4 Vedas · ~20k mantras · Shruti, the heard, revealed scripture
चत्वारो वेदाः
The 4 Vedas
The Vedas are the oldest sacred literature continuously preserved by any human civilisation. They are shruti, that which was heard by the rishis in deep contemplation, not composed by them. Each Veda has four parts, Samhita (mantras), Brahmana (ritual exegesis), Aranyaka (forest contemplation), and Upanishad (philosophical inquiry), together comprising the complete Vedic corpus.
The four priests of the yajna
Each Veda is the textual property of one of the four priests of the great yajna: the hotr recites the Rigveda, the udgatr sings the Samaveda, the adhvaryu mutters the Yajurveda while performing the actions, and the brahmin (in the technical Vedic sense) silently supervises and corrects using Atharvavedic knowledge.
Rigveda
ऋग्वेद
Ṛgveda · Veda of praise / hymn
Mantras of praise (rich) addressed to the cosmic powers, recited at the yajna by the hotr priest.
Oldest layer of Veda + Gayatri Mantra + 1,028 hymns
Samaveda
सामवेद
Sāmaveda · Veda of melody / chant
Melodic chanting (saman) at the soma sacrifice, sung by the udgatr priest.
The veda of melody — root of Indian classical music + Chandogya Upanishad
Yajurveda
यजुर्वेद
Yajurveda · Veda of sacrificial formula / yajus
Prose formulae (yajus) muttered by the adhvaryu priest while physically performing the yajna actions.
Veda of ritual action + Sri Rudram + Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Atharvaveda
अथर्ववेद
Atharvaveda · Veda of the rishi Atharvan / Veda of practical formulae
Mantras for daily life — healing, protection, prosperity, kingship — supervised by the brahmin priest who watches all three other priests.
Veda of healing + daily life + Prithvi Sukta