'Veda' means knowledge. The Vedas are the sacred texts for Hindu rituals and for the religion itself.
RigVeda, YajurVeda, AtharvaVeda and SamaVeda are the four Vedas.
The Rig Veda comprises of 1028 hymns in praise of various gods. These hymns or 'Suktas' are arranged in 10 'Mandalas' or books.
The Yajur Veda is mostly prose and makes use of the Rig Veda to explain sacrifices.
The Atharva Veda is a collection of spells and charms.
The Sama Veda is almost wholly drawn from the Rig Veda.
The Brahmanas are attached to each Veda as commentaries.
The Aranyakas are philosophical doctrines.
The Upanishads deal with spiritual topics such as the Universal Soul, The Absolute, the origin of the world and the mysteries of Nature.
The Vedangas , Upa Vedas, Sutras, Smritis and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata are sacred Hindu scriptures.
All the above mentioned scriptures are part of the Vedic Literature.
All the above works are in Sanskrit.
Jyotisha Vedanga explains the science of astrology. Public rituals are delineated in the rauta and Shulba Sutras of the Kalpa Vedanga, domestic rites in the Grihya Sutras. The Dharma Shastras are the source of religious law.. The knowledge of phonetics, grammar, poetry and the way of words in other Vedangas ensure the purity of mantra recitation.
The Upavedas reveal profound sciences: statecraft in the Arthaveda; medicine and health in Ayurveda; military science in the Dhanurveda; music and the arts in Gandharvaveda; and architecture in Sthapatyaveda. In addition, the Kama Sutras detail erotic pleasures. The Agamas have their ancillary texts as well, which elaborate the ancient wisdom, such as the Upagamas and Paddhatis.
This body of secondary scriptures is not necessarily regarded with the same degree of reverence as the Vedas and Agamas proper. They are considered Smriti, "that which is remembered," and are written by man, whereas the Vedas and Agamas are Shruti, "That which is heard," and are revealed by God. Some look at the smriti as scripture, others consider it sacred literature.
The above addendum is taken from Dancing with Siva, Hinduism's Contemporary Catechism, by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, found at:
