... (devotional) Vedas. The Vedas are the liturgy of the ancient Vedic religion, the basis of Sanatana Dharma, or Hindu religion, and among the oldest of any existing scriptures. The texts are sruti texts, which means that they were actually the words of the Unseen Divine, heard by the ancient sages, or rishis. The word sruti is Sanskrit for "what is heard." The rishis heard the breath of eternal truth after they had "so thoroughly cleansed their minds that they were transparent to external truth." (Anthology of Living Religions, 62) There are two versions of the Rig Veda: the Samhitapatha, which is the more "original" text and which is used for recitation, and the Padapatha, which is used for memorization and study (Haryana Online). This hymn is from the English translation by Ralph T.H. Griffith of the Samhitapatha. The origin of the Rig Veda is a topic of debate. Some say that ...

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