Q. With reference to the Atharvaveda, which among the following is / are correct statements:

1. It is a collection of spells, prayers, charms, and hymns
2. It was the first text which refers Iron as Krishna Ayas

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Answer: Both 1 & 2
Notes: Atharvaveda is a Vedic-era collection of spells, prayers, charms, and hymns. There are prayers to protect crops from lightning and drought, charms against venomous serpents, love spells, healing spells, hundreds of verses, some derived from the Rig veda, all very ancient. The earliest literary references to iron in the Indian subcontinent are found in later Vedic literature. The terms krishna-ayas, shyama, and shyama-ayas (the black or dark metal) in the Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda clearly refer to this metal. It was the Atharvaveda, among the indic texts, which mentioned the Ayas as Krishna Ayas (Iron) and Lohita (red) Ayas (Copper) for the first time.