Also 8 Beda; Vidam, Viedam, Vedam. [a. Skr. vēda knowledge, sacred knowledge, sacred book, from the root vid- to know: see WIT v. The α-forms are from the Skr. nom. and acc. vēdam, perh. partly through Tamil. The Urdū form bed (Hindī ved) is also represented in older use by Bead (1698), Beid (1776), and Bede (1789).] One or other of the four ancient sacred books of the Hindus (called the Rig-, Yajur-, Sāma-, and Atharva-vēda); the body of sacred literature contained in these books.
α. 1731. Picart, trans. Roger’s Relig. & Manners Bramins, in Cerem. & Relig. Customs Var. Nations, III. 318. The Vedam is the Book of the Law among these people, and contains all they are to believe or practise.
1763. Scrafton, Indostan (1770), 4. The Bramins say, that Brumma, their law-giver, left them a book, called the Vidam, which contains all his doctrines and institutions.
1766. J. Z. Holwell, Interesting Hist. Events (ed. 2), I. 12. The great absurdities and impurities of the Viedam.
1778. Orme, Hist. Milit. Trans., VI. II. 5. The Shaster … they assert to be the genuine scripture of Bramah, in preference to the Vidam.
1794. R. J. Sulivan, View Nat., IV. 295. The Vedams, or texts of scripture, were published by Brahma, together with the Shasters, or commentaries, about six hundred years afterwards.
β. 1776. Justamond, trans. Raynal’s Hist. Ind., I. 33. The Bramin … promised to pardon him on condition that he should swear never to translate the Bedas, or sacred volumes.
1788. Asiatic Researches, I. 340. The first four [parts of knowledge] are the immortal Véda’s evidently revealed by God.
1808. Colebrooke, Ibid., VIII. 387. It may be here proper to remark, that each Véda consists of two parts, denominated the Mantras and the Bráhmanas; or prayers and precepts.
1841. Elphinstone, Hist. Ind., I. 71. The religion taught in the Institutes is derived from the Védas, to which scriptures they refer in every page.
1871. Mateer, Travancore, 35. Accordingly, as a matter of fact, the Sudras never do read the Sanscrit Vedas.
attrib. 1841. Penny Cycl., XX. 403/1. In like manner, the Veda-hymns … led to the consideration of the laws of metre. Ibid. (1843), XXVI. 171. These various schools of the Veda theology.
Hence Vedaic a., = VEDIC a.; Vedaism, = VEDISM.
1865. Baring-Gould, Were-wolves, x. 176. In ancient Indian Vedaic mythology the upsaras were heavenly damsels who dwelt in the æther, between Earth and Sun.
1887. L. Parks, Star in East, viii. 202. Their religion sprung from the same root as Vedaism.
