The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2626 page)

(Skt.,
va
, ‘blow’). Indian god of wind and warfare. He was born from the breath of
Puru
a
and was the first to drink
soma
. He is the subtle pervader of all space and one of the guardians (see LOKAP
LA) of the quarters. He came to be seen as the vital guarantor of
pr
a
.

 
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(Skt., ‘knowledge’). The body of sacred knowledge held to be the basis of true belief and practice among Hindus. Through it the knower contacts the divinities, or discovers the universal foundation of things, thereby attaining to his desires and overcoming all that is undesirable. The Veda is
ruti
, and is thus authoritative, in that it is held to be eternal (
san
tana
) and of non-human origin (
apauru
eya
). In ancient times, it is held, the Veda was ‘heard’ (
ruti) or ‘seen’ by priestly seers (
is
), and it is the families descended from these seers who have preserved it through oral transmission. Originally the Veda consisted of two parts:
mantras
(verses of invocation and praise) and
Br
hma
as
(discussions of the proper use of mantras in ritual settings, and explanation of the mythic background of the verses). Later the Veda was extended to include two further groups:
ra
yakas
and
Upani
ads
. The mantra portions were organized into collections (samhit
s) associated with particular aspects of the
Vedic
sacrifice
and with particular priests. Of these, three were at first recognized as Veda: the
g Veda
,
S
ma