Divinity Atlas

Sacred Correspondences
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Language

Vedic Sanskrit

Sacred & Content Languages

Vedic Sanskrit is the earlier, distinct form of the language in which the Rigveda and the other three Vedas, the oldest surviving Hindu scriptures, were composed and orally transmitted with an unusually rigorous system of memorization before being fixed in writing much later. It differs from later Classical Sanskrit in grammar, vocabulary and accentuation, changes significant enough that specialists treat the two as separate stages of the language rather than one continuous register. The Vedic hymns address a pantheon including Agni, Indra and Varuna and provide the atlas's earliest primary source material for Vedic religion, the layer beneath later classical Hinduism. Vedic Sanskrit survives today only in ritual recitation, preserved with notable phonetic precision within Brahmanical priestly lineages.

Facts
Origins
Language Family
Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family; the archaic register in which the Rigveda and other Vedas were composed, predating and grammatically distinct from later Classical Sanskrit. 2
Place of Origin
Vedic Sanskrit originated among the Indo-Aryan-speaking peoples of the northwestern Indian subcontinent, the language of the Rigveda and the earliest attested layer of Sanskrit. 2Tradition: Ethnologue: Languages of the World
Identity
Native Script
None at first. The Veda was composed and transmitted orally under elaborate memorisation disciplines and was not written for a very long time; when it was, Brahmi-derived scripts and eventually Devanagari were used, with special marks for the pitch accent. 1
Liturgical role (class)
Scriptural language 2
Status
UNESCO Intangible Heritage
Inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity 3
Practice
Liturgical and Scriptural Role
The language of the four Vedas, Hinduism's oldest scriptures, preserved through an oral recitation tradition (including the Gayatri mantra) that UNESCO recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008. 4
Learn More
Vedic Sanskrit: The Language of the Rigveda

Vedic Sanskrit is the archaic form of Sanskrit in which the four Vedas, Hinduism's oldest scriptures, were composed, predating and grammatically distinct from Classical Sanskrit, the later standardized literary language codified by the grammarian Panini around the fifth century BCE; Vedic Sanskrit itself shows internal chronological layers, with the Rigveda's hymns representing its oldest stratum, composed roughly between 1500 and 1200 BCE, and the later Brahmana and Upanishad prose representing a somewhat later, more Classical-adjacent register.

Vedic Sanskrit belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family, and its close grammatical relationship to Avestan, the sacred language of Zoroastrianism, is one of historical linguistics' clearest demonstrations of a shared Indo-Iranian ancestor language, since the two share strikingly similar meter, vocabulary and even specific ritual and mythological terminology despite their geographic separation and doctrinal divergence. Vedic Sanskrit was preserved with extraordinary oral precision across millennia through specialized memorization and recitation techniques, developed specifically to guard against textual corruption before writing was used for the material.

Preserving the Rigveda: Oral Transmission and Ritual Recitation

The Rigveda and the other Vedas were transmitted orally for well over a thousand years before being committed to writing, a preservation method Vedic tradition treated as more reliable than manuscript copying precisely because sound, pronunciation and accent were considered integral to a hymn's ritual efficacy, producing elaborate memorization techniques including krama-patha and jata-patha recitation, which recite words and syllables in permuted sequences specifically to make any corruption of the base text immediately detectable to a trained reciter.

Vedic Sanskrit's ritual use in Hindu Brahmanical practice continues today in traditional Vedic recitation schools and in specific mantras still chanted in Sanskrit-language Hindu ceremonies, including the Gayatri mantra, one of the most widely recited Vedic verses, drawn from the Rigveda itself. UNESCO recognized the tradition of Vedic chanting as an item of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, citing the exceptional value of a continuously maintained oral tradition preserving a precise ancient pronunciation across three millennia, a scholarly and religious achievement without many close parallels among the world's other ancient sacred textual traditions.

Connections

Associated With

Hinduism, Religions

Vedic Sanskrit is the archaic form of Sanskrit in which the four Vedas were composed, older and grammatically distinct from later Classical Sanskrit.

Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Panini, Historical Figures

The rules fix the language of the Veda, on which correct recitation depends.

Attested in Region

Indian Subcontinent, Regions

Vedic Sanskrit is documented in use as a written language in Indian Subcontinent. The claim is where the language is documented in use as a written, literary or liturgical language. It is not a claim about the full extent of its speakers, and it is not a claim about where the language originated.

Source The World's Writing SystemsPeter T. Daniels and William Bright (eds.)

Language Of

Atharva Veda, Scriptures & Texts

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Gayatri Mantra, Mantras

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Gayatri Prayer, Prayers

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra, Mantras

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mahamrityunjaya Prayer, Prayers

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 1, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 10, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 2, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 3, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 4, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 5, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 6, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 7, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 8, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Mandala 9, Scripture Portions

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Pavamana Prayer, Prayers

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Prayer to Savitr, Prayers

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Rig Veda, Scriptures & Texts

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Sama Veda, Scriptures & Texts

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Shanti Prayer: Together May We Be Protected, Prayers

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

The Brahmanas, Scriptures & Texts

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

The Fire Offering's Opening Invocation, Prayers

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

The Vedas, Scriptures & Texts

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Yajur Veda, Scriptures & Texts

Entity-backed identity for the language enum value this record already carries, resolved to the live divinity language entity that value names, per the phase 3 entity-backed browse bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decisions 2026-09-28, w-bucketconv-divlang2-0929, mapping corrected). The language fact itself, with its own citation, stays on the record unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the value already names.

Named or Composed in This Language

Abhijit, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Agni Sukta, Hymns & Liturgical Texts
Source Divinity Atlas Entity Records, First Edition
Agnicayana, Rituals
Source Agni: The Vedic Ritual of the Fire AltarFrits Staal
Agnihotra, Rituals
Source The Grihya-Sutras: Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies (Sacred Books of the East, vols 29-30)Hermann Oldenberg (trans.)
Anuradha, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Ardra, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Ashlesha, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Ashvamedha, Rituals
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Ashwini, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Atharva Veda, Scriptures & Texts
Source Wikidata: Atharva Veda
Bharani, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Bliss Sheath, Koshas
Source The Early Upanisads: Annotated Text and TranslationPatrick Olivelle
Chitra, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Dhanishta, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Food Sheath, Koshas
Source The Early Upanisads: Annotated Text and TranslationPatrick Olivelle
Gayatri Hymn, Hymns & Liturgical Texts
Source Divinity Atlas Entity Records, First Edition
Gayatri Mantra, Mantras

The mantra is transmitted in Vedic Sanskrit.

Hasta, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Jyeshtha, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Krittika, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Magha, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra, Mantras

The mantra is transmitted in Vedic Sanskrit.

Mandala 1, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 10, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 2, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 3, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 4, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 5, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 6, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 7, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 8, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mandala 9, Scripture Portions
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Mental Sheath, Koshas
Source The Early Upanisads: Annotated Text and TranslationPatrick Olivelle
Mrigashira, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Mula, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Nasadiya Sukta, Hymns & Liturgical Texts
Source Divinity Atlas Entity Records, First Edition
Punarvasu, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Purusha Sukta, Hymns & Liturgical Texts
Source Divinity Atlas Entity Records, First Edition
Purva Ashadha, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Purva Bhadrapada, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Purva Phalguni, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Pushya, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Revati, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Rig Veda, Scriptures & Texts
Source Wikidata: Rig Veda
Rohini, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Sama Veda, Scriptures & Texts
Source Wikidata: Sama Veda
Shatabhisha, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Shravana, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Shri Rudram, Hymns & Liturgical Texts
Source Divinity Atlas Entity Records, First Edition
Soma Sacrifice, Rituals
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
Srauta Rites, Rituals
Source Agni: The Vedic Ritual of the Fire AltarFrits Staal
Swati, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
The Brahmanas, Scriptures & Texts
The Fire Offering's Opening Invocation, Prayers
Source The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of IndiaStephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton
The Vedas, Scriptures & Texts
Uttara Ashadha, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Uttara Bhadrapada, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Uttara Phalguni, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Vishakha, Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions)
Source Atharva-Veda SamhitaWilliam Dwight Whitney
Vital Sheath, Koshas
Source The Early Upanisads: Annotated Text and TranslationPatrick Olivelle
Wisdom Sheath, Koshas
Source The Early Upanisads: Annotated Text and TranslationPatrick Olivelle
Yajna (Fire Sacrifice), Rituals
Source An Introduction to HinduismGavin Flood
Yajur Veda, Scriptures & Texts
Source Wikidata: Yajur Veda

Uses This Script

Brahmi, Scripts & Magical Alphabets
Source The World's Writing SystemsPeter T. Daniels and William Bright (eds.)
Devanagari, Scripts & Magical Alphabets
Source The World's Writing SystemsPeter T. Daniels and William Bright (eds.)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. The World's Writing Systems
Peter T. Daniels and William Bright (eds.), Oxford University Press, 1996View the Source
2. Ethnologue: Languages of the World
David M. Eberhard, Gary F. Simons and Charles D. Fennig (eds.), SIL International, 2024
  • On Vedic Sanskrit's origin among northwestern Indo-Aryan speakers
  • on the liturgical and scriptural role of Vedic Sanskrit
View the Source
3. Tradition of Vedic Chanting, UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO, 2008View the Source
4. The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India
Stephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton, Oxford University Press, 2014Named or Composed in This Language: The Fire Offering's Opening Invocation, Stored language property on this entity, cited to this source: vedic-sanskritView the Source
Wikidata: Rig Veda
Named or Composed in This Language: Rig Veda, Infobox, language field
Quote, Named or Composed in This Language: Rig Veda, Infobox, language field
Vedic Sanskrit
View the Source
Wikidata: Sama Veda
Named or Composed in This Language: Sama Veda, Infobox, language field
Quote, Named or Composed in This Language: Sama Veda, Infobox, language field
Vedic Sanskrit
View the Source
Wikidata: Yajur Veda
Named or Composed in This Language: Yajur Veda, Infobox, language field
Quote, Named or Composed in This Language: Yajur Veda, Infobox, language field
Vedic Sanskrit
View the Source
Wikidata: Atharva Veda
Named or Composed in This Language: Atharva Veda, Infobox, language field
Quote, Named or Composed in This Language: Atharva Veda, Infobox, language field
Vedic Sanskrit
View the Source

Take a Related Quiz

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.