Rigveda

or Rgveda

Oldest religious scripture in the world and most revered of the Vedas, completed by the 12th century BC.

Consisting of more than 1,000 hymns addressed to devas (gods), it reflects a polytheism that is mainly concerned with the propitiation of divinities associated with the sky and the atmosphere. It makes reference to such rituals as marriage and funeral rites, which differ little from those practiced today in Hinduism. It is the source of much Indian thought, and many consider its study essential to understanding India.

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▪ Hindu literature

Sanskrit“The Knowledge of Verses” also spelled  Ṛgveda  

      the oldest of the sacred books of Hinduism, composed in an ancient form of Sanskrit about 1500 BCE, in what is now the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. It consists of a collection of 1,028 poems grouped into 10 “circles” ( mandalas). It is generally agreed that the first and last books were created later than the middle books. The Rigveda was preserved orally before it was written down about 300 BCE. (See Veda).

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