The Vedas contain hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient India. Along with the Book of the Dead, the Enuma Elish, the I Ching, and the Avesta, they are among the most ancient religious texts still in existence. Besides their spiritual value, they also give a unique view of everyday life in India four thousand years ago. The Vedas are also the most ancient extensive texts in an Indo-European language, and as such are invaluable in the study of comparative linguistics.
RIG VEDA
The
Rig-Veda
translated
by Ralph Griffith [1896]
This is a complete English translation of the Rig Veda.
Rig-Veda
(Sanskrit).
This is the complete Rig Veda in Sanskrit, in Unicode Devanagari script
and standard romanization.
SAMA VEDA
The
Sama-Veda
translated
by Ralph Griffith [1895] 282,861
bytes.
The Sama Veda is a collection of hymns used
by the priests during the Soma sacrifice. Many of these duplicate in
part or in whole hymns from the Rig Veda. This is a complete
translation.
YAJUR VEDA
The
Yajur Veda
translated
by A.B. Keith [1914]
This is a complete translation of the Yajur Veda. The Yajur Veda is a
detailed manual of the Vedic sacrificial rites.
ATHARVA VEDA
The
Atharva-Veda
translated
by Maurice Bloomfield [1897]
(Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 42)
The Atharva Veda also contains material from the
Rig Veda, but of interest are the numerous incantations and
metaphysical texts, which this anthology (part of the
Sacred Books of the East series) collects and categorizes.
The Atharva Veda was written down much later than the rest of the
Vedas, about 200 B.C.; it may have been composed about 1000 B.C.
GENERAL
A
Vedic Reader for
Students
by
A.A. Macdonell [1917]
(excerpts) 121,143 bytes
This text serves as an introduction to the dramatis
personae of
the
Rig Veda.