RIGVEDA
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Rig-Veda is the oldest literature of human race. It has been composed by many Rushies and not one Rishi. The Rig Veda is so known because it is composed of Riks. Riks means two lines of poems/ mantras with very stringent sruthies / tones to chant. Each suktha may have two or more Riks in it. Those who compose the Veda mantras are known as Mantra drushtara: means who could see the Veda mantra. Majority of the names of Vedic Rushies are not known to us and we will definitely explain that. These mantras were composed in many years and not at a particular period. They might have got composed during a period of thousands of years. The first part of the Rig-Veda appears in old Vedic Sanskrit and last part appears to be modern Sanskrit. In short there is an opinion that the first part and second part of Rig Veda mantra were composed in slightly different Sanskrit style.
The composers of Vedas : Rushies who composed the Veda mantra are known as mantra drushtaara. These mantras were classified by the Rushies of Veda Vyasa kula (clan). I.e. they classified/ rearranged all the Veda mantra sookthas available during then, to the present form as seen now in Rig-Veda. Majority of the Veda hymns are composed by the Rushies of Viswamitra kula, Angeerasa kula, Athreya kula and Bharadwaaja kula and Kanwakula. All the hymns are adoring the Vedic devathas. Rigveda is composed almost fully in poetical style.
Sakhas of Rig-Veda : There are 25 sakhas for Rig-Veda . These sakhas are wrongly interpreted in English as branches No ! They are recensions. Out of the 25 sakhas only four are available now, the remaining are lost for ever. Each saakha is known in the name of respective Rushies. They are Saakala saakha, Bhaashkala saakha, Saankhyaayana saakha, and Kousheethakee saakha are most important and they are composed or organized in the present status by Saakala, Bhaashkala, Saankhyayana and Kousheethakee Maharushies. Major difference among these Vedic recensions of Rig-Veda are in the arrangements of some mantras (Riks) and also in the organization of the Parisishta mantras. ( parisishta mantras are those mantras which are not strictly part of Vedas but they are chanted in between Veda mantra sookthas as a custom. In different sakhas, in some places synonyms are also used like baahubhyam is changed to hasthaabhyam and like that .
Arrangements of the mantras in different sakhas: The Rig-Veda mantras are arranged in the saakala saakha as mandala krama. All the mantras of the Rig-Veda has been included in ten mandala. In Bhaashkala saakha the arrangement is in ashtaka as the bunch of eight chapters. There are totally 64 chapters and they are arranged in 8 ashtakas. The Saakala saakha of Rig-Veda has 193816 words which are composed by 397265 letters. There are 10552 Riks (stanzas) which are composed using 193816 words and they are organized in 2024 vargas. These many vargas are included in 64 chapters (adhyaayaas) and eight each of this form ashtakas andhence Saakala saakha of Rig-Veda has 64 adhyaayaas or 8 ashtakas.
Chanting Veda mantras : Veda mantras are chanted in all the Vedic rituals where the materials are offered to fire. All the Vedic rituals are known as offering through Agni using the word swaaha. These mantras play very important role in Somayaga, Aswamedha yaga, Putra kameshti yaga, Vajapeya yaga, and many other yaagas. They are also chanted in some special rituals with the thantra. There are some mantras which are very commonly used, like Purusha sukta, bhagya sukta, Vishnu sukta, Sree Sukta, and so on. They are chanted always. Few mantras are chanted in every rituals.
Fundamental principles of Veda mantra chanting : All these mantras are expected to be chanted with ten sruthies (tones) known as udaattha, anudhaatta, swaritha, repha, hraswa, pracheya, anunaasikaa, kampa, deergha kampa and plutha. Three among these are present in Gayatri mantra. In all the three Vedas Gayatri mantra written by Viswamitra is included.
Download ebook on the full topic of Vedas, Aaryanyakas, Bhramanas for free
Download ebook on the full topic of Vedas, Aaryanyakas, Bhramanas for free
Rig-Veda is the oldest literature of human race. It has been composed by many Rushies and not one Rishi. The Rig Veda is so known because it is composed of Riks. Riks means two lines of poems/ mantras with very stringent sruthies / tones to chant. Each suktha may have two or more Riks in it. Those who compose the Veda mantras are known as Mantra drushtara: means who could see the Veda mantra. Majority of the names of Vedic Rushies are not known to us and we will definitely explain that. These mantras were composed in many years and not at a particular period. They might have got composed during a period of thousands of years. The first part of the Rig-Veda appears in old Vedic Sanskrit and last part appears to be modern Sanskrit. In short there is an opinion that the first part and second part of Rig Veda mantra were composed in slightly different Sanskrit style.
The composers of Vedas : Rushies who composed the Veda mantra are known as mantra drushtaara. These mantras were classified by the Rushies of Veda Vyasa kula (clan). I.e. they classified/ rearranged all the Veda mantra sookthas available during then, to the present form as seen now in Rig-Veda. Majority of the Veda hymns are composed by the Rushies of Viswamitra kula, Angeerasa kula, Athreya kula and Bharadwaaja kula and Kanwakula. All the hymns are adoring the Vedic devathas. Rigveda is composed almost fully in poetical style.
Sakhas of Rig-Veda : There are 25 sakhas for Rig-Veda . These sakhas are wrongly interpreted in English as branches No ! They are recensions. Out of the 25 sakhas only four are available now, the remaining are lost for ever. Each saakha is known in the name of respective Rushies. They are Saakala saakha, Bhaashkala saakha, Saankhyaayana saakha, and Kousheethakee saakha are most important and they are composed or organized in the present status by Saakala, Bhaashkala, Saankhyayana and Kousheethakee Maharushies. Major difference among these Vedic recensions of Rig-Veda are in the arrangements of some mantras (Riks) and also in the organization of the Parisishta mantras. ( parisishta mantras are those mantras which are not strictly part of Vedas but they are chanted in between Veda mantra sookthas as a custom. In different sakhas, in some places synonyms are also used like baahubhyam is changed to hasthaabhyam and like that .
Arrangements of the mantras in different sakhas: The Rig-Veda mantras are arranged in the saakala saakha as mandala krama. All the mantras of the Rig-Veda has been included in ten mandala. In Bhaashkala saakha the arrangement is in ashtaka as the bunch of eight chapters. There are totally 64 chapters and they are arranged in 8 ashtakas. The Saakala saakha of Rig-Veda has 193816 words which are composed by 397265 letters. There are 10552 Riks (stanzas) which are composed using 193816 words and they are organized in 2024 vargas. These many vargas are included in 64 chapters (adhyaayaas) and eight each of this form ashtakas andhence Saakala saakha of Rig-Veda has 64 adhyaayaas or 8 ashtakas.
Chanting Veda mantras : Veda mantras are chanted in all the Vedic rituals where the materials are offered to fire. All the Vedic rituals are known as offering through Agni using the word swaaha. These mantras play very important role in Somayaga, Aswamedha yaga, Putra kameshti yaga, Vajapeya yaga, and many other yaagas. They are also chanted in some special rituals with the thantra. There are some mantras which are very commonly used, like Purusha sukta, bhagya sukta, Vishnu sukta, Sree Sukta, and so on. They are chanted always. Few mantras are chanted in every rituals.
Fundamental principles of Veda mantra chanting : All these mantras are expected to be chanted with ten sruthies (tones) known as udaattha, anudhaatta, swaritha, repha, hraswa, pracheya, anunaasikaa, kampa, deergha kampa and plutha. Three among these are present in Gayatri mantra. In all the three Vedas Gayatri mantra written by Viswamitra is included.
Download ebook on the full topic of Vedas, Aaryanyakas, Bhramanas for free