A Brief History of Vedas

It was my long-time desire to write about the origin and development of the Vedas, how they were branched out, by whom, in which period, etc. I had opportunities to know about them from learned Pundits and have also read relevant books and various articles related to this topic at various points of time. I have made my own research and observations on the topic and was eager to share my thoughts with the readers, who are curious to know about the Vedas. So, I took up writing this book from 2003 and kept on updating the facts about them. The end result is this book.

This book contains the details of 100 Veda Sakhas (branches); about 100 Sikshas prevalent during ancient times and enumerates about 175 Upanishats available today, which pertain to the four Vedas, further divided into Samanya, Sannydsa, Sakta, Vaishrjava, Saiva and Yoga. This book lists the names of the Rishis who have contributed Mantras from their families initially, and how they got arranged later with my few distinct observations. This book navigates the reader through the chronological development of the Veda, from Mantras to Brahmanam, Aratiyakas, Upanishats, Sutras and Parisishtas etc. This book answers questions about the difference between Charana and Sakha, which is further divided into Samhita Brahmatia Sakha and Sara Sakhas. The book also lists the Vam§as (lineage) as per Sama Veda and Sukla Yajur Veda, and through whom we acquired the respective Brahmanam of that Veda.

This book brings out some interesting facts about the creation of this world, and the Gayatri Mantra from Gopata Brahmanam of the Atharva Veda. This book explains in detail the six Prati§akhya texts belonging to the four Vedas available today and has named 52 authors as a reference.

This book also attempts to answer a few questions like (a) who classified the Veda prior to Veda Vyasa, (b) how Yajnavalkya was in no way related to Janaka (Sita’s father). A flow chart of various preceptors beginning from Vyasa is also provided and elaborates how the four Vedas branched out, which is quite an interesting read for inquisitive readers. It also narrates the biography of Yajnavalkya in detail.

The book provides some interesting facts about Vyasa not mentioned in Vedic literature despite the Puranas applauding him a lot. It also furnishes details on the methods to preserve the text of the Vedas intact by documenting the Anukramani and Vikriti Pallas. The systematic recitation of the Vedas through Ashta vikriti has been explained in detail. This also narrates how the Vedas were taught/ learned in the ancient times in the Guru Sishya Parampara, and the secret of getting the desired results from Vedic recitation. The book concludes with reasons for the origin of different sakhas and their extinction.

I would like to thank Dr. M C Prakash, Bangalore and Mr. Balaji, Chennai for spending their valuable time in verifying the linguistic and grammatical aspects of the text and re-arranging the flow of sentences and topics, so that this appeals to the readers and keep them engaged. Hope this book will be of some help in understanding the origin and history of the Vedas, how they evolved, branched off into different schools etc, and their present condition in India. This also emphasises on the learning and propagation of different branches of the Vedas, which are still extant in very few learned Vedic Pundits scattered over different places of India. I shall be grateful to the readers for their valuable and appropriate suggestions which can be incorporated in the next edition.