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Within the received Vedic tradition, the Rigveda is described as comprising 1,028 hymns, known as sūktas, articulated through 10,552 individual verses, or ṛc. This numerical structure is not merely a matter of cataloging; it reflects a carefully preserved oral and textual heritage in which each hymn and verse carries a specific place within a larger sacred architecture. The precision of these figures points to the meticulous care with which the Rigvedic corpus has been transmitted across generations of reciters and scholars.
These 1,028 hymns and 10,552 verses may be contemplated as a vast tapestry of sacred sound, in which each ṛc functions like a thread contributing to the integrity of the whole. The sūktas vary in length and tone, yet together they form a unified field of praise, reflection, and invocation. To approach the Rigveda through these numbers is to glimpse the sheer magnitude of its devotional and poetic scope, while also sensing the disciplined order underlying its composition and preservation.