Which of the following Vedas is the most ancient?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, Rigveda. The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas — a collection of hymns organised in ten mandalas, composed in archaic Vedic Sanskrit and addressed mainly to nature deities such as Indra, Agni, and Varuna. The other three Vedas (Sama, Yajur, Atharva) were composed later and draw on Rigvedic material for much of their content.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Consists largely of verses adapted from the Rigveda itself and set to musical notation for chanting during the Soma sacrifice — later than the Rigveda, not independent of it.  (c) A manual of sacrificial formulae (mantras and prose) for performing yajnas — composed after the Rigveda.  (d) The last of the four Vedas to gain full canonical acceptance, containing charms, spells, and social material — the most recent of the four, not the oldest.

Concept: The four Vedas form a broadly chronological sequence rather than a parallel set: Rigveda (oldest, hymns of praise) precedes Samaveda (a musical adaptation of Rigvedic verses for chanting), Yajurveda (sacrificial formulae), and Atharvaveda (youngest, charms/spells and social material, last to gain full canonical acceptance).

State PCS 2024 Q69 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2024 Q69 — History PYQ with Answer