"I believe that Veda to be the foundation of Sanatana Dharma; I believe it to be the concealed divinity within Hinduism- but a veil has to be drawn aside, a curtain has to be lifted. I believe it to be knowable and discoverable. The Vedas and Upanishads are not only the sufficient fountain of the Indian philosophy and religion, but of all Indian art, poetry and literature" - Sri Aurobindo

The Vedas are a large body of texts which originated in Ancient India. Vedas are the oldest text of Hinduism and forms the most erstwhile layer of Sanskrit literature. Sanskrit literature can be classified under six orthodox heads and four secular heads. While the six orthodox sections contour the authoritative scriptures of the Hindus it is the four secular sections which silhouettes the further maturations in the classical Sanskrit literature. The six orthodox scriptures are, Srutis, Smritis, Itihasas, Puranas, Agamas and the Darsanas. On the other hand the four secular writings are, Subhashitas, Kavyas, (Natakas and Alankaras.

Of the six orthodox scriptures, `The Srutis` are known as the Vedas. Also known as the Amnaya, the Vedas are the foundational scriptures of Hinduism. Since ages, the Hindus have received their religion through revelation and thus the Vedas stand as the direct intuitional disclosures, without any particular author to be credited. The Vedas are the eternal truths revealed by the Gods to the great ancient Rishis of India. The Rishis either felt the truths or heard them. However, the Rishis did not write the truths. Therefore, the Vedas exists as what are heard (Sruti). The Rishis did not create Vedas but were the prophesier of the ideas, truths and thoughts which already existed since time immemorial. Quite ideally therefore the date of the Vedas has never been fixed. The embodiment of eternal knowledge, the Vedas are thus eternal without a beginning and an end. The term Veda, originated from the root `Vid`, which means to know. The word Veda thus means knowledge. However when the expression "The Veda" is applied to scripture, it signifies the eternal book of knowledge. The storehouse of Indian wisdom the Vedas constitutes the fundamental principles of Hindu philosophy , a memorable glory to remember till eternity. The Vedas are the oldest books in the library of man. The Samhitas date to roughly 1500-1000 BCE, and the "circum-Vedic" texts dates back to 1000-500 BCE whilst constituting the Vedic period. However the Vedic period attained the heights after the composition of the mantra texts accompanied with the establishment of the various shakhas all over Northern India

The Veda is divided into four great books: the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda and the Atharva-Veda. However, the general accepted historical chronology of the Vedas ranks the Rig Veda as the first, followed by the Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and finally the Atharva Veda. The Yajur-Veda is further divided into two parts, the Sukla and the Krishna. While the Rig-Veda is divided into twenty-one sections, the Yajur-Veda is ideally divided into one hundred and nine sections. Further, the Sama-Veda is divided into one thousand sections and the Atharva-Veda into fifty sections. As a whole the entire Veda is thus divided into one thousand one hundred and eighty recensions. The four "Vedic" Samhitas, the Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda are metrical poems comprising prayers, hymns and incantations addressed to various deities, both subjective and objective. Each of these Samhitas was followed by explanations and dissertations in the form of prose as well as verse to elucidate the deep philosophical significance, allusions, meanings of the hymns and indeed their application. These portions have been named as the Brahmanas. There are two Brahmanas, the Aitareya and the Sankhayana, which guide people to perform sacrificial rites. The concluding portions however illustrate the speculations as well as philosophical and spiritual ideas based on the hymns. These are called the Aranyakas and the Upanishads. The Aranyakas, are the forest book which offer philosophical interpretations of the rituals. The Aranyakas are intended for the Vanaprasthas or hermits who prepare themselves for taking Sannyasa. The Upanishads however are the most important part of the Vedas. It contains the essence of the Vedas amidst its sublime, lofty and soul-stirring philosophies. The Upanishads speak of the identity of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. They reveal the most subtle and deep spiritual truths. The Upanishads are useful for the Sannyasis. Each Veda thus consists of four parts: the Mantra-Samhitas or hymns, the Brahmanas or explanations of Mantras or rituals, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads. These four divisions signify the four stages in a man`s life. The subject matter of the whole Veda is divided into Karma- Kanda, Upasana-Kanda and Jnana-Kanda. While the Karma-Kanda or Ritualistic Section deals with various sacrifices and rituals, it is the Upasana-Kanda or Worship-Section which throws light about the various kinds of worship or meditation. The Jnana-Kanda or Knowledge-Section deals with the highest knowledge of Nirguna Brahman.

The Four Vedas
Rig Veda: The Rig Veda is the oldest Indian living text. This is an amalgamation of 1,028 Vedic Sanskrit hymns, and 10,600 verses in totality, and is divided into ten books or `Mandalas`. The style, the language and the tone of the Rig Veda are beautiful yet mysterious. The mantras in Rig Veda embody the greatest truths of existence.

Yajur Veda: The Yajur-Veda is mostly in prose and is meant to be used by the Adhvaryu who were the Yajur-Vedic priest. With the greater objective to supplement the Rid Vedic Mantras the Yajur Veda came into existence as an answer of the superfluous explanations of the rites in sacrifices. Yajur Veda has two branches, Krishna or Black and Shukla or White. While both contain mantras or incantations to be chanted at rituals, Black Yajurveda also has many explanations.

Sama Veda: The Sama Veda also has verses taken from the Rig veda. This is known as the `Veda of chants`. The Sama Veda is meant to be sung by the Udgatri, the Sama Vedic priest, in sacrifices.

Atharva Veda: The Atharva-Veda is meant to be used by the Brahma, the Atharva-Vedic priest. This Veda was created to correct the mispronunciations and wrong performances that may accidentally be committed by the other three priests of the sacrifice. The Atharva Veda therefore has hymns that are common with the Rig Veda. The Paippalada and Saunaka are the two recensions it is preserved in. Atharva Veda is more associated with spells for healing, demonic recoveries, long life and so on.

Entwined with the rich philosophy, the Vedas are the only extant records of the days long gone. The Vedas are still regarded as the "accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times".