Talageri’s RigVeda

Abstract

This article examines Shrikant Talageri’s analysis of the Rigveda, emphasizing its chronological layers and implications for understanding Vedic history. Talageri builds on 19^th-century insights to categorize the Rigveda into older Family Books (2-7) and younger Books (1, 8, 9, 10), arguing for a historical evolution within the text. His work challenges traditional Hindu views that treat the Rigveda as a unified, divine creation, instead highlighting its human authorship and temporal development. Talageri’s approach disputes the Aryan Immigration Theory by presenting the Rigveda as an indigenous product of Bronze-Age India, with early layers situated in the east and later ones in the northwest. This framework provokes resistance from both conservative Hindus, who reject the dissection of their sacred texts, and proponents of the Immigration Theory, who resist a high chronology for older books. Talageri’s candid interpretation continues to redefine scholarly discourse on the RigVeda’s composition and historical significance.