trayi-vidya

Hinduism

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July 16, 2026

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The term trayi-vidya translates to "threefold knowledge" and refers to the first three of the four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, and the Samaveda. These Vedas are ancient collections of poems and hymns composed in Sanskrit by Indo-European-speaking peoples in northwest India around the 2nd millennium BCE. They formed a liturgical body used in rituals, praising various deities and cosmic phenomena. The Rigveda contains verses, the Yajurveda includes sacred formulas for sacrificial rites, and the Samaveda arranges verses for melodic recitation. The fourth Veda, the Atharvaveda, includes spells and incantations and is considered somewhat separate from the Vedic sacrifice. Brahmanism, an ancient Indian religious tradition, emerged from this earlier Vedic religion.123

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Veda
…and Sama—were known as the trayi-vidya (“threefold knowledge”). A fourth collection of hymns, magic spells, and incantations is known as the Atharvaveda (“Knowledge of the Fire Priest”), which includes various local traditions and remains partly outside the Vedic sacrifice.
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…and Sama—were known as the trayi-vidya (“threefold knowledge”). A fourth collection of hymns, magic spells, and incantations is known as the Atharvaveda (“Knowledge of the Fire Priest”), which includes various local traditions and remains partly outside the Vedic sacrifice.
Read More