ऋग्वेद
Ṛgveda
The oldest surviving religious text — 1,028 hymns to the cosmic order
The Ṛgveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and the oldest surviving text in any Indo-European language. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, it consists of 1,028 hymns (sūktas) organized into ten mandalas (books). Its hymns address cosmic deities — Agni (fire), Indra (storm-king), Soma (divine draught), Varuṇa (moral order), Sūrya (sun) — and include some of humanity's earliest philosophical speculation, including the famous Nāsadīya Sūkta (10.129) on the origin of existence and the Puruṣa Sūkta (10.90) on the cosmic person. UNESCO recognized the oral tradition of Rigvedic chanting as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2008.
Browse by Mandala
Mandala1(191 verses)▼
Mandala2(43 verses)▼
Mandala3(62 verses)▼
Mandala4(58 verses)▼
Mandala5(87 verses)▼
Mandala6(75 verses)▼
Mandala7(104 verses)▼
Mandala8(102 verses)▼
Mandala9(114 verses)▼
Mandala10(191 verses)▼
About the Ṛgveda
How old is the Rigveda?
The Rigveda is dated to c. 1500–1200 BCE, making it the oldest surviving Indo-European religious text. It was transmitted orally with perfect fidelity for nearly 3,000 years before being committed to writing. The oral tradition uses multiple overlapping recitation patterns (Pada, Krama, Jata, Ghana Patha) that function as an error-correction code.
How many mandalas and hymns does the Rigveda have?
The Rigveda has 10 mandalas (books) containing 1,028 sūktas (hymns) and approximately 10,600 verses. Mandalas 2-7 are the oldest core; mandalas 1, 8, 9, 10 were added later. Mandala 9 is entirely devoted to Soma.
What is the Nasadiya Sukta?
The Nāsadīya Sūkta (Rigveda 10.129) is the "Hymn of Creation" — one of the earliest philosophical texts questioning the origin of the universe. It opens with "There was neither non-existence nor existence then" and ends with the radical statement that even the One who watches from the highest heaven may not know the origin.
What is the Gayatri Mantra?
The Gāyatrī Mantra (Rigveda 3.62.10) is a 24-syllable verse composed by Sage Viśvāmitra, addressed to Savitṛ (the solar deity). It is considered the most sacred Hindu mantra and is traditionally chanted at sunrise, noon, and sunset. The Gayatri is called the "mother of all mantras".
Who composed the Rigvedic hymns?
The hymns are attributed to various rishi-families (drashtarah — "seers"). Key composers include Viśvāmitra (mandala 3), Vasiṣṭha (mandala 7), Bharadvāja (mandala 6), Atri (mandala 5), and the Kaṇva family (mandala 8). The rishis received the hymns as divine revelation (śruti).