# What is a good way to get introduced to the Vedas?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-way-to-get-introduced-to-the-vedas/151917>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 31, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-way-to-get-introduced-to-the-vedas/151917 "2003-01-31T18:25:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-way-to-get-introduced-to-the-vedas/151917/1 "2003-01-31T18:25:28Z")

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I was thinking about the great works of ancient Hinduism and I realized I really couldn’t think much about them because I don’t know much. I don’t know exactly how to remedy this. Is it a good idea to just go down to the library and pick out a translation of the Vedas at random? Or is there a highly-recommended, annotated, well-introduced translation? Anything really outstanding?

How about the Upanishads? Is there any particular order in which someone should approach the great works of Hinduism?

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**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-way-to-get-introduced-to-the-vedas/151917/2 "2003-01-31T19:03:57Z")

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Try to read the Mahabarata. It is a history really. They also did a movie fairly accurately based on it. I took a lit class that focused on mythology, primarily thorugh the Mahabarata.