Samhita

Samhita is a Sanskrit term meaning a collection or compilation. In Indian literary and religious tradition, it denotes a canonical body of texts that gathers hymns, mantras, or knowledge into a single corpus. The term is used most prominently for two kinds of literature: the Vedic Samhitas and later scholarly compendia that retain the sense of compilation.

In the Vedic tradition, the four Vedas are organized as Samhitas: Rigveda Samhita, Yajurveda Samhita, Samaveda Samhita, and Atharvaveda Samhita. These are collections of hymns, mantras, and ceremonial formulas used in rituals, preserved through an oral tradition and serving as the primary layer of the Vedas. They are followed by the Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads, which provide prose explanations, ritual interpretation, and philosophical discourse.

In Ayurveda, the term Samhita denotes major medical compendia such as the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita, which compile theories of medicine, diagnostics, pharmacology, and surgical techniques. These works have governed traditional Indian medicine for centuries and are studied with commentaries and later treatment compendia.

In broader Sanskrit usage, Samhita can refer to any compilation or anthology within literature, including legal, grammatical, or astronomical corpora that are collected into a single volume.

Etymology: from sam- ‘together’ and hita ‘placed’, hence ‘a collection’. Transmission: originally oral, maintained by teacher–student lineage and later transcribed in manuscripts.