Rig Veda: ~3,200–3,700 years old
According to Perplexity, scholars date the oldest layer of the Rig Veda to approximately 1500–1200 BCE, making it roughly 3,200–3,700 years old today.
Where this was said
How Old Is the Mahabharata? Yugas and Cyclical Civilizations
At 14:05 · chapter starts 7:00
Aravind Srinivas estimates the Mahabharata is between 1,500 and 2,500 years old [1] — Aravind Srinivas "Mahabharata: 1,500–2,500 years old: Aravind Srinivas estimates the Mahabharata is at least 1,500 and at most 2,500 years old, with signific…" 02:36 , acknowledging that much of it may have been mythologized — warriors described as 7 to 8 feet tall while archaeologists suggest people in that region at that time were likely no taller than 6 feet. The discussion expands to the concept of yugas, with Srinivas explaining the four-yuga cycle (Satya, Treta, Dwapara, Kali) totaling 4,320,000 years. Joe Rogan describes a book called The Yugas by David Steinmetz based on a single guru's interpretation that Kali Yuga ended in the 1890s — a claim Srinivas firmly contests. They also explore Vedic math's appearance in the ancient Rig Veda, using Perplexity live to establish that its oldest layer dates to roughly 1500–1200 BCE.
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