The Vedas are the oldest surviving text documents and are still regarded as divine knowledge today. As they were passed down orally from teacher to pupil, the time they were written down is often not the same as the time they were written. The Vedas are divided into different sections and contain hymns – mainly to gods, priestly chants, sacrificial spells, magic spells and were partly of a secret nature. The Vedas already contain various traces of yogic techniques, often with different names.