Canonical definition
Vedic mantras are the hymns and formulas of the Ṛg, Sāma, Yajur, and Atharva Veda Saṃhitās — the earliest layer of Sanskrit religious literature, classified as Śruti ("that which is heard"), meaning it is held to be revealed rather than composed by any human author. This category covers named sūktas and individual verses in regular ritual and devotional use, such as the Gāyatrī mantra (Ṛg Veda 3.62.10), the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra (Ṛg Veda 7.59.12), and the Puruṣa Sūkta (Ṛg Veda 10.90) — each treated on its own page with full grammatical and textual detail.