Rig Veda family books
Also called: Family books · Topic: The Vedic Age · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Ṛigveda has ten books, called maṇḍalas. Books two to seven are called the 'family books'. Each one is linked to a single family of seers (rishis), whose members are said to have composed its hymns. They are generally seen as the oldest part of the Ṛigveda. The families are:
- Book 2: Gṛitsamada
- Book 3: Viśhvāmitra
- Book 4: Vāmadeva
- Book 5: Atri
- Book 6: Bharadvāja
- Book 7: Vasiṣhṭha
Example
Book 7 belongs to the Vasiṣhṭha family. It describes the Battle of Ten Kings, fought near the Paruṣhṇī (Ravi) river. In this battle Sudās, king of the Bharata jana (clan), defeated an alliance of ten kings. Book 3, of the Viśhvāmitra family, contains the Gāyatrī mantra.
Don't confuse with
- Books 1 and 10: these are seen as later additions and are not tied to one family. Book 10 contains the Puruṣhasūkta, the earliest reference to the four varṇas.
Related concepts
- Vedas
- Rigveda
- Yajurveda
- Samaveda
- Atharvaveda
- Brahmana texts
- Aranyakas
- Upavedas
- Vedangas
- Kalpa sutras