RIG-VEDA (Ṛgveda), Skt., lit. “The knowledge (veda) laid down in verses (rig)”; the oldest and most extensive of the four Vedic text anthologies (Vedas); also the oldest evidence of Indian literature. The work was conceived sometime between the twelfth and eighth centuries B.C.E.; it comprises 1 ,028 hymns, a total of 10,580 verses arranged in ten “song cycles” (mandalas). Most are associated with the name of a particular rishi who is also considered to be the author of the text (e.g., Bharadvāja, Vāmadeva, Vasishtha, Vishvāmitra). Above all, the Rigveda contains the hymns that were recited by the hotar (the “caller”), one of the four chief priests at the sacrificial rites, in order to invite the gods to pertake of the sacrifice.
Most of the hymns are directed to personifications of natural forces; these are glorified as divinities (e.g., Agni, Indra, Soma, the Asvins and Maruts) and thanked for the fruits of the earth and their personal protection. The texts are written in an archaic form of Sanskrit that is extremely difficult to interpret and since the fifth century has given rise to various commentaries (Yāska, Nirtuka). “In spite of all its difficulties the Rigveda is one of the most important linguistic, mythological-religious, literary, and cultural documents of humanity. It has maintained its vital religious force in present-day Hinduism, and the inviolable sacrality of its every word has made possible the transmission of its text unaltered through the centuries and is still held as binding by the people of India today.” (William Halbfass)
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Documents on Hinduism
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External links: Vedas / Rig-Veda / Sama-Veda / Yajur-Veda / Atharva-Veda