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2. DATES OF VEDAS
CHAPTER 2
THE PROBLEM OF THE DATES OF RIG VEDA
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Vedas
The religion of the Vedic period can be called Vedism to distinguish it from the modern Hiduism since they differ considerably Texts dating to the Vedic period, composed in "Vedic Sanskrit". It is closely related to Avestan (the Language of Avesta the zoroastrian scripture), the oldest preserved Iranian language The only book that can be confidently placed in this period (pre- Christian Period) is, only the Rig Veda excluding Mandalal I and X. Other Samhitas and Brahmanas and Upanishads came later in the post-Christian period and are written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit came into existence only during the second century AD. Rig Veda itself came to be written down only by the 2nd century BC. To the rishis, the hymns of the Rigveda and other Vedic hymns were divinely revealed, and they were considered "hearers" (shruti means "what is heard"), rather than "authors". Hence any attempt on the part of the scientific community is thwarted by the Hindu religious men.
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