RIG VEDA, SANSK., from Ric or Rich, an incantation, and Veda from Vid, knowledge. It is ono of tho first or olClest of the inspired Vedas, the sacred books of the ancient Aryans, and still recognised by all Hindus. Rig signifying the science cif divination, of which it principally treats, it also teaches astronomy, astrology, natural philo sophy, and gives a particular account of the for mation of matter, and tho creation of the world. It contains 1017 hymns and 10,530 verses, doubt less the work of many men at long intervals of time. The language is archaic, involved, and elliptical ; the hymns contain very little poetry of an agreeable or elevated kind, a few mixed with the most ignoble and unsuitable allusions.
The deities which the Rig Veda invoke are elemental, i.e. personifications of earth, fire and water, and the winds, etc. In the 3d Ashlaka, Agni has 44 hymns addressed to Min ; the next to him in number eornes Indra with 48; and after them, the 3farut, or the personified winds, have the largest number of hymns.
Roth calculated that tho mere Sanhita or metrical portion of the Vedas, as distinguished from tho 13rahmana or later ritual appended to each, contains not less than 30,000 couplets, of which 11,000 go to the Rig Veda.
Tho Rig Veda ia the chief of the four Vedas, tho others, the Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and the Atharva Veda, come after it. The h3mins of the
Rig or Rich Veda are repeated entirely in a dis jointed form in the Sama, and with little altera tion in the Atharva also. The Yajur Veda con tains principally forms of prayer. The Atharva Veda evidently belongs to a much later age than the rest. Each hymn is called a sakta, of which there lye about 1000, arranged into 8 ashtaka or khanda of unequal extent. Another division is into 10 mandala, subdivided into 100 anuvaka. Each hymn has a rishi or inspired writer for its author. Portions of the Rig Veda had been translated by F. Rosen, 3f. Langlois, and Professor Wilson • but Professor 3fax Muller rendered the whole of it into English, and published the text, mantra. In the hymns of the Rig Veda the Ruth inaniail or East Aryan tribes are shown advane ing step by step along the rivers of the Panjab into the plains of the holy land, Brahmavarta, often at war with mighty kings, or engaged in hostilities with each other, each immigrating tribe pushing those in advance of them farther and farther to the south.—Garrell ; Max Muller ; Rep. Brit. Ass. 1847. See Sanhita ; Veda,