With elaborate notes on legends of the Vedas, the book attempts to study various aspects of the Vedas. It presents a detailed study of Indian traditionalists on the Vedic literature, beginning from Veda Vyasa to Sayana and other acaryas including modern saint-scholars. It also views researches of the Western scholars and historians who have critically studied various aspects of the Vedic corpus. It conducts an in-depth exploration of the commentaries on the Vedas, focusing on noted traditional Vedic commentators like Yaska, Jaimini, Kumarila Bhatta, Sayana and Mahidhara as also the modern Indian commentators including Swami Dayananda, S.D. Satavalekar, Sri Aurobindo, Devi Chand, Sriram Sharma and the Western commentators like H.H. Wilson, F. Max Müller, R. Roth, A. Weber, W.D. Whitney, A.B. Keith, and R.T.H. Griffith.
The volume deliberates on definition of the Vedas, division of the Vedas and various shakhas of the five Samhitas as well as a list of Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyaka and Upanishad that are extant. It delves into details of the Rigvedic Mandalas and the Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda with reference to their subject matter, divisions and even their cultural value. It also examines the phenomenon of oral tradition, especially in conveying the Vedas and secret of preserving the Vedas–Vedic chanting. It has numerous illustrations that include maps, charts and pictures. |
