SSC
Which is the shortest among the four Vedas?
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Answer: Option C — Samaveda
Detailed Solution
The Samaveda is generally regarded as the shortest of the four Vedas. It contains about 1,875 verses (mantras), most of which, about 1,800, are taken from the Rigveda, especially from its eighth and ninth mandalas. Only about 75 verses are original to the Samaveda.
The word "Samaveda" comes from "saman", meaning "melody" or "song". The Samaveda is the Veda of chants and melodies. Its verses were arranged and set to music to be sung by a class of priests called "Udgatris" during sacrifices, especially the Soma sacrifice. It is regarded as the source of Indian classical music; the seven notes (swaras) of Indian music are believed to have developed from its chants. Its upaveda is Gandharvaveda (the science of music and dance).
The four Vedas:
- Rigveda: the oldest, a collection of hymns in praise of gods (1,028 hymns in 10 mandalas); recited by the Hotri priest.
- Samaveda: the book of chants; sung by the Udgatri priest.
Yajurveda: the book of sacrificial formulae and rituals, in prose and verse; used by the Adhvaryu priest. It has two branches: Shukla (White) Yajurveda, with only mantras, and Krishna (Black) Yajurveda, which mixes mantras with prose explanations.
Atharvaveda: the book of magic spells, charms, medicine and everyday life, dealing with diseases, prosperity and protection from evil; it is associated with the Brahman priest who supervised rituals. It was recognised as a Veda later than the other three.
Each Veda has four parts: the Samhitas (collections of hymns), the Brahmanas (ritual texts), the Aranyakas (forest texts) and the Upanishads (philosophical texts). The Upanishads are also called Vedanta, the "end of the Vedas". There are 108 Upanishads; "Satyameva Jayate", India's national motto, comes from the Mundaka Upanishad.
The upavedas (subsidiary Vedas) are Ayurveda (medicine, with the Rigveda), Dhanurveda (archery and warfare, with the Yajurveda), Gandharvaveda (music, with the Samaveda) and Shilpaveda or Arthaveda (architecture and arts, with the Atharvaveda).
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Rigveda is the oldest and largest.
- ✗The Yajurveda deals with sacrificial rituals.
- ✗The Atharvaveda deals with spells, charms and medicine.
Quick tip
Remember: Samaveda = shortest, chants (Udgatri), origin of Indian music (upaveda Gandharvaveda); Rigveda = oldest (Hotri); Yajurveda = rituals (Adhvaryu; Shukla and Krishna); Atharvaveda = magic and medicine.
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Vedic Period — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Vedic Period, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Vedic period followed the arrival of the Indo-Aryans and is divided into the Early (Rig Vedic) and Later Vedic ages. This topic covers the four Vedas, the Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads, Vedic society, polity, economy and religion, and the rivers and gods mentioned in Vedic texts. Exams often ask which Veda deals with what (the Sama Veda with music, the Atharva Veda with charms and medicine), the most important Rig Vedic god (Indra), and Vedic assemblies such as the Sabha and Samiti. Note how society changed from the Early to the Later Vedic age, especially the rise of the varna system and the growth of kingship. Practise the Vedic period questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.