Fact 3 – Sanskrit of the Vedas (Vedic Sanskrit) developed into Classical Sanskrit
The R̥g Veda represents the oldest stage of the language, and the Yajur and the Atharva Vedas represent the next. You can see the language changing a bit as you go from the R̥g Veda through the Brāhmaṇas, the Āraṇyakas and the Upaniṣads. [The Brāhmaṇas and the Āraṇyakas are a collection of speculations about the meanings of the various parts of the Vedas, and the Upaniṣads are texts that contain the beginnings of the vast philosophical systems of India.] The Vedic Sūtras, which are manuals for performance of the various rituals, ways of the right conduct of life, and mathematical treatises, represent the transition between Vedic Sanskrit and Classical Sanskrit, which is Sanskrit as is used now. Classical Sanskrit proper begins with the Code of Manu, and continues with the epics, the law books, the Purāṇas, and then the other great works of literature (poetry, drama etc.), and many technical works.