishads
  • Significance
  • Monism debate
  • Reception in Hinduism
  • Shruti
  • Sanskrit grammarians
  • Medieval Hindu scholarship
  • Arya Samaj and Aurobindo movements
  • Contemporary Hinduism
  • Hindu nationalism
  • Translations
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • External links

The Rigveda or Rig Veda (, , from ऋच्, "praise" and वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (sūktas). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (śruti) known as the Vedas. Only one Shakha of the many survive today, namely the Śakalya Shakha. Much of the contents contained in the remaining Shakhas are now lost or are not available in the public forum.

The Rigveda is the oldest known Vedic Sanskrit text. Its early layers are among the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language. Most scholars believe that the sounds and texts of the Rigveda have been orally transmitted with precision since the 2nd millennium BCE, through methods of memorisation of exceptional complexity, rigour and fidelity, though the dates are not confirmed and remain contentious until concrete evidence surfaces. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the bulk of the Rigveda Samhita was composed in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent (see Rigvedic rivers), most likely between 1500 and 1000 BCE, although a wider approximation of 19001200 BCE has also been given.

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