Rigveda

The Rigveda (Sanskrit: ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise, verse"^[1] and veda "knowledge") is a sacred Indo-Aryan collection ofVedic Sanskrit hymns^[2] still being used in India. It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of Hinduism known as theVedas.^{[note 1]}

It is one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language.^[3] Philological and linguistic evidence indicate that the Rigveda was composed in the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, most likely between c. 1500–1200 BCE,^[4][5][6] though a wider approximation of c. 1700–1100 BCE has also been given.^{[7][8][note 2]}

The Rigveda contains several mythological and poetical accounts of the origin of the world, hymns praising the gods, and ancient prayers for life, prosperity, etc.^[11] Some of its verses are still recited as Hindu prayers, at religious functions and other occasions, making it probably the world's oldest religious texts in continued use.^[12]