The Vedas are ancient texts that are sacred in India and renowned the world over. The world Veda literally means knowledge. The root is vid, 'to know'. The Vedas are thus texts that provide knowledge. There are four Vedas, known as the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda. Many years ago, the Vedas were referred to as trayi or three. There must have been some point of time when there were only three Vedas. These are acknowledged to have been the Rig Vedas, the Yajur Veda and the Sama Veda. The Atharva Veda is believed to have been a later addition to the sacred canon.