The

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

contains a number of dialogue hymns ('s) in the form of

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...

s, representing the earliest surviving sample of this genre. It can be argued to be an early precursor of Indian classical drama. They are found in the youngest part of the Rigveda ( RV 1 and RV 10), dating to roughly the 12th to 10th centuries BC, with the exception of the older River hymn ( RV 3.33), where the rivers answer in reply to Vishvamitra's prayer. *1.179 Agastya and Lopamudra (5 trishtubhs, 1 brhati) *3.33

Vishvamitra Vishvamitra (, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gay ...

and the

Rivers A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

(12 trishtubhs, 1 anushtubh) *10.10: dialogue of Yama and Yami (12 anushtubhs) *10.51

Agni Agni ( ) is the Deva (Hinduism), Hindu god of fire. As the Guardians of the directions#Aṣṭa-Dikpāla ("Guardians of Eight Directions"), guardian deity of the southeast direction, he is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu temples. ...

and the gods (9 trishtubhs) *10.86

Indrani Indrani (Sanskrit: इन्द्राणी, IAST: ''Indrāṇī''), also known as Shachi (Sanskrit: शची, IAST: ''Śacī''), is the queen of the Deva (Hinduism), devas in Hinduism. Described as tantalisingly beautiful, proud and kind, ...

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

, the "he-ape" Vrshakapi and his wife *10.95: dialogue of Pururavas and Urvashi (18 trishtubhs) *10.183: dialogue between the sacrificer and his wife (3 trishtubhs)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigvedic Dialogue Hymns

Dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...

See also

References