The Brahmanas (religious texts) refer to manuals that connect Vedic hymns (mantras) to rituals (yagnas) and offer explanations for the various ritual practices by way of stories. These stories can be dated back to roughly 2,800 years ago, so before the time of the Buddha. Through these, we get a sense of the ideas that existed in India before Buddhist times.

One such story is the story of the sage Bharadwaj. We are told that Bharadwaj lived the celibate and pious life of a brahmachari and that he could recollect three of his lifetimes. In each of these lifetimes, he spent some time studying a Veda each. At the end of his third lifetime, Indra appeared before him and asked him what he desired. Bharadwaj said he wanted to live one more life so that he could complete his reading of the Vedas, suggesting that he was aware of four Vedas.