It is customary to speak of the 'Age' of the Vedas. The sacred
books-of Buddhism, Christianity and Islam have dates assigned to them by the votaries of
the respective religions. The Buddhist Tripitakas
are said to have been written
about the time of Asoka, though according to certain authorities, Buddha's age can be
carried to many centuries earlier.
The New Testament originated about 2,000 years ago.
The Koran, which is the Word of God conveyed to the Prophet, was written about 1,200 years
ago. All these holy books have historical dates assigned to them. But it is
different with the Vedas. No one can say with any certainty when they came into
being.
Yet,
Orientalists are anxious to discover when they were 'composed'. Some of them say it
was in 1,500 B.C. Others say, 3,000 B.C. Lokmanya Tilak fixed it at 6,000 B.C. and some
Orientalists agree with him and others differ from him. Modem Orientalists are
inclined to bring the date further down.
Author - Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati
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