The Vedas are an integral part of the ancient Vedic religion. These are religious scriptures, or may be called as foundational scriptures of Hinduism. The Vedas are also called Srutis or the Amnaya, since it is believed that they were heard and have been directly revealed, these do not have any author. Veda as a term originated from the Sanskrit root- `Vid` and it implies knowledge. The Vedas have been transmitted by the `Rishis` or sages who in turn have been imparted the knowledge by the divine creator Brahma. The Vedas are the ancient scriptures of the Hindu teachings, which manifest the Divine Word in the human speech. The Vedas contain the language of the Gods, which are the primary texts of Hinduism. There are four Vedas, each consisting of four parts. Vedas are the oldest literature of the Indo-Aryans and possibly the oldest literary works in the entire group of Indo-European languages. The Vedas are four in number namely- (1) Rigveda, (2) Yajurveda, (3) Samaveda, (4) Yajurveda. The Vedas were not written in one distinct period. They are an anthology of the Mantras composed by rishis in varied periods. Some scholars determine the earliest limit of their composition in 1000 B. C, whereas other fix it within 3000 and 2500 B.C. Rigveda is the earliest and Atharvaveda the last of the four collections. It is however, only in the recent times that their spiritual teachings have been rediscovered.

Veda is a Sanskrit word. Vedas were written in Vedic Sanskrit, which is pre-Sanskrit, like the oldest Rig Veda. This word is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root, which means, "see" or "know". In Rig Veda the word appears once as a noun.

Categories Of Vedic Texts-
Vedic texts are classified into four classes, namely, the Mantra-Samhitas or hymns, the Brahmanas or explanations of Mantras or rituals, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads. The four divisions signify the four stages in a man`s life. There are four "Vedic" Samhitas- the Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda. They are metrical poems comprising prayers, hymns and incantations addressed to various deities, both subjective and objective. There are two Brahmanas, the Aitareya and the Sankhayana, which guide people to perform sacrificial rites. The Aranyakas give philosophical interpretations of the rituals. The Upanishads reveal deep spiritual truths speaking about the character of individual and the Sovereign soul.