Rigveda
Family Āprī Ṛcas
Angiras 1.142 3619 ( especially Mandala 6 )
Kanva 1.13 1315 ( especially Mandala 8 )
Vasishtha 7.2 1276 ( Mandala 7 )
Vishvamitra 3.4 983 ( Mandala 3 )
Atri 5.5 885 ( Mandala 5 )
Bhrgu 10.110 473
Kashyapa 9.5 415 ( part of Mandala 9 )
Grtsamada 2.3 401 ( Mandala 2 )
Agastya 1.188 316
Bharata 10.70 170
Text -- Composers
See also : Anukramani Tradition associates a rishi ( the composer ) with each ṛc of the Rigveda . [ 38 ] Most sūktas are attributed to single composers . The `` family books '' ( 2–7 ) are so-called because they have hymns by members of the same clan in each book ; but other clans are also represented in the Rigveda . In all , 10 families of rishis account for more than 95 per cent of the ṛcs ; for each of them the Rigveda includes a lineage-specific āprī hymn ( a special sūkta of rigidly formulaic structure , used for rituals .
The Rigveda (Sanskrit: ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, from ṛc praise and veda knowledge) is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is one of the four sacred canonical texts (śruti) of Hinduism known as the Vedas. The text is layered consisting of the Samhita, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. [note 1] The Rigveda Samhita is the core text, and is a collection of 10 books (maṇḍalas) with 1,028 hymns (sūktas) in about 10,600 verses (called ṛc, eponymous of the name Rigveda). In the eight books - Books 2 through 9 - that were composed the earliest, the hymns predominantly discuss cosmology and praise deities. The younger books (Books 1 and 10) in part also deal with philosophical or speculative questions, virtues such as dāna (charity) in society, questions about the origin of the universe and the nature of god, and other metaphysical issues in their hymns. The Rigveda is the oldest known Vedic Sanskrit text. Its early layers are one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language. [note 2] The Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the bulk of the Rigveda Samhita was composed in the northwestern region (Punjab) of the Indian subcontinent, most likely between c. 1500 and 1200 BC, although a wider approximation of c. 1700-1100 BC has also been given. [note 3]
 Some of its verses continue to be recited during Hindu rites of passage celebrations (such as weddings) and prayers, making it probably the world's oldest religious text in continued use.