“Vedic literature is divided into two main categories, the saṁhitās or 'collections', most of which are in verse, and the commentaries or brāmaṇas, most of which are in prose. The three main saṁhitās are the Ṛg Veda, the Yajur Veda, and the Sāma Veda; the Atharva Veda, a later text, is sometimes listed as the fourth. The Ṛg Veda consists of hymns, most of which are addressed to one or more gods. The Yajur and the Sāma Vedas contain ritual formulas and chants, the Atharva Veda, mostly magical spells. The brāmaṇas consist primarily of explanations of the elements of the sacrifice; appended to them are the more esoteric āraṇyakas ('forest books') and upaniṣads. Properly speaking, all of this is Veda; normally, however, when people speak of the Vedas, they are referring to the saṁhitās and in particular the Ṛg Veda, which is the most important of the saṁhitās.”¹