Final answer:
The Vedas, inclusive of Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda, constitute significant philosophical texts of the Hindu tradition. Composed by the Indo-Aryan tribes in northern India between 1500 and 900 BCE, these scriptures explore metaphysical concepts like Brahman, dharma, and atman. The Rigveda is the oldest of these texts, codified by the Kuru dynasty around 1200 BCE.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Vedas, philosophical texts integral to Hindu tradition, include four primary scripts: the Rigveda, the Samaveda, the Yajurveda, and the Atharvaveda. These texts were composed between 1500 and 900 BCE by Indo-Aryan tribes residing in northern India. Predominantly recited by priests, these texts orally transmitted the divine word for hundreds of years.
The Vedas consist of four sections: the original hymns or mantras known as the Samhitas, the Aranyakas which provide directives on rituals, the Brahmanas being commentaries on these rituals, and the Upanishads which house philosophical reflections and epics. The Vedas represent religious and philosophical texts exploring concepts of human existence and the function of the mind. Relevant metaphysical concepts engaged within include Brahman (universal principles), dharma (individual duty), and atman (higher individual self).
The Rigveda, being the most ancient text, highlights knowledge from ten ancestral clans unified by the Kuru dynasty circa 1200 BCE. However, additional Vedic texts illuminate the practices, beliefs, and deities of the Indo-Aryans during this period.
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