|Part of a series on| The Vedas (Sanskrit वेदाः véda,
"knowledge") are a large body of texts originating in ancient
India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the
oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of
Hinduism. The Vedas are apauruṣeya ("not of human agency"). They
are supposed to have been directly revealed, and thus are called
śruti ("what is heard"), distinguishing them from other
religious texts, which are called smṛti ("what is remembered").
The Vedic texts or śruti are organized around four canonical
collections of metrical material known as Saṃhitās, of which the
first three are related to the performance of yajna (sacrifice)
in historical Vedic religion: - The Rigveda, containing hymns to
be recited by the hotar, or presiding priest; - The Yajurveda,
containing formulas to be recited by the adhvaryu or officiating
priest; - The Samaveda, containing formulas to be sung by the
udgatar or priest that chants; - The fourth is the Atharvaveda,
a collection of spells a