Imagine the four Vedas as grand, multi-layered tapestries, each woven from four distinct strands:

1. Samhitas
   • Core hymns and mantras, chanted at yajñas.
   • Rigveda’s ten maṇḍalas bristle with poetic praise of natural forces.
   • Samaveda rearranges Rigvedic verses into musical melodies, setting the heartbeat for later kīrtanas.
   • Yajurveda’s White (Shukla) and Black (Krishna) recensions combine ritual formulas with commentary.
   • Atharvaveda channels folk spells, healing chants and everyday concerns.

2. Brahmanas
   • Prose guides to ritual action, where symbolism meets meticulous instruction.
   • Aitareya Brahmana (Rig) unpacks cosmic origins “without skipping a beat.”
   • Shatapatha Brahmana (Yajur) reads like an ancient ritual handbook, overflowing with mythic backstory.
   • Tandya and Jaiminiya sections (Sama) clarify musical offerings.
   • Gopatha Brahmana (Atharva) stitches spells to sacrificial rites.

3. Aranyakas
   • “Forest texts” meant for sages turning inward after active priestly life.
   • Aitareya Aranyaka gently shifts focus from external rites to inner meaning.
   • Taittiriya Aranyaka (Yajur) and Kena Upanishad Brahmana episodes examine subtle philosophy.
   • Sama’s Kausitaki and Atharva’s Paippalada Aranyakas bridge ritual with introspection.

4. Upanishads
   • Pinnacle of Vedic thought—mystical dialogues on Brahman, Atman and moksha.
   • Rigveda yields Aitareya and Kaushitaki Upanishads.
   • Yajurveda offers Brihadaranyaka and Katha Upanishads—famous for “You are That.”
   • Sama’s Chandogya and Kena Upanishads pulse with cosmic wisdom, still inspiring modern mindfulness and even yoga classes leading up to International Day of Yoga each June 21.
   • Atharvaveda hosts Mundaka, Mandukya, and Prashna Upanishads, where the syllable OM takes center stage and daily meditation finds its roots.

Seen through this lens, Vedic literature resembles a nesting doll: layers of ritual give way to symbolism, which in turn unveils the heart of metaphysical inquiry. Today, social-media snippets of Vedic chanting and mindfulness retreats echo these ancient strands, proving that even after millennia, the Vedas keep the conversation alive.