Vedas and Upanishads - Dr. Sheela Daga - Vedas

Rigveda

The mantras of the Rigveda are divided in two ways. They are called Ashtak and Mandala. The mantras of the Rigveda are divided into eight parts in the Ashtak. There are eight chapters each. Thus, the entire Rigveda is divided into sixty-four chapters. Each chapter is also divided into sections/subdivisions. The number of subdivisions is 2006. There is also the other way of division: the Rigveda is divided into ten Mandalas, books. Each book is divided into Anuwakas or chapters. There are many Suktas or Hymns in one Anuwaka. The number of these Suktas and the number of mantras in the Suktas differ. There are more than a hundred mantras in any Sukta, and then there are only three mantras in any other one. This second order is considered more scientific, historical and important. This can be understood by the example of a book of poetry. For instance, in a collection of poems, there are many small and large poems with different titles and many poems or stanzas in a poem, and their number is not fixed. In this Veda, there are Mandalas, Anuvakas, Suktas and mantras. The number of Suktas in this Veda is above one thousand, and the number of mantras is 10,552.

Yajurveda

– Yajurveda is found in two forms. Shukla Yajurveda and Krishna Yajurveda. Shukla Yajurveda has verses - mantras, while Krishna Yajurveda has both prose and verses. Shukla Yajurveda has forty chapters. Its last chapter is called Isha Upanishad. Krishna Yajurveda is divided into seven Kandas, or books. It has 44 Prapatakas, chapters. These Prapatakas are also divided into 631 Anuwakas. Another Samhita of this Veda, which is not found complete, like the Rigveda, is divided into Ashtakas and chapters.

Samaveda

Most of the mantras in the Samaveda are of the Rigveda. Only a few verses are new; their number is below 100. It has two parts: Purva Archik and Uttar Archik, or the First and Second parts. There are six Prapatak, or chapters, in the Purvartik. There are two sections in each Prapataka. The total number of mantras in this is 650. Uttarachik has nine Prapatakas. Its number of mantras is 1,225.

Atharvaveda

There are 20 Kandas, books, 731 Suktas and 5,987 Mantras in the Atharvaveda. In this Veda, many mantras are taken from Rigveda. In the nineteenth and twentieth Kanda, all mantras belong to the Rigveda. The first seven Kandas of Atharvaveda comprise of small suktas. In subsequent Kandas, larger suktas can be found.