The Rig-Veda Samhita is the oldest significant extant Indian text. Both Samaveda and Yajurveda are concerned with rituals rather than philosophy - especially Yajurveda. Samaveda is in verses that are to be sung and Yajurveda is largely in short prose passages. The whole of Rgveda and most of Atharvaveda are in the form of poetry, or hymns to the deities and the elements. Vedic literature refers to the whole of this vast group of literature. There are also auxiliary texts called Vedangas.
The portions interpreting the philosophy of the original texts constitute the Upanishads. The Brahmana again has two portions, one interpreting ritual and the other the philosophy. Each group has an original text (Mantra) and a commentary portion (Brahmana). The Vedas are divided into four groups, Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. They came to us in written form between 4-6,000 years ago. They are supposed to have been passed through oral tradition for over 100,000 years.
They date back to the beginning of Indian civilization and are the earliest literary records of the whole Aryan race. The Vedas are perhaps the oldest written text on our planet today.
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