OLDEST BOOK IN THE WORLD- THE RIGVEDA

  • There are four Vedas-
    • The Rigveda
    • The Samaveda
    • The Yajurveda
    • The Atharvaveda

THE RIGVEDA:

  • The oldest Veda is the Rigveda.
  • Composed about 3500 years ago.
  • The Rigveda was composed in the north-west of the subcontinent.

  • Includes more than a thousand hymns, called Sukta or ‘well said’
  • Hymns/ Sukta are in praise of various Gods and Goddesses.
    • Agni- The God of Fire
    • Indra- A Warrior God
    • Soma- a Plant from which a Special drink was prepared.
  • These hymns were composed by sages(rishis)

  • Priests taught students to recite and memorise each syllable, word, and sentence with great care.
  • Most of the hymns were composed, taught and learnt by men.
  • A few were composed by women
  • The Rigveda is in old or Vedic Sanskrit ( different from today’s Sanskrit).
  • The Rigveda was recited and heard rather than read.
  • It was written down several centuries after it was first composed.
  • And printed less than 200 years ago.

SANSKRIT AND OTHER LANGUAGES:

The mother language- Sanskrit

‘MATR’-SANSKRIT

‘MA’- HINDI

‘MOTHER’- ENGLISH

INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGE FAMILY—--SANSKRIT—--

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    • HINDI
    • KASHMIRI
    • SINDHI
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