A Wisdom Archive on Samhitas

The Samhita (Sanskrit: "joined" or "collected") is the basic text of each of the Vedas, comprising collections of hymns and ritual texts. This term was originally used in reference to the style of recitation used during hymns and chants. In the Vedas the Samhitas are supplemented by later explanatory commentaries, notably the Brahmanas and Upanishads. The term is also sometimes spelled 'Sanhita'. Other related archivesBrahmanas, Sanskrit, Upanishads, Vedas, chants, hymns,

Read more here: » Samhita: Encyclopedia - Samhita

The Mantra-Samhitas : The Rig-Veda Samhita is the grandest book of the Hindus, the oldest and the best. It is the Great Indian Bible, which no Hindu would forget to adore from the core of his heart. Its style, the language and the tone are most beautiful and mysterious. Its immortal Mantras embody the greatest truths of existence, and it is perhaps the greatest treasure in all the scriptural literature of the world. Its priest is called the Hotri.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Mantra-Samhitas: The Mantra-Samhitas in the Hindu Scriptures

The Ashtavakra Gita , also known as Ashtavakra Samhita , is a treatise that offers simple recipes for almost instant liberation. Swami Shantananda of Vasistha Guha calls it “a quantum leap into the absolute”.
 
A unique treatise on the non-dualistic advaita philosophy , the Ashtavakra Gita “guarantees to transport a seeker instantaneously from time to eternity, from the relative to the absolute and from bondage to liberation”, writes Swami Shantananda.

 
(See also: Ashtavakra Gita, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Ashtavakra Gita: Ashtavakra's Guide To Instant Nirvana  

Vedas are four in number: The Rig Veda , the Sama Veda , the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda . Each of these four Vedas has four parts: the Samhita, the Brahmana, the Aranyaka, and a number of Upanishads. The first three parts of all the Vedas are collectively called the Vedas , and the fourth and the last, the Upanishads, are collectively called Vedanta .
 
These four parts of the Vedas represent the historical order of their development over millennia. The Samhitas are the most ancient, and of them, the Rig Veda Samhita is the earliest. The Samhitas are considered the Vedas proper; the Brahmanas , the Aranyakas and the Upanishads are periodic additions, made by way of growing with the changing times.

 
(See also: The Vedas, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » The Vedas: Physics is the New Bhashya of Vedanta  

The Friendly Treatises and the Commanding Treatises : There are four books under this heading: The Valmiki-Ramayana, the Yogavasishtha, The Mahabharata and the Harivamsa. These embody all that is in the Vedas, but only in a simpler manner. These are called the Suhrit-Samhitas or the Friendly Treatises, while the Vedas are called the Prabhu-Samhitas or the Commanding Treatises with great authority. These works explain the great universal truths in the form of historical narratives, stories and dialogues
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Itihasas: The Itihasas in the Hindu Scriptures

The Puranas are of the same class as the Itihasas. They have five characteristics (Pancha-Lakshana) viz., history, cosmology (with various symbolical illustrations of philosophical principles), secondary creation, genealogy of kings and of Manvantaras. All the Puranas belong to the class of Suhrit-Samhitas.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Puranas: The Puranas in the Hindu Scriptures