Samhita

Samhita

संहिता, saṃhitā

"assembled together"

Literally means "hymnbook". These are the main sacred texts in Hinduism, consisting of the revelations of the great sages (rishis). They belong to the first section of Vedic literature, the other three are the Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads. The Samhitas are a collection of sacred texts and form the basis of each of the four sets of the Vedic foundations, which represent its most ancient part. They are presented in the form of hymns, poems, and mantras. These hymns were sung during worship and yajna, which gave rise to the rituals of the early Vedic period. 

Other post-vedic texts on yoga and ayurveda are also called Samhitas. For example, such as "Gheranda-samhita", "Shiva-samhita", "Goraksha-samhita", "Ashtavakra-samhita", "Bhrigu-samhita", "Yoga-yajnavalkya-samhita", "Brahma-samhita", "Garga-samhita", "Deva-samhita" and others.