Which Hindu text is a sacred collection of hymns and prayers?

• A. The Upanishads
• B. The Vedas
• C. The Mahabharata
• D. The Bhagavad Gita

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is recognizing which Hindu scripture is a sacred collection of hymns and prayers. The Vedas are ancient scriptures that gather hymns dedicated to various deities, along with ritual formulas and prayers used in worship. They’re the oldest Hindu texts and form the liturgical foundation of Hindu practice, traditionally divided into four collections: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda. The other options serve different roles: the Upanishads are philosophical explorations of reality and the self, the Mahabharata is a long epic, and the Bhagavad Gita is a spiritual dialogue within that epic. So, the collection of hymns and prayers is the Vedas.