• The Vedic literature consists of the four Vedas – Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. The Sama Veda is set to tune for the purpose of chanting during sacrifice. It is called the book of chants and the origins of Indian music are traced in it.

• Besides the Vedas, there are other sacred works, like the Brahmanas, the Upanishads, the Aranyakas and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

• The Brahmanas are the treatises relating to prayer and sacrificial ceremony. The Upanishads are philosophical texts dealing with topics like the soul, the absolute, the origin of the world and the mysteries of nature.

• The Aranyakas are called forest books and they deal with mysticism, rites, rituals and sacrifices.