Rig Veda
What Every Indian Should Know
A clear, accessible introduction to the Rig Veda — its authority, structure, Vedangas, and relationship to the other three Vedas and the Smritis.
Overview
The Rig Veda is the oldest surviving book known to humanity, and the root from which the Upanishads, the Gita, and much of Hindu philosophy draw their authority. The Bhagavad Gita itself says so plainly. Yet for most readers — including those who consider themselves familiar with Hindu scripture — the Rig Veda itself remains a closed text: its structure unknown, its authority assumed rather than understood, its relationship to the other Vedas and to later Smritis left unexplained.
Ramakrishnan Srinivasan wrote this book to open that door. He covers what the Rig Veda is and how it came into being, the nature of Vedic authority, the six Vedangas and their functions, the other three Vedas, and the Smritis that built on this foundation. The approach is introductory but not superficial — it is a guided orientation for anyone who has found the Vedic tradition intellectually interesting but practically inaccessible.
For Indians who want to understand the source rather than only the downstream — this is where to start.
Very few people really know about Rig Veda, the oldest extant book, which is the basis of a multitude of scriptures that came as time rolled by. People are, indeed, somewhat familiar with works like Srimad Bhagwad Gita. However, Gita itself avers that its teachings are based on the Vedas. This book deals with the basics of the text, that is Rig Veda. The book deals with various apsects, viz: What is the authority of the Rig Veda; how the Vedas came into being; the Vedangas; the other three Vedas; the Smritis; and much more. This book aims to answer many questions that may arise in the reader's mind from time to time regarding the Vedas.
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