Rigveda made Easy

The Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas which date back thousands of years before Christ. The Vedas are in Sanskrit language. In present times, our education system does not include Sanskrit as compulsory language of teaching. Absence of knowledge of Sanskrit language among masses deprived the maximum population from the Hindu treasure of knowledge.
 
In the Rig-Veda, Agni (Fire) is called the "first born of creation," and represents the pure and primordial energy of the universe that was created at the moment of Big Bang. At this moment two "numinous" forces, "Prakriti," the creative power of the Supreme Spirit of the universe, and "Purusha," the omniscient and all-pervasive mind of the cosmos, united to create the "phenomenal" universe. The Rig-Veda tells us that this primal energy later transforms into (1) the energy of life (Vaishvanar Agni), (2) the energy of thought (Pragya Agni), and (3) the Radiation energy (Taijas Agni).
 
Why Rigveda is so Precious –

1. The stories within the Rig Veda called the Suktas were a reflection of the Hindu philosophy and belief system.
2. Several Hymns in Rigveda were used for ritualistic purposes in marriages and other religious ceremonies. There are other interesting iterations of the Suktas which were purposed to drive away illness and other forms of negativity from one’s life.
3. The Rigveda also describes the several infinitely good and great qualities of God. God possess many attributes including: Omnipotence, Rulership, Omniscience, Transcendence, Extraordinary brilliance, having a cosmic form, Being the inner controller, Incomparability etc. He is the greatest friend and protector of his devotees. He is very generous and fulfils all their desires. He is supremely adorable.
4. In Rigveda, the Mantras are indicative. There is simile used is the Mantras. The hidden meanings / implications of various mantras of Rigveda are based on translations of commentaries of Swami Dayananda Saraswati done by Swami Dharmanand Saraswati or by Dr Krishnakant Vedic Shastri.

 
Why Rigvedic hymns praise Vedic deities - 
The Rigveda is composed of ten Mandalas each of which serves significant purposes. The primary purpose is seen as verses in the praise of the Hindu deities. The Rigvedic hymns are dedicated to various deities which are different from the present-day deities. As per Hinduism, there is only one God who is Formless, All pervasive, the cosmic consciousness. This cosmic consciousness manifested into three worlds, the upper, lower and middle regions.
 
In Rig Veda (Mandala 3.62.10), the highly revered mantra i.e., Gayatri Mantra is mentioned. Its recitation is traditionally preceded by Om and the formula bhur bhuvaḥ svaḥ. Om - Primeval sound; Bhur - Earth, Physical realm, Human Body; Bhuva - Antariksha, Intermediate Space, Consciousness, Prana, Vital energies; Suvah - Sky, Heaven, Soul, Spiritual realm, bliss. The Vedic Deities are classified into these three realms and represent the nature forces. The hymns are to praise and please these Vedic deities for material and other gains.
 

1. Terrestrial Gods – Prithvi - Earth; Agni - Fire; Soma – a sacred plant; Apas - the waters;
2. Atmospheric (mid-region) Gods – Indra - the God of Thunder and Rain; Vayu or Vata - Air; Maruts - the Wind Gods; Parjanya - the God of rain and water
3. Heavenly Gods – Varuna - the all-comprehending sky; Ashwins - representing the morning and evening stars; Surya – Sun as source of light, Savita & fertility; Savitri – Dawn, solar deity before sunrise; Mitra - as beneficent energy; Usha – the dawn; Dyaus Pita - the shining sky, Father Heaven; Pushan - as source of plant life and agriculture; Vishnu - as the swift moving Sun; Adityas – the gods of light & rays;

 
Why Rigveda is having so many chapters -
Rig-Veda is organized in 10 books called Mandalas. The verses of each mandala (book) are generally composed by single rishi family. These mandalas have 1028 suktas (chapters). These suktas have10552 mantras (hymns). These mandalas are composed by various rishi families based on divine inspirations.
 
The first and 10th Mandalas are the youngest and the longest books. Second to Seventh Mandalas are oldest parts of Rig-Veda but the shortest books. 8th and 9th books are of mixed ages.
 
What is the Composition of Rigveda -
Rigveda Samhita is the composition of verses, called as Rik, meaning praise.  
 

1. Mandala 1 (191 hymns) is primarily dedicated to deities like Agni, Indra, and Varuna. This includes the philosophical Riddle Hymn, which influenced later Upanishads such as the Mundaka. It is attributed to Maducchanda, Medhatithi, Gotama & many more rishis.
2. Mandala 2 (43 hymns): It focuses on Agni and Indra and is attributed to Rishi Gṛitsamada Saunahotra.
3. Mandala 3 (62 hymns): It hymns to Agni, Indra, and the Vishvedevas, with the significant inclusion of the Gayatri Mantra. It is attributed to rishi Vishvamitra.
4. Mandala 4 (58 hymns): It comprises hymns to Agni, Indra, and Rbhus, among others and is attributed to Vamadeva Gautama.
5. Mandala 5 (87 hymns): It addresses Agni, Indra, Visvedevas, Maruts, and twin-deity Mitra-Varuna, mainly attributed to the Atri.
6. Mandala 6 (75 hymns): It is dedicated to Agni, Indra, and a broad range of deities and is associated with the Bharadwaja.
7. Mandala 7 (104 hymns): It contains hymns to Agni, Indra, Visvadevas, and other deities and is attributed to Vasistha.
8. Mandala 8 (103 hymns): It includes various hymns to different gods, with the Valakhilya hymns considered apocryphal. It is associated with the rishis Kaṇva and Angirasa.
9. Mandala 9 (114 hymns): It is exclusively devoted to Soma Pavamana, related to the sacred potion in Vedic rituals. It is associated with the different rishis.
10. Mandala 10 (191 hymns): It contains later language hymns to Agni, Indra, and others; includes significant hymns like the Nadistuti sukta (praise of rivers) and the Nasadiya sukta (speculations on creation). It is attributed to Vimada, Indra, Shachi and many others.

 
Who brought Rigveda to Masses -
In the 14th century, Sayana who lived in 1300 during Vijayanagar empire, wrote an exhaustive commentary on the complete text of the Rigveda in his book Rigveda Samhita. This book was translated from Sanskrit to English by Max Müller in the year 1856. Others are H. H. Wilson (1850-1888), Ralph T. H. Griffith (1889-1892), Swami Satya Prakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidyalankar (1977-1987), R. L. Kashyap (Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of Vedic Culture, 2004-2009), Prasanna Chandra Gautam (2012), Tulsi Ram (2013), Swami Dharmanand Saraswati (based on commentaries of Swami Dayanand Saraswati) and Stephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton (2014).