What is Rig Veda?

In Hinduism, the Rigveda is considered one of the four sacred Vedic scriptures. The place where the Rig Veda was compiled in an ancient form of Sanskrit about 1500 BCE, in what is now the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. The Rig Veda Samhita alludes to the depth of the canonical works.

This is a collection of nearly a thousand hymns or sūktas and thousands of poems organised into ten mandalas or books.

The Rigveda deals with hymns and lyrics that are mostly about praising and adoring deities, but they also have a philosophical and thought-provoking structure.

These issues are addressed in hymns that deal with current societal issues. The collection is still considered sacred and devoted, and it is immensely significant in Hindu culture.

It establishes the norm for all future religious literature to follow. The Purusha sukta of Rigveda, referring to the origin of caste, is found in Rigveda.

Origin of Rig Veda

The original Rigveda are in the Sharada and Devanagari scripts and are written on birch bark and paper. With ten mandalas (books) and 1028 hymns, the Rig Veda is the oldest veda in the world.

The Rigveda hymns lauded Agni, Indra, Mitra, Varuna, and other Gods. It contains the legendary Purusha Sukta, which describes how the four varnas, Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra, were formed from the Creator’s mouth, arms, thighs, and feet, in that order.

Rig-Veda also contains the well-known Gayatri mantra (Savitri). The exact date of the first written compilation of the Rigveda remains uncertain.

The oldest manuscripts of Rigveda were found in Nepal and are estimated to date back to approximately 1040 CE.

Classification of Rig Veda

The Rigveda is classified into ten books (mandalas). These are further divided into anuvākas (sections) and sūktas (hymns). The mandalas are not arranged chronologically.

They are rather arranged according to their length and content. The first four mandalas are the oldest. They contain hymns that are primarily concerned with the worship of the gods.

The later mandalas contain hymns that are more diverse in their subject matter. They also include hymns that are not addressed to any particular deity.

The following is a brief overview of the ten mandalas of the Rigveda:

• Mandala 1: is the shortest, and it contains only 191 hymns. It is also the most diverse in its subject matter. It includes hymns that are addressed to a wide range of deities.

• Mandala 2: is the longest, and it contains 589 hymns. It is primarily concerned with the worship of Indra, the god of thunder and rain.

• Mandala 3: contains 630 hymns, and it is also primarily concerned with the worship of Indra. It also includes hymns that are addressed to other deities. This includes Agni, the god of fire, and Soma, the god of the intoxicating drink.

• Mandala 4: contains 583 hymns, and it is primarily concerned with the worship of the Adityas. Adityas are a group of twelve gods associated with the sun.

• Mandala 5: contains 875 hymns, and it is a diverse collection of hymns that are addressed to a wide range of deities.

• Mandala 6: contains 755 hymns, and it is primarily concerned with the worship of the Maruts, a group of storm gods.

• Mandala 7: contains 1028 hymns, and it is the most diverse of all the mandalas. It includes hymns that are addressed to a wide range of deities. It also includes hymns that are not addressed to any particular deity.

• Mandala 8: contains 1100 hymns, and it is primarily concerned with the worship of the Aśvins. Asvins are a pair of twin gods associated with healing and horsemanship.

• Mandala 9: contains 1067 hymns. It is primarily concerned with the worship of the Viśvedevas, a group of all-gods.

• Mandala 10: contains 1102 hymns. It is a diverse collection of hymns that are addressed to a wide range of deities.

Rig Veda Facts for UPSC Exam

The Rig Veda is the oldest Veda in the world that is constantly used.

The Rigveda is one of the oldest Indo-European texts.

There are 1028 mantras (or songs) in the Rig Veda that are pleas to God and the ‘Pancha Bhutani’ – the five natural forces: earth (Prithvi), water (jalam), wind (Vayu), fire (Agni), and sky (Akash).

The main deity of the Rigveda period was ‘Indra,’ and ‘Agni’ the sacrificial fire and messenger of the gods.

The Rig Veda’s mantras are organized into ten volumes known as mandalas or circles.

According to academics and sages, the Rig Veda is one of the oldest and most perplexing pieces of literature ever written.

The Rig Veda tells how the universe was created, the power of Gods, and the art of living.

The Rig Veda was written down in 500 AD. From 2000 BC to 1900 AD, Brahmins verbally transmitted the Rig Veda from generation to generation.

The Angiras are the most well-known Rishi (composer) family, having composed 35% of the hymns, followed by the Kanva family, who composed 25% of the Rig Veda.

The mantras are sung to God to express gratitude for his strength and to request him to share it with us so that we can combat evil both within and beyond ourselves.

Sukta hymns were composed to be used in religious ceremonies.

Lord Indra is the most important god named in the Rig Veda.

The Universe, according to the Rig Veda, was created by Prajapati, the first God and the essential foundation of creation.