The sacred books of ancient India. The Sanskrit word veda means
"knowledge", more particularly "sacred book". In its widest
sense the term designates not only the sacred texts, but also
the voluminous theological and philosophical literature attached
thereto, the Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, and Sutras (see
BRAHMINISM). But usually the term veda applies only to the four
collections (Samhitas) of hymns and prayers composed for
different ritualistic purposes: the Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-
Veda, and Atharva-Veda. Of these only the first three were
originally regarded as canonical; the fourth attained to this
position after a long struggle. The language of the Vedas is an
artificial literary language fully perfected, and is not a mere
popular dialect. In this respect it resembles the later
classical Sanskrit, from which it differs considerably in
phonology and inflections. Though differences exist in the
language of the four Vedas, still there is such agreement on
cardinal points as against later Sanskrit t