The Positive Background of Hindu Sociology c9.s1.3

c9.s1.3

As for the *Atharva Veda* it seems to be a specialized collection of certain items and incidents in the "folk lore" of the age of which the "culture lore" was collected in the three other *Samhitās*. One can easily understand that the *Rik Samhitā* wanted to bring together the *Riks* (hymns) exclusively. This is why the charms, incantations, medical recipes, the manners and customs of the people etc., did not happen to find a place there. It is in these aspects of Vedic life that the *Atharva Samhitā* specialized. But simply because one specialization led to the collection of the *Riks* and the other to that of spells and incantations etc. we cannot be automatically forced to believe that the world of *Ṛiks* had nothing to do with the other items of life. Normally speaking, we should hold that the material of the *Atharva Veda* is as old as that of the *Rig Veda*. Oldest Vedic life comprised the experiences embodied in both these collections.