Rigveda, is the first and oldest of the four Hindu Vedas. In Sanskrit, the language in which it was composed, it is referred to as Ṛgveda (ऋग्वेद), which is translated as “verse” or “hymn” (Ṛg) and “knowledge” (veda). The work is often referred to more specifically as the Ṛgveda Saṃhitā; saṃhitā means “collection” and is one of four genres within each of the Vedas.