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Vedas of India, in Sanskrit
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ANCINDIA/VEDAS.HTM
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The most ancient sacred literature of Hinduism is
called the Vedas. This collection of hymns, poems, and ceremonial formulas
represent the beliefs of several Aryan tribes. Initially the Vedas were considered
so sacred that they were only transmitted orally from one generation of br�hmans to the
next. The passages of the Vedas were eventually written in Sanskrit, we believe,
near the end of the third century BC, and primarily consist of four collections called the
Rig-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, and the Atharva-Veda.
Collectively, these are referred to as the Samhitas. The first three
Samhitas were used in the Vedic period by the priestly class as ritual handbooks.
Containing 1,028 poetic hymns, the Rig-Veda was used by the hotri who called
on the gods by reciting the hymns aloud. The hymns vary in style and length, and praise a
pantheon of gods. Although Indra, the god of war and weather, is the most frequently
mentioned, there appears to be no hierarchy. Agni, the god of fire, is the second most
prominently mentioned deity. The Sama-Veda consisted of various portions taken from
the Rig-Veda and were utilized by the udgatri chanters. The Yajur-Vedas was
used by the adhvaryu priests. This work contains specific sacrificial formulas
which were recited during that form of ceremony.
The final Veda, the Atharva-Veda, is attributed to a
sage, or rishi, named Atharvan, and consists of a number of hymns and magical
incantations. Some scholars believe that this scripture may have originated with the
original pre-Aryan culture of indigenous peoples, and because it deviated form the other Vedas,
it was not at first readily accepted. Eventually it too was adopted as a ritual handbook
by the Brahmans, the higest class of priests.
Although the Rig-Veda is still considered the most important
of these ancient texts, it was still never very popular. Much of this comes from the fact
of its composition by and for a religious aristocracy. In contrast, the Atharva-Veda,
compiled perhaps as late as 500 BC, frequently refers to many lesser functional gods
considered useful in the daily lives and simple rituals of the ordinary Aryan that did not
need the mediation of priests.
Richard K. Hines |
http://www.sacredconnections.co.uk/holyland/celtohimalayan.htm
in The Drama of the Lost Disciples, the author George F. Jowett remarks:
"The Rig-Vedas, the ancient religious books of India, were written 1500 B.C. and the
Druidic religion antedated that of India, circa 1800 B.C. The wise men of India record the
visit of Jesus among them, stating that he dwelt at Nepal. They also make several
references to Britain as a great centre of religious learning; therefore, on several
scores, Jesus would know of the eminence of Druidic religious wisdom….Eastern and
Western tradition claim Jesus completed his studies in Britain. This could be possible. At
that time the Druidic universities were the largest in the world, both in size and in
attendance, with a listing of sixty large universities and an average attendance of over
sixty thousand students. This is affirmed by Greek and Roman testimony which states that
the noble and wealthy of Rome and other nations sent their children to study law, science
and religion in Britain."
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