RAS question
Consider the following statements about the Vedas: I. The Rigveda is the oldest Veda and primarily contains hymns addressed to deities. II. The Atharvaveda deals mainly with melodies and chants used in rituals. Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Correct answer: (A) I only.
Only statement I is correct: the Rigveda is the oldest Veda and mainly contains hymns addressed to deities, while melodies and ritual chants belong to the Samaveda, not the Atharvaveda.
Explanation
The question turns on matching each Veda with its core character. Statement I is correct because the Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and contains 1028 suktas, or hymns, addressed to deities such as Indra, Agni and Varuna. Statement II is wrong because it assigns the Samaveda's function to the Atharvaveda. The Samaveda is the Veda of melodies: it contains chants set to music for use in Soma sacrifices. The Atharvaveda, by contrast, contains spells, charms, incantations and some philosophical hymns. The cited UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage entry concerns the tradition of Vedic chanting, making the distinction between hymn, chant and incantation central to the question.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Option B accepts statement II alone, but melodies and ritual chants describe the Samaveda, whereas the Atharvaveda is associated with spells, charms, incantations and some philosophical hymns.
- (C) Option C treats both statements as correct even though statement II wrongly shifts the Samaveda's musical and ritual-chanting role to the Atharvaveda.
- (D) Option D rejects both statements, but statement I is correct because the Rigveda is the oldest Veda and is chiefly a collection of hymns to deities.
Concept
This tests the Ancient India syllabus area on Vedic literature, especially the functional differences among the four Vedas. It recurs in RAS because statement-pair questions often reward precise classification rather than broad familiarity with Vedic culture.