Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 50
Parīkṣit’s Final Absorption, Takṣaka’s Bite, Janamejaya’s Snake Sacrifice, and the Vedic Sound-Lineage
ऋगथर्वयजु:साम्नां राशीरुद्धृत्य वर्गश: । चतस्र: संहिताश्चक्रे मन्त्रैर्मणिगणा इव ॥ ५० ॥
ṛg-atharva-yajuḥ-sāmnāṁ rāśīr uddhṛtya vargaśaḥ catasraḥ saṁhitāś cakre mantrair maṇi-gaṇā iva
Śrīla Vyāsadeva drew out the masses of mantras from the Ṛg, Atharva, Yajur and Sāma Vedas and arranged them by divisions; like sorting a mixed heap of jewels into separate piles, he thus composed four distinct saṁhitās.
When Lord Brahmā first spoke the four Vedas with his four mouths, the mantras were mixed together like an unsorted collection of various types of jewels. Śrīla Vyāsadeva sorted the Vedic mantras into four divisions ( saṁhitās ), which thus became the recognizable Ṛg, Atharva, Yajur and Sāma Vedas.
FAQs
This verse states that Vyāsadeva gathered the hymn-collections of Ṛg, Atharva, Yajur, and Sāma and, arranging them by divisions, compiled them into four Saṁhitās.
In the context of Canto 12, Śukadeva explains how Vedic knowledge was preserved and systematized—especially significant for later ages—by Vyāsa’s careful compilation and arrangement.
It encourages reverence for śāstra and disciplined study: spiritual knowledge is preserved through careful organization, faithful transmission, and sincere engagement with mantra and scripture.