Vedas

The Vedas are an ancient body of Sanskrit-language texts, the earliest decipherable texts of the religion we now call Hinduism. There are traditionally four Vedas:

• The Rigveda is the oldest of the Vedas, composed in the late second millennium BCE. It contains hymns (Skt. mantras) to gods like Indra, Vishnu, and the fire-god Agni.
• The Samaveda contains hymns similar to those in the Rigveda, although of a later date.
• The Yajurveda contains mantras to be spoken during fire sacrifices (Skt. yagnya).
• The Atharva Veda contains incantations for a variety of medical and exorcistic purposes.

Each Veda also contains subsidiary books, often written centuries later, which contain ritual instructions and philosophical discussions.