A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature c5.2030

c5.2030

The Vedas are now four in number:—(1.) *Rig*, (2.) *Yajur*, (3.) *Sāma*, (4.) *Atharva*; but the *Atharva* is of comparatively modern origin. The other three are spoken of by Manu as the “three Vedas,” and are said by him to have been “milked out, as it were,” from fire, air, and the sun. In reality the *Rig-veda* is *the* Veda, the original work; for the *Yajur* and the *Sāma* are merely different arrangements of its hymns for special purposes.