Composing…
Composing…
Ṛgveda · c. 1500–1000 BCE (core hymns); layers extend later · Vedic Sanskrit
Traditional: Ṛṣis including Vasiṣṭha, Viśvāmitra, Gṛtsamada, and many others (traditional)
Scholarly note: Oral composition and redaction over centuries; written manuscripts are medieval. No single named “author” in the modern sense.
Preserve praise-hymns (ṛcas) to devas and cosmic powers for śrauta and domestic ritual, cosmology, and moral order (ṛta).
The Rigveda is the oldest surviving Vedic saṃhitā and the primary source for early Vedic mantra, ritual imagination, and sacred poetry. Its hymns praise Agni, Indra, Soma, Varuṇa, Uṣas, Savitṛ, Viṣṇu, Rudra, and other devas while also reflecting on speech, creation, kingship, and cosmic order.
For Hindu study, the Rigveda is not only a historical text. It is a living śruti corpus preserved through oral recitation, accent, lineage, and ritual use. Its hymns later feed into Upaniṣadic inquiry, Purāṇic theology, mantra practice, and daily sandhyā through verses such as the Gāyatrī mantra.
Extent · 1,028 sūktas (maṇḍalas 2–7 family books), ~10,600 ṛcas
Ten maṇḍalas: family books (2–7) are oldest; maṇḍala 1 and 8–10 are later layers; the Aṣṭaka division is another traditional partition.
Ṛgveda 3.62.10 (Gāyatrī)
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्
We meditate on the excellent splendour of the divine Savitṛ; may he impel our thoughts.