5 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda

In this article I share 5 interesting facts about the Rigveda, which is an ancient Indian Hindu sacred collection of hymns and is among the most sacred Hindu works.

Presented below are 5 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda.

#1 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda
Rig Veda is the oldest existing text in any Indo-European language. Rig Veda was composed around 1700 BC with the oldest parts as early as 2000 BC. Source.

When Europe and Arab lands were populated by barbaric hunter gatherers, Hindu philosophers were composing awesome hymns!

#2 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda
Rig Veda is the world's oldest religious text in continuous use.

4000 years of unbroken tradition is something unheard of anywhere else in the world ! In Western countries, given their extreme materialism, even children don't take care of their parents, so tradition is an alien concept for them.

#3 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda
The Rig Veda was not written down until ~500 AD. From 2000 BC till 1900, Rig Veda was transmitted orally from generation to generation by Brahmins.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

In order to achieve this difficult task, Brahmins developed an elaborate and a meticulous systems of recitation, and managed to transmit the Rig Veda with purity despite Greek invasion, Huns and bloody and terrorizing Muslim invasions.

An amazing feat which has never happened anywhere else in the world!

#4 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda 
The Rig Veda is organized as Mandala (books), sukta (hymns) and riks (prayers). There are total of 10 mandalas, 1028 hymns and 10552 riks.

And these books and the number of hymns in each book, have a hidden astronomical code encoding facts about the passage of the sun and the moon. Source

#5 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda  
The most popular Rishi family (composer) is that of the Angiras who have composed 35% of the hymns followed by the Kanva family who have composed 25% of Rig Veda.

What is most interesting is  that there were many women Rishis even 4000 years back. Even today in many places like Saudi,women are treated like cattle, but in ancient India women were held in high esteem

Source:
Rigveda
11 Amazing Facts about Rig Veda
Astronomical Code of Rig Veda

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