RELIG103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Atharvaveda, Historical Vedic Religion, Vedic Mythology
Document Summary
The vedas is a collection of over a thousand hymns and rituals manuals, works of philosophy, health, and astrology. Oldest and most important is the rd veda. Vedas written in sanskrit (was thought to be divine in origin) Over 2 thousand years of oral tradition. Agni(god of fire) and indra(chief deity; god of war, storm, and. Associated with sacrifice, conquest, mystical experience, and maintenance of moral order . Surya (good of sun), dyaus-pitr(god of heavens), vayu(god of wind), Varuna (god of waters), and soma(sacred plant that an intoxicating drink is prepared from) Most deities are male some females also exist. When other hindu deities started gaining prominence, vedic deities became denigrated through myths and discourses. Sacrificial items include milk, butter, yogurt, rice, sacred plants, or wood apple leaves. Vedic gods dependent on sacrifices, gain power through sacrifices. Ancient yajna included 3 sacred fires within a household to bring blessings upon the household.