When Agni, having entered the waters, burned, where the (gods) who uphold the order (of the universe) rendered homage (to Agni), there, they say, is thy origin on high: do thou feel for us, and spare us, O takman!

The Rig Veda, core of the Hindu scriptural canon, is a collection of over a thousand hymns; above all it is a glorious song of praise to the gods, the cosmic powers at work in nature and in man.The presentation of the twelve hymns in this book makes available a portion of one of the major scriptures of humanity in contemporary idioms (English, French, German, and Spanish) that reflect the quality, substance, and form of the original.

The earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas, and the first extensive composition to survive in any Indo-European language, the Rig Veda (c. 1200-900 BC) is a collection of over 1,000 individual Sanskrit hymns. A work of intricate beauty, it provides a unique insight into early Indian mythology, religion and culture. This selection of 108 of the hymns, chosen for their eloquence and wisdom, focuses on the enduring themes of creation, sacrifice, death, women, the sacred plant soma and the gods. Inspirational and profound, it provides a fascinating introduction to one of the founding texts of Hindu scripture - an awesome and venerable ancient work of Vedic ritual, prayer, philosophy, legend and faith.

Description: Are the Vedas three or four in number? The Western scholars basing their arguments on the Purusasukta and the word abhicara meaning sorcery and charms have concluded that the Vedas are three and Atharvaveda does not belong to the main body as it deals with black magic. This conclusion is wrong; for, the Atharvaveda deals with all those evils that have plagued mankind from the dawn of creation and suggests remedies in the form of medicines and prayers. From the point of view usefulness, the Atharvaveda is the best for man, as it has prayers for his well-being. longevity, progeny and happy domestic life. Devi Chand's translation is based on Swami Dayanand's interpretation. He has also made use of the commentaries of eminent Indian and foreign Vedic scholars. He has spared no pains to bring home the message of the Atharvaveda to contemporary man. The notes, index and the introduction add to the value of this book. All those interested to find solutions to the myriad problems that affect them everyday shall find this book highly useful.