Atharvaveda
one of four Vedas, ancient scriptures of Hinduism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद) is one of the four Vedas in Hinduism. It is known as the “knowledge storehouse of procedures for everyday life."[3] This Veda is the fourth one and was added later to the Vedic scriptures.[4][5][6] The language of the Atharvaveda is different from the Rigveda.[7] It has 730 hymns with about 6,000 mantras, divided into 20 books.[8] Some parts of it are taken from the Rigveda. There are two versions of the text - Paippalāda and Śaunakīya.[9] A well-preserved version of the Paippalāda was found in Odisha in 1957.[10]
The Atharvaveda is sometimes referred to as the "Veda of magical formulas,"[11] but the description is hardly apt.[12] It has rituals for daily life, such as learning, marriage, and funerals, as well as royal rituals and duties of court priests.[13] It was compiled probably around 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, concurrently with the Samaveda and Yajurveda.[14] It too carries philosophical texts and three vital Upanishads known as Mundaka, Mandukya, and Prashna Upanishads.[15][16]
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References
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