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    Vedas

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    Alex Versace
    The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism that provide knowledge of dharma. There are four main Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva - as well as six auxiliary texts called Vedangas and four supplemental texts called Upangas that help explain the Vedas. Together these make up the fourteen branches of knowledge. The Vedas contain mantras, rituals, philosophy, and teachings on dharma. They are considered eternal, divine, and the ultimate authority on religious principles in Hinduism.

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    Vedas

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    Alex Versace
    202 views3 pages
    The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism that provide knowledge of dharma. There are four main Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva - as well as six auxiliary texts called Vedangas and four supplemental texts called Upangas that help explain the Vedas. Together these make up the fourteen branches of knowledge. The Vedas contain mantras, rituals, philosophy, and teachings on dharma. They are considered eternal, divine, and the ultimate authority on religious principles in Hinduism.

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    The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism that provide knowledge of dharma. There are four main Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva - as well as six auxiliary texts called Vedangas and four supplemental texts called Upangas that help explain the Vedas. Together these make up the fourteen branches of knowledge. The Vedas contain mantras, rituals, philosophy, and teachings on dharma. They are considered eternal, divine, and the ultimate authority on religious principles in Hinduism.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    202 views3 pages

    Vedas

    Uploaded by

    Alex Versace
    The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism that provide knowledge of dharma. There are four main Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva - as well as six auxiliary texts called Vedangas and four supplemental texts called Upangas that help explain the Vedas. Together these make up the fourteen branches of knowledge. The Vedas contain mantras, rituals, philosophy, and teachings on dharma. They are considered eternal, divine, and the ultimate authority on religious principles in Hinduism.

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    of 3

    The Vedas

    Page 1 of 3

    Sri Gurubhyo Namaha

    The Vedas
    by: Dr. S. Yegnasubramanian

    The word veda is derived from the Sanskrit root vid which means "to know". Since our religion follows the Vedic Injunctions, it is known as "Vedic Religion". The word religion implies the meaning of dharma. What is dharma ? Scholars consider dharma as that which when followed brings contentment and happiness. The texts that give us the complete knowledge of dharma are called dharma pramana. They are fourteen in number and the following sloka gives them as:

    angAani vEdAschatvArO meemAmsa nyAsa vistara: purANam dharmasAstram cha vidyA hyOtAschaturdasA four Vedas (Rg, Yajus, Sama and Atharva), six Vedangas (the organs of the Vedas - Siksha, Vyakarana, Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotisha and Kalpa) and four Upangas (secondary organs of the Vedas - Mimamsa, Nyaya, Purana and Dharma Sastra). These fourteen texts are glorified as vidyasthanas - the abode of true knowledge and wisdom. Among the Vedas, Rg Veda sets forth the Vedic principles of knowledge, Yajur Veda shows the Vedic way of action and the importance of rituals, Sama Veda glorifies the Vedic way of ecstasy and Atharva Veda speaks about several other vidyas and supplementary principles of knowledge. As codified by Sage Veda Vyasa, Rg Veda had 21 sakhas (recensions), Yajus had 101 sakhas, Sama had 1000 sakhas and Atharva Veda had 9 sakhas, totaling 1,131 sakhas. However, only 10 sakhas are available to us today! Among Vedangas, Siksha deals with pronunciation and euphony, Vyakarana - grammar, Chandas - meter and poetry, Nirukta etymology, Jyotisha - astronomy, and Kalpa deals with the procedural aspects of Vedic karmas. Among the Upangas, Mimamsa deals with the action and knowledge based interpretations of the Vedic texts, Nyaya deals with logic, Puranas deal with mythology and serve as a magnifying glass of the Vedic Injunctions, and Dharma Sastras speak about the Vedic codes of conduct. The Vedic literature can be classified into four groups:

    file://C:\journal\vol1no1\vedas.html

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    The Vedas

    Page 2 of 3

    1. Samhita: the mantra portion; 2. Brahmanas: the portion dealing with rituals; 3. Aranyakas - the forest texts, and 4. Upanishads - the portion dealing with Vedic philosophy. The three important texts which speak about the highest principles of tattvajnana (metaphysics) are hailed as prasthanatrayi and are: a) Srimad Bhagavad Gita, b) Upanishads and c) Brahma Sutras, depicted in the Uttara Mimansa. The principles of dharma as embodied in our religion are all centered around the Vedas. Apasthambha Sutra describes Vedas as the Pramana: (authority)

    (pramANam vEdAscha) Manu Smriti hails them as:

    (vEdOkhilO dharma moolam); Bhagavan Sri Krishna says:

    vEdaischa sarvairahamEvavEdyo: (I am known through the Vedas) The Vedas are Infinite:

    anantA vai vEdAha; They are the very breath of Iswara:

    yasya nisvasitam vEdAha. They are without beginning:

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    The Vedas

    Page 3 of 3

    anaadi; and of non-human origin:

    apourushEya. They teach the glories of all creations and the principles of dharma and enshrine true knowledge and wisdom.That is why our scriptures proclaim:

    vEdO nityamadhIyatAm; taduditam karma svanushtIyatAm (practice the Vedas daily; practice well their prescriptions) It is our great fortune that we have inherited such a rich and cherished dharmic tradition and lineage. It should be our foremost duty and goal to preserve such a tradition. Our ancestors led a peaceful and contented life following the path set by the Vedic guidelines. That path withstood the tests of historic times and was smooth to follow without obstacles. Let us and our progeny follow that proven path and attain peace and harmony.
    Ref: "The Vedas", Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay 1988. Dr. S. Yegnasubramanian ( President, SVBF) is a scientist at Bell Labs., NJ. He has been teaching vedic recitation and vedanta for about 10 years. He was the General Chairman of the first International Ati Rudra Maha Yajna 97, held in Stroudsburg, PA, USA.

    Feature Article of Next Issue


    "Vedic Chanting - A Perfectly Formulated Oral Tradition"

    file://C:\journal\vol1no1\vedas.html

    9/7/2007

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