The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. They were composed between about 1500 and 1000 BC. These texts constitute the oldest of Sanskrit literature and the scriptures of Hinduism. Hindus consider the Vedas to be apauruṣeya, which means "not of a man, superhuman" and "impersonal, authorless".

The Vedas have been broken down into four categories; Samhitas are known as the hymns, the Brahmanas are the rituals, the Aranyakas are the theologies and the Upanishads are the philosophies. The Brahmanas are ritualistic texts and include precepts and religious duties. Each Veda has several Brahmanas attached to it. The Upanishads form the last part of the Vedas. Hence, they are called the Vedanta or the end of the Veda and contains the essence of Vedic teachings. The Upanishads and the Aranyakas are the concluding portions of the Brahmanas, which discuss philosophical problems. The Aranyakas (forest texts) intend to serve as objects of meditation for ascetics who live in forests and deal with mysticism and symbolism.

These scriptures are supposed to encourage a human to understand that one isn’t an independent entity, rather he is a part of a universal body, depending on many higher forces. The most important lesson of these four Vedas is to learn that everyone has to accept higher authorities. If one connects up with these divine forces through the proper form and contents, then one shall benefit materially and experience peace and harmony.

This culture is the common origin of many Indian religions considered to be “heretical” by the Indian traditional priestly class. Charvaka, Jainism, and Buddhism, among other movements, originated around this time, encouraged by the gradual decay of the priestly orthodoxy.