The Vedas are referred to as the shruti . The Vedas are the oldest extant Hindu texts.
The ideas expressed in the Vedas were traditionally handed down orally from father to
son and from teacher to disciple. Therefore, these ideas had been in circulation for a
long time before their codification and compilation, which are attributed to a Rishi
named Veda Vyasa (literally, "the splitter of the Vedas," ). He was named that way as it
was he who was accredited with forming the large mass of knowledge and hymns of the
Vedas and 'splitting' them into comprehensible sections for the rest of humanity.
The Vedas have been divided in various ways. One simple way is to divide the Vedas
into two sections according to their subject matter:
1. The Karma Kānda ("the action part"), deals with karma, rituals, and sacrifices the
purpose of which is to attain material prosperity on earth and the benefits of heaven
after death, and
2. The Jnāna Kānda ("the knowledge part"), is concerned with the spiritual Knowledge
that brings liberation from ignorance and realization of the Ultimate Truth. The
Upanishads constitute a major portion of the Jnāna Kānda.
The Vedas are four in number. The Ṛigveda , Yajurveda, Sāmaveda and atharvaveda .
Vedas represent various shākhās, or branches, of knowledge.
