WBCS Preliminary Examination 2024 — General Studies · Question 161 of 200

Answer: (B) 1028

The Rigveda, the oldest of the four Vedas, has 1,028 hymns (suktas) with about 10,600 verses arranged in 10 mandalas; the figure is made up of 1,017 regular hymns plus 11 Valakhilya hymns added to the eighth mandala, which is why 1,017 appears as a distractor. Mandalas II to VII (the 'family books') are the oldest, and I and X the latest. Mandala III contains the Gayatri mantra, Mandala IX is devoted to Soma, and Mandala X has the Purusha Sukta (first mention of the four varnas) and the Nasadiya Sukta (hymn of creation). Indra is the most frequently invoked deity, followed by Agni.