Index of Rigveda Wiki

The Ṛgveda is the oldest surviving scripture of the Vedic tradition and one of humanity’s most ancient spiritual treasures. Composed by visionary seers (ṛṣis), it is a poetic window into how the early Vedic mind experienced the universe. In the Ṛgveda, life is embraced as sacred—woven into the cosmic order (ṛta) where gods, humans, and nature sustain one another in a living reciprocity. This wiki is dedicated to unfolding that world: to present the Rigveda’s gods, myths, symbols, and insights in a way that is clear, accessible, and faithful to the original verses, while inviting readers to explore their enduring meaning today.

The Ṛgvedic seers did not view life as something to be escaped or transcended. Their vision was rooted in co-thriving with the living cosmos. The gods are the sustaining pillars of cosmic order (ṛta), and human beings are called to live in harmony with them. The relationship between gods and humans is reciprocal—offerings are given to the gods so that both divine and human spheres can flourish together.

Far from rejecting desire, the seers recognized desire (kāma) as the very seed of creation and existence itself. Some later traditions introduced a different outlook: life was defined primarily as suffering (duḥkha), desire was condemned as its cause, and renunciation became the only escape.

The Ṛgvedic view was more balanced. Life is a blend of joy and sorrow, both of which have to be embraced. Even suffering is not to be rejected outright but transmuted into strength and insight. Active engagement with life is essential as existence cannot be shunned.

In their visions, the seers saw divinity as the supreme light of the highest heaven, ordering the cosmos from above. Yet this transcendent light was too lofty to be grasped directly. Instead, it manifested in multiple forms, as the various gods experienced in the poets’ inspired revelations. Even devotion to these gods was not about transcending existence—it was about practical engagement. Since the gods exist and uphold the world, they must be honored and harmonized with, if human beings are to thrive within reality.

The afterlife was acknowledged in Ṛgveda but not made central. For the seers, if one lived in harmony with cosmic order here, then a good afterlife naturally awaited. There was no obsession with what lay beyond; the emphasis was always on living well in the present, in tune with gods, nature, and community.