Vedas and Upanishads - Dr. Sheela Daga - Structure

Structure of Vedas

In the Vedas, each Sukta has the name of a deity, which is praised, prayed to, and worshipped in this Sukta. It is like the title of a poem. Together with the name of the deity, the name of the rishi, or sage, can be seen on the top of the Sukta. This sage is considered to be its creator or seer. Sometimes, there is more than one deity of a Sukta, which means that one or more mantras of this Sukta describe those deities. Along with the deity and sage, the meter is also written. In the mantras, there are lines drawn above or below the letters. The line above the letters is vertical, and the one below is horizontal. These lines show the accents of the vowels. While reciting mantras, the letters must be read according to their accent. There are three accents: Udatta-elevated, Anudatta-low and Swarita-neutral. Udatta vowel is read with some higher pitch, Anudatta with lowering the pitch and Swarita is normal. The accents change the meaning of words in mantras. It is the same when we usually talk; the colour and rise of our voice show if we are praising, condemning, satirising or taunting someone.