(“collection”) Hymns to Vedic deities, benedictions,
petitions, charms, and litanies make up the Vedas' most ancient literary
stratum.
The phrase denotes that this collection of writings has a
variety of crucial elements, not only in terms of cognitive content, but also
in terms of their efficacy as mantras (sacred sound).
The samhitas were sung during sacrificial rituals and are
the oldest existing Hindu tradition.
Following the samhitas come the three further literary
levels: the Brahmanas, which are basically manuals outlining proper sacrifice
performance, and the Aranyakas and Upanishads, which address speculative
questions concerning the sacrifice's potency.
