Veda Vargeekarana (वेदवर्गीकरणम्)

Vedas (Samskrit : वेदः) is regarded as revealed scripture, self-explanatory and self authoritative, according to many traditional scholars. वैदिकसूक्त-s || Vedic Suktas (Collection of Mantras) and मन्त्र-s || Mantras are "seen by" or "revealed to" and only spoken by the ऋषि-s || Rishis (seers or sages). These rishis are neither authors of the Mantras nor are they responsible for the contents of the Mantras. Thus, Vedas are called अपौरुषेयः ॥ Apaurusheya. There is no final authority beyond the Vedas according to Bharatiya philosophy. While the mantras are revealed, the structural arrangement of Vedas given by वेदव्यासः ॥ Veda Vyasa and further formation of शाखा-s || shakas (recensions) or versions of Vedas seen today is based on different rishis.

परिचयः || Introduction

महर्षि वेद व्यासः || Maharshi Veda Vyasa collected all the Mantras in existence during his period, edited, codified and organized them into four groups in the form that we see today

1. ऋग्वेदः || The Rigveda
2. यजुर्वेदः || The Yajurveda
3. सामवेदः || The Samaveda
4. अथर्वणवेदः || The Atharvaveda

Of these, the first three were the principal original division, also called त्रयी विद्या || trayī vidyā, that is, 'the triple science' of reciting mantras (Rigveda), performing yajnas (sacrifices) (Yajurveda), and singing of mantras set to musical notes (Samaveda). Atharvaveda consists of mantras applicable to activities of daily life, such as ailments and their cure, achieving desired things, warfare, trade, commerce, construction among other things.    

ऋग्वेदः || Rigveda

व्युत्पत्तिः ॥ Etymology

The Samskrit धातुः ऋच (तुदादि गणः) is used in the meaning स्तुतौ (to praise). That which has the description of the quality, action and nature of substances are said to be ऋक् (Rk). Rigveda contains primarily Mantras (set in 2, 3 or 4 padas) dealing with the stuti for devatas, their invocation, yajnakarmas, karmakanda, upasana mantras, mantras related to different worldly activities such as dana, conduct, medical remedies etc.

ऋग्वेद-विभाजनम् ॥ Rigveda Vibhajana

There are two types of divisions of Rigveda namely Mandala krama and Ashtaka krama, arose mainly for अध्ययनम् || study and अध्यापनम् || teaching. A small lesson is easily grasped or understood and committed to memory.(See footnote 3 on Page 35 of Reference 1) There are different versions advocated by different scholars about the number of suktas and mantras available in Rigveda.

मण्डल-क्रमः ॥ Mandala Krama

According to the Mandala krama, Rigveda Samhita is divided into 10 Mandalas or books. The Mandalas are subdivided into 85 Anuvakas, 1028 Suktas and 10522 mantras and 10552 mantras according to another version. In Rig veda Shakala samhita the number of suktas in each Mandala is - 191, 43, 62, 58, 87, 75, 104, 103, 114, 191 (1028) respectively from the first to tenth Mandala.

मण्डल | Mandala      ►	अनुवाक | Anuvaka      ►	सूक्त | Sukta       ►	| Mantra

Rig Veda contains 10552 mantras (about 10,170 Rks) according to some other scholars, spread over 1028 Suktas and 85 Anuvakas in 10 Mandalas. According to Shaunaka rishi there are 10580 mantras (Page 17 of Reference 4). According to Shaunaka Anukramanika 11 suktas of Valakhilyas are present removing which from the total number of suktas (1028) will yield 1017 Suktas in Rig Veda Samhita. Vashkala or Baskala shaka has 8 suktas more than 1017 thereby is mentioned as having 1025 Suktas.

In Rigveda, not only are the suktas and mantras counted but also there is a system of counting even the Aksharas or letters in such texts called Sarvanukramanikas, thereby leaving no scope of additions or deletion of letters in the Veda. This was one main reason why there are no changes in this Veda since ancient times. It is to be noted that in this Aksharaganana the Valakhilya sutras are not seen, hence they Suktas are counted without them. The differences in the counting of mantras is mainly because of the differences in the shakas, additionally in modern times the differences in counting the Rks is attributed to breaking the mantras having 4 padas into 2 padas each (Page No 6 of Reference 4).

अष्टक-क्रमः ॥ Ashtaka Krama

According to the Ashtaka krama, Rigveda Samhita is divided into 8 Ashtakas each containing 8 Adhyayas thus a total of 64 Adhyayas are available. The number of Vargas in each Ashtaka is - 265, 221, 225, 250, 238, 331, 248, 246 respectively from first to eighth Ashtaka. Thus a total of 2024 vargas are present in Rk samhita. The total number of mantras are 10522 according to some scholars(Page 34 of Ref 1).

| Ashtaka      ►	| Adhyaya      ►	| Varga       ►	| Mantra

शाखाः ॥ Shakas

Only one Shaka (school or recension) of the Rigveda is available today

• शाकल शाखा || Shakala

According to Sarvanukramani vritti, Ahirbudhnyasamhita, Muktikopanishad and Pathanjali's Mahabhashyam, and recently many scholars opined that Rigveda had 21 shakas.

However, according to Pt. Satyavrat Samashrami, Rig veda has only 2 ancient shakas namely, शाकला || Shakala and माण्डूकेया || Mandukeya. These two shakas became 21 shakas gradually. Shakalacharya taught this veda to 5 of his disciples and gradually in their pronunciation there were differences bringing about 5 different versions of the Veda, which according to the text Vikruti Kaumudi is as follows

शाकल्यसेय शतं शिष्या नैष्ठिकब्रह्मचारिणः | पञ्च तेषां गृहस्थास्ते धर्मनिष्ठाश्च कुटुम्बिनः ||

शिशिरो वाष्कलो सांख्यो वात्स्यश्चैवाश्वलायनः | पञ्चैते शाकलाः शिष्याः शाखाभेदप्रवर्त्तकाः ||

Meaning : Shakala had 100 students who were brahmacharis. Of them 5 who were having dharmanistha, and were grihasthas bearing the responsibility of maintaining a family. शिशिरः || Shishira, वाष्कलः || Vashkala (Bashkala) सांख्यः || Samkhya वात्स्यः || Vatsya and अवाश्वलायनः || Asvalayana were the five disciples who were the pravartakas of the different shakas. Asvalaayana-Samhita was available as lately as 17th century but is presently unavailable. Sankhyayana samhita is not available but its Brahmanas and Aranyakas are available. Some scholars opine that Sankhyayana and Kaushitaki shakas are one and the same.

देवताः छन्दसः ऋत्विक् च ॥ Devatas, Chandas and Rtvik

Rig veda mantras are chanted by the होत्र || Hotra, the Rig veda priest to invoke the deities to the yajna. Important Rig vedic deities are Agni, Indra, Varuna, Ushas, Savita, Pusha, Mitra, Vishnu, Rudra, Marut and Parjanya. Gayatri, Jagati, Bruhati, Pankti and Trishtubh and Anustubh are widely used meters (Page No 6 of Reference 4).

विषयविभागाः ॥ Vishaya vibhaga-s

The topics dealt with in the Rig Veda Samhita can be classified into 3 groups.

स्तुतिपराः || Eulogical

The first group is in praise of the deities like अग्निः || Agni, इन्द्रः || lndra, वरुणः || Varuna, मित्रः || Mitra and others. The Vedic deities numbering 33 are assigned to the three regions of the universe  viz. पृथ्वी || Prithvi (earth), द्यौस् || Dyaus (heaven) and अन्तरिक्षम् || Antariksha (intermediary space). Although these deities appear as personifications of forces of nature, they are actually different facets of Brahman, the Only One Supreme Reality. The famous mantra on this point occurs in this Samhita. 

एकम् सत् विप्रः बहुध वदन्ति ||  ekam sat viprah bahudha vadanti || (Rig. Ved. 1.164. 92)

Meaning : Truth is one, learned call it by various names.

उपासनापराः ॥ Philosophical

The second group is concerned with philosophical speculations like the origin of the Universe and the real nature of human beings. Although the Samhita contains mantras in praise of the devatas, the concept of Vedanta is present at least in a rudimentary form. However, advocacy of worship of devatas with form and qualities - सगुणोपासन || Sagunopasana - is predominant. Various Rig veda mantras show एक देवता वद || eka-devata-vada or monotheism and not polytheism. For example, the Samhita states that Prajapati creates the world out of Himself and rules over it; He is omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (all knowing), He is ever perfect, infinitely compassionate, easily approachable by the devotees and He grants us immortality. But the idea about actual process of creation of the universe finds a place only in the later Vedantic  literature i.e. the Upanishads. The concept of Brahma is clearer in the Upanishad parts.

इतिहासपराः ॥ Miscellaneous

The third group deals with several secular subjects like marriage, war etc., which show the nature of society of those times. A just and equitable social order existed. However, social life was conditioned by spiritual consciousness. There was समन्वय || Samanvaya or harmony of life here and hereafter. सत्य || Satya (truth) and धर्म || Dharma (righteousness) are glorified and अमृतत्व || Amritatva (immortality) as the goal of life was accepted.

विशेष-विषयाः ॥ Famous Aspects

• Urvashi Pururava Samvada (Rig. Veda. 10.85)
• Yama Yami Samvada (Rig. Veda. 10.10)
• Sarama and Panis Samvada (Rig. Veda. 10.130)

Some of these discussions are presented in Puranas.

• Nasadiya Sukta
• Purusha Sukta
• Hiranyagarbha Sukta
• Vak Sutram

ब्राह्मणानि आरण्यकानि उपनिषदः च ॥ Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads

• Aitareya and Kausitaki Brahmanas
• Aitareya and Sankhyayana Aranyakas
• Aitareya Upanishad

यजुर्वेदः || Yajurveda

व्युत्पत्तिः ॥ Etymology

According to Shabdakalpadruma इज्यतेऽनेनेति यजुः meaning performing of yajnas using this hence called Yajus.

According to Pt Gajanan Shastri - the word yajus is derived by the combination of यज and उसि.

अनियताक्षरावसानो यजुः meaning that which has no regulation (metrical) of letters is called Yajus.

गद्यात्मको यजुः meaning Yajus are (the mantras) in prose form.

यजुर्वेद-विभाजनम् ॥ Yajurveda Vibhajana

The divisions of the texts for Shukla Yajurveda are slightly different and include a combination of these as given below (See Page xviii of the Introduction in Reference 6) However, variations of these divisions is seen according to other scholars.

| Kandas      ►	| Adhyayas ►	| Prapathakas ►	| Brahmanas ►	| Kandikas

• Madhyandina Shaka : 40 Adhyayas and 1975 mantras, 90525 aksharas.
• Kanva Shaka : 40 Adhyayas and 2086 mantras.

The divisions of the texts for Krishna Yajurveda have different arrangements. Following are the textual divisions in Taittriya shaka which is representative of Krishna Yajurveda.

| Kandas      ►	| Prapathakas ►	| Anuvakas ►	| Mantras or Kandikas

In some southern Indian parts where this shaka is widely followed there are other terms such as Panasa and Prashna (ex: Rudrasya prasha) are in usage. Saraswat and Arsheya system of classification is also seen for Krishna Yajurveda.

• Taittriya Shaka - 7 kandas, 44 Prapathakas, 651 Anuvakas (631 according to Page 9 of Reference ), 2198 Kandikas are present.
• Maitrayani Shaka - 4 kandas, 11 Prapatakas, 3144 mantras.
• Kathasamhita - 40 Adhyayas, 843 Anuvakas, 3091 mantras.
• Kapisthalakatha - 6 Astakas, 48 Adhyayas.

Thus as seen above different classification systems are seen for every shaka.

शाखाः ॥ Shakhas

The number of Yajurveda shakas is given variously by different rishis and scholars as 101 shakas (recensions), 101 shakas of which 86 were Krishna Yajurveda and 15 belonged to Shukla Yajurveda, 107 according to Sutasamhita, Skanda and Brahmanda Puranas, 109 according to Muktikopanishad, 100 according to Pathanjali in his Mahabhasyam, 86 according to Charanavyuha and Shaunaka. According to Vayu Purana, there were 86 student lineages and thus 86 shakas of Maharshi Vaisampayana are mentioned. Vishnupurana and Agnipurana give a number of 27 shakas of Yajurveda. Thus quite some variation is seen in the number of shakas that existed for Yajurveda.

In the present day five Shakas of Yajurveda are seen namely Taittriya, Katha or Kapisthala, Maitrayani, Vajasaneyi and Kanva according to some scholars.

Many scholars view the classification into two major groups or शाखा || Shakhas :

• Krishna Yajurveda
• Shukla Yajurveda

Today a vast majority of people follow the Yajurveda. Krishna Yajurveda is common in the South of India and Shukla Yajurveda in the North.

Shukla Yajurveda Shakas (15) : Charanavyuha's book mentions the 15 Shukla Yajurveda shakas as follows

Kanva, Madhyandhina, Shopeyaha, Tapayaneeyaha, Kapalaha, Poundravastasha, Avatikaha, Paramavatikaha, Parasharyaha, Vaidheyaha, Vaineyaha, Audheyaha, Galavaha, Vaijavaha, Katyayaneyaha. Of these presently only Kanva and Madhyandina samhitas are available

Krishna Yajurveda Shakas : Of the 86 shakas only four are available : Taittiriya, Katha, Kapisthala, and Maitrayani

कृष्णयजुर्वेद-संहिता || Krishna Yajurveda

The term कृष्ण || krishna of the shakha is so given due to following reasons

1. It contains both the छन्दोबद्ध Chandas (metrical) and गद्यात्मकम् Gadya (prose) forms of mantras
2. Mantras are interspersed with Brahmanas which explain the usage of the mantras

This samhita is said to have contained 85 Shakhas but only four of them are available now, out of which the Taittiriya Samhita is widely studied and followed especially in South India and other three Shakhas are not so well known.

Texts of the four major shakas that have survived are

1. तैत्तिरीय || Taittiriya
2. कठ/काठक || Katha or Kathaka
3. कपिष्ठलकठ || Kapisthala-Katha
4. मैत्रायणी || Maitrayani

ब्राह्मणानि आरण्यकानि उपनिषदः च ॥ Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads

Related to this Samhita are-

1. Taittiriya Brahmana
2. Taittiriya and Maitrayani Aranyakas
3. Taittiriya Upanishad
4. Kathopanishad
5. Swetaswatara Upanishad
6. Maitrayani Upanishad
7. Maha Narayana Upanishad.

शुक्लयजुर्वेद-संहिता || Shukla Yajurveda

The term शुक्ला || Shukla of the shakha is so given due to following reasons

1. It contains only the Chandas (metrical) forms of mantras without any prose content.
2. Mantras are arranged in an orderly manner.

The Shukla Yajurveda separates the Samhita from its Brahmana (the Shatapatha Brahmana).

This Samhita was said to contain 15 shakas (See footnote 1 in Page 20 of Reference 1) which were called Vajasaneyi. शुक्ल यजुर्वेद संहिता || Shukla Yajurveda Samhita is said to have been brought to the knowledge of the world by the famous sage याज्ञवल्क्य || Yajnavalkya from Vaajasani which means the Surya devata. Hence this is also known as वाजसनेयी संहिता || Vajasneyi Samhita.

Texts of only two major shakas have survived

1. Madhyandina
2. Kanva

ब्राह्मणानि आरण्यकानि उपनिषदः च ॥ Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads

Related to this Samhita are-

1. Satapatha Brahmana. This is a work extensively serving as a general guide to all the Vedas.
2. BrhadAranyaka
3. Isavasyopanishad
4. Brhadaranyokopanishad

कृष्णशुक्ल-यजुर्वेदयोः भेदः ॥ Differences between Krishna and Shukla Yajurveda

Following are few differences between Krishna and Shukla Yajurveda presented by Pt. Rishiram Regmi.

S. No	Krishna Yajurveda	Shukla Yajurveda
1	Mantras in both metrical and prose forms	Purely Mantras with chandas only.
2	Irregularly arranged rishis, devatas and chandas in Taittriya Sarvanukramanika (अस्तव्यस्तता)	Organized structure is seen in Anukramanika
3	Mantras and Brahmanas interspersed (मन्त्र-ब्राह्मण सङ्कीर्णता)	Only Mantras are present. Brahmana part is separate.
4	Usage of one mantra in different contexts (प्रयोग-विविधता)	Usage of mantra in various contexts are not seen in this shaka.
5	Mantras are incomplete and filled by the Kalpasutra mantras. (मन्त्र अपूर्णता)	Kalpa sutras are not required for completion of mantras.
6	Existence of Saraswat and Arsheya systems of classification in padapatha (पाठद्वैविद्यम्)	No such classification is present.
7	Follows Brahma Sampradaya	Follows Aditya Sampradaya
8	Widely followed in Southern parts of India	Widely followed in Northern parts of India
9	Given by Rishi Vaisampayana	Given by Rishi Yajnavalkya

देवताः छन्दसः ऋत्विक् च ॥ Devatas, Chandas and Rtvik

The devatas are the same as in Rig veda because a majority of mantras in Yajurveda are taken from there. The Yajurvedic procedural details are recited and conducted by अध्वर्यु || Adhvaryu priest for the proper performance of Yajnas. In Shukla Yajurveda, the mantras have the same chandas as in Rig veda from where they have been

विषयम् || Content

Whether Krishna or Shukla, both the shakas of Yajurveda deal primarily with the karmakanda and are also called yajnakanda. All the shaka texts deal with detailed descriptions of Srauta yajnas like Rajasuya, Vajapeya, Somayaga etc. Krishna Yajurveda is considered older than the Shukla Yajurveda.

For example in Madhyandina samhita, the yajna kriyas for Darshapurnamasa, Agnihotra, Chaturmasya, Agnistoma, Nirudhapasubandha, Chayanayaga, Sautramani, Asvamedha, Vajapeya, Rajasuya etc among other yajnas and istis are present. The 40th Adhyaya is the Isavasyopanishad; this is the only instance where an Upanishad is associated with the Samhita.

It may be noted that while in Rigveda the text is organized according to rishis as mantra drastas, in Yajurveda the rishis are given according to the yajnas. It is a compilation of ritual offering formulas that were said by a priest while an yajamana performed ritual actions such as those before the yajna fire. Yajurveda samhita includes mantras that are distinct yet borrow and build upon the foundation of verses in Rigveda. Unlike the Samaveda which is almost entirely based on Rigveda mantras and structured as songs, the Yajurveda samhitas are in prose and linguistically, they are different from other Vedic texts. Yajurveda text is not just related to rituals or sacrifice, it includes the largest collection of primary Upanishads, influential to various schools of Hindu philosophy.

विशेष-मन्त्राः ॥ Famous Mantras

The popular mantras in praise of Lord Siva - श्रीरुद्रप्रस्न || SriRudraprasna – finds a place in this Veda (Shodasa Adhyaya). The other famous suktam पुरुष सूक्तं || Purusha Suktam also occurs here with some modifications.

सामवेदः || Samaveda

व्युत्पत्तिः ॥ Etymology

तल्लक्षणमाह जैमिनिः - गीतेषुसामाख्या इति गीयमानेषु मन्त्रेषु सामसंज्ञेत्यर्थः . इति ||  

According to Jaimini (Shabdakalpadruma) Mantras which are to be sung are called as Sama.

According to Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.22) Sama is derived as follows

सा चामश्चेति तत्साम्नः सामत्वम् । 

Meaning : सा stands for Rk mantra and अम stands for Gana (gandhara etc svaras) and forms Sama when combined.

Along with the preparation of Soma rasa, praising the devatas by singing Samagana is an important aspect during Somayajna. Instruments such as veena, dundubhi flute and other instruments were used. Shatapata Brahmana states that without Samagana, Somayajna does not yield the desired results.

सामवेद-विभाजनम् ॥ Samaveda Vibhajana

Samaveda Samhita is the shortest of all the vedas given to the world by Jaimini. Many Sama mantras are derived from the eighth and ninth Mandalas of the Rigveda.

| Kandas ►	| Adhyayas ►	| Mantras

The Samaveda comprises two major parts.

1. आर्चिक Archika or the Mantras (hence called Samaamhita)
2. गण Gana or the Melody

According to some scholars the Rks are of two types - गेय (Song format) and अगेय (Not in Song format). Samaveda is composed of गेय ऋक् (Song format of Rks) called as आर्चिक (Archika) and गेय यजुस् (Song form of Yajus) called as स्तोक (Stoka).

The Kauthuma Samaveda Samhita consists of 1875 mantras, taken almost entirely (except for 75 mantras) from the Rigveda Shakala samhita. Scholars opine that the 75 mantras are also taken from the lost shakas of Rigveda (Shankhayana and others), while some others opine that they are the original mantras of Samaveda.

Jaimineeya Samhita of Samaveda is divided into Purva Archika containing 646 mantras and Uttara Archika 1041, totaling to 1687 mantras.

शाखाः ॥ Shakhas

सहस्त्रवर्त्मा सामवेदः |

According to Mahabhashya, Charanavyuha, Muktikopanishad, Atharvana Parishistham, Sarvanukramanika and Mahabharata, this Veda is said to have 1000 Shakhas. This aspect is also found to be mentioned in Puranas. There is an interesting ancedote mentioned by Pt. Ramshankar Bhattacharya that Samashakas were destroyed by Indra. Also a mention was made about the different Samashaka preachers being wiped out by a natural calamity (See Page 21 of Reference 1). However, there are different versions of scholars about the loss of shakas of Samaveda, but many opine that an innumerable number of Samaganas could have existed.

Some Samaganas that have found a mention in other texts include - बृहत् रथन्तर, वैराज, ज्येष्ठ, रैवत among others that are definitely more than 1000 which may be the reason why the word "सहस्त्र" or thousand may be justified. Some shakas of Samaveda that were mentioned in few ancient texts are

सात्यमुग्राः, नैगेयाः, शार्दूलाः, वार्षगण्याः, गाैतमाः, भाल्लविनः, कालबविनः, शाट्यायनिनः. रौरुकिणः. कापेयाः, माषशराव्यः, करद्विषः, शाण्डिल्याः, ताण्ड्याः

Following other shakas of Samaveda include

राणायन, सात्यमुग्र-व्यास, भागुरि, औलुण्डि, गौल्मुलिव, भानुमान, औपमन्यव, दाराल, गार्ग्य, सावर्णि, वार्षगणि, कुथुमि, शालिहोत्र, जैमिनि while according to सात्यमुग्र, व्यास, are separate shakas, few others namely मानेपमन्यव, काराटि, मशका are mentioned in addition to those given earlier.

Presently only three shakas are available.

1. कौथुम || Kauthuma
2. राणायनीय || Ranayaneeya
3. जैमिनीय || Jaimini

Kauthuma is the widely followed shaka, mainly by Nagara brahmins of Gujarat, while Ranayaneeya is seen among the people of Maharashtra and Jaimineeya shaka is seen in Tamilnadu.

देवताः छन्दसः ऋत्विक् च ॥ Devatas, Chandas and Rtvik

All the mantras of the Samaveda are sung by the उद्गात्रि || Udgaatri priest during Somayajna. Unlike Rigveda, deities of Samaveda are predominantly Agni, Indra and Soma.

विषयम् || Content

It is said that those who know the Samaveda knows the secrets of Vedas.

Saama Gana or singing of mantras as per the rules of Sama Veda is said to be the basis and source of the seven svaras or notes fundamental to the Indian music systems.

The special virtue of Sama Veda is that although its mantras are from the Rig Veda they are set to music which is greatly conductive to the spiritual evolution of a human being and to qualify oneself for receiving the grace of the devatas.

Sri Krishna says in the Shrimad Bhagavadgita (Ch.10 Verse 22) 

वेदानां सामवेदोस्मि vedaanaam saamavedosmi

Meaning ‘among the Vedas I am the Sama Veda’.

In Chandogya Upanishad, it is said that Angirasa maharshi, while teaching Vedas to SriKrishna, first taught Samagana vidhi called "Chalikhya" to Him, in which He attained perfection and played it on His flute.

Similarly, in the Lalita Sahasranama, one of the epithets used to describe the Divine Mother is साम गाण प्रिये || Saama Gaana Priye (one who is pleased with the recital of Saman).

गण Gana texts contain the information about how Samagana is to be sung, While singing the mantras, matras such as deergha, plutha, and pathapaddhati or recitation methods are clearly mentioned in these texts.

विशेष-विषयाः ॥ Famous Aspects

Bharatamuni the author of Natyashastram, cites Samaveda as the origin of music.

जग्राह पाठ्यं ऋग्वेदात्‌, सामभ्यो गीतमेव च यजुर्वेदादभिनयान्‌ रसमाथर्वणादपि।। (Natyasastram 1.17)

Meaning : Samaveda is the origin of geetam or music.

सामवेदादिदं गीतं संजग्राह पितामहः (Sang. Ratn. 1.25)

Meaning : Brahma collected musical notes (geetam) from Samaveda.

According to Sharangadeva the author of Sangeeta Ratnakara, musical notes in words arose from Samaveda texts.

ब्राह्मणानि आरण्यकानि उपनिषदः च ॥ Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads

Affiliated to this Samhita are

1. Tandya Maha Brahmana, the biggest and most important, the other seven Brahmanas namely Shadvimshabrahmana, Arsheyabrahmana, Samavidhanabrahmana, Devatadhyayabrahmana,Chanddogyopanishad-brahmana, Vamshabrahmana and Samhitopanishadbrahmana.
2. One Aranyaka of this Samhita is available which is called Talavakara or Jaiminiya Aranyaka.
3. Chandogya Upanishad
4. Kenopanishad, also known as Talavakaropanishad.

अथर्ववेदः || Atharvaveda

व्युत्पत्तिः ॥ Etymology

Atharvana or Atharva Veda (Samskrit : अथर्वण or अथर्व) थु्र्वी हिंसायाम् धातु undergoes change into थर्व. अथर्व means that which is devoid of himsa or harm to others.

Other names of this Veda include Brahma Veda, Kshtra veda (as it contains a information about rajaneeti or statecraft and administration for kings), Bhishagveda (as it contains information about diseases and their cure), Angiroveda and Atharvangiro veda. It is called as Brahma Veda due to the following 3 reasons

1. In Yajna karmas Brahma is the Rtvik who oversees the yajna.
2. Contains the knowledge of Brahman
3. The mantras of this veda were revealed to the rishi named Brahma.

अथर्ववेद-विभाजनम् ॥ Atharvaveda Vibhajana

The Artharvaveda Samhita is the text revealed to the अथर्वण || Atharvan and अङ्गिरस || Angirasa rishis. Atharvasamhita of Shaunaka shaka has the following divisions of the text.

| Kandas ►	| Suktas ►	| Prapathaka ►	| Mantras

It has 20 Kandas, 760, 730 731 Suktas, 36 Prapathakas and 5987 (5977) mantras. Most of the mantras are metrical, but some sections are in prose. About 20% of the mantras are from Rig veda.

शाखाः ॥ Shakhas

According to Atharvana Parishista, Charanavyuha, Prapanchahrudaya, Pathanjali's Mahabhasya and Kurma Purana and Sarvanukramani, Atharvana veda had 9 shakas. Another version of Sarvanukramani and Muktikopanishad mention the existence of 50 shakas. The 9 shakas according to Charanavyuha are, slightly different from other versions, given as follows

पैपलादाः, स्त्रौदाः, शौनकीयाः,जाजलाः, देवदर्शाः, चारणविद्याः, स्त्रौदाः जलदाः ब्रह्मवादः

According to other versions the nine shakas are

पैपलादाः, स्त्रौदाःor तौद, मौद, शौनक, जाजल, जलद, ब्रह्मवादः, देवदर्श, चारणवैद्य

Out of the 9 Shakhas known only two are available now. They are

1. Pippalada (incomplete version)
2. Saunaka

देवताः छन्दसः ऋत्विक् च ॥ Devatas, Chandas and Rtvik

Like Rigveda from where Atharvana veda takes a significant part, the chandas here include Anustuph, Tristup along with many other new chandas or metrical forms. Worship of many devatas is also seen along with the acceptance of the Supreme Being. The rtvik of Atharvaveda is ब्रह्मा || Brahma who supervises the conduct of the Yajnas.

विषयम् ॥ Content

As the Atharva Veda Samhita has some special features it stands apart from the other three Vedas. It deals more with worldly things than with the other worlds and the yajnas mentioned here are utilized as a means to them. Amidst mundane subjects high philosophical ideas are also found in this Veda.

This Veda contains many types of mantras for the following worldly or materialistic purposes

• To ward off evils and hardship, snakes, and supernatural forces such as demons.
• To destroy enemies
• Marriage, cremation and other samskaras
• Description of diseases,their cure and herbal remedies
• For prolonging life
• For fulfilling one’s desires
• For wealth, trade and commerce
• Rajaneeti includes statecraft, defense systems of the country, training for soldiers, winning in wars.
• Related to Supreme Reality, Immortality and other philosophical matters.
• Creation and emergence of the Universe. .

The Atharvaveda was not considered as a Veda in the Vedic era, and was accepted as a Veda during later ages though some schools do not consider it even in modern era.

The Atharva veda has been a primary source for information about Vedic culture, their customs and beliefs, the social economic conditions, agricultural and scientific matters, the requirements of people in everyday life in Vedic era ranging from mantras for snakes to those associated with kings and governance.

विशेष-विषयाः ॥ Famous Aspects

• पृथ्वी सूक्तं || Prithvi Suktam
• Madhuvidya Suktam
• Kanda 15 is called व्रात्यकाण्ड || Vratya kanda. It deals about people whose origin and nature is debated by many scholars, and they did not follow any kind of vaidika kriyas, nor had respect for any rituals.

ब्राह्मणानि आरण्यकानि उपनिषदः च ॥ Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads

Only one Brahmana called Gopatha Brahmana has been discovered. No Aranyaka of this Veda has come to light so far.

There are a number of Upanishads which are associated with this Veda. The well known Upanishads belonging to this Veda are :

1. Prasna Upanishad
2. Mundaka Upanishad
3. Mandukya Upanishad

Sub Classification of Vedas

Different texts of Vedic literature is further classified as follows.

संहिताः || Samhitas

Samhitas (Samskrit : संहिता) deal primarily with yagas and are collections of mantras in praise of deities for attaining prosperity in the world and happiness hereafter. There are four Vedic Samhitas: the Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, and Atharva-Veda, most of which are available in several shakas (recensions).

Yagas are of three types :

• Ekaha: A yaga that is completed in one day is called Ekaha. Ex: Jyotishtoma.
• Ahina: A yaga that is lasts between 2 to 12 days is called Ahina or sutya. Ex: a 12 day Sutyaka is Poundarika
• Satrayagam : A yaga that lasts from 12 days to a few years is called Satra. Ex : Gavamanas

In these samhitas, all karmas are described, they are of four types :

• Nityakarma : actions that are prescribed to be performed on a daily basis
• Naimittika karma
• Kamya karma
• Nishiddha karma

In some contexts, the term Veda is used to refer to these Samhitas. This is the oldest layer of Vedic texts, apart from the Rigveda, which is the oldest text in the world.

This portion is mainly meant for ब्रह्मचारी || Brahmacharis, those who are in the first stage of their lives.

ब्राह्मणानि || Brahmanas

आपस्तम्ब || Apastamba defines Brahmanas as ‘कर्मचोदना ब्राह्मणानि || Karmacodana Brahmanani’ meaning Brahmanas are injunctions for the performance of sacrificial rites (Apasthamba Shrau. Sut. 34 and 35). Some believe that what are not mantras are brahmanas (Jaimineeya Purvamimamsa 2.1.33)

Brahmanas though are not metrical like the Vedic mantras contain prose with patha paddhati or recitation methods to chant them. They are commentaries or explanation of ceremonial Srauta yajnas giving the meaning of mantras in Vedic Samhitas of the four Vedas and depict the socio-economic conditions and religious aspects of the era. They also contain some legends and debates about a few differences in the rituals. Each Vedic shakha (school) has its own operating manual-like Brahmana text, most of which have been lost. A total of 19 Brahmana texts have survived into modern times: two associated with the Rigveda, six with the Yajurveda, ten with the Samaveda and one with the Atharvaveda.

Each of the Brahmanas is associated with one of the Samhitas or its recensions. The Brahmanas may either form separate texts or can be partly integrated into the text of the Samhitas. They may also include the Aranyakas and Upanishads. The substance of the Brahmana text varies with each Veda.

This portion of a Veda guides people in the performance of Vedic Karmas or sacrificial rituals; they are the prose explanations of the method of using the mantras in the Yajnas and other rituals. Brahmana is suitable for the गृहस्थ || Grihasthas (the householders), those belonging to the second stage in life.

अरण्यकानि || Aranyakas

Aranyakas, "wilderness texts" or "forest treatisies" अरण्येऽधीयूरान् meaning texts to be studied in forests as mentioned in Taittiriya Aranyaka, were composed by people who meditated in the woods as recluses and are the third part of the Vedas. The texts contain discussions and interpretations of ceremonies, from ritualisitic to symbolic meta-ritualistic points of view.

This text is unavailable (as for Atharvana veda) or found as the last part of the Brahmanas, or are completely separated from the Brahmanas. For example, the last kanda of Shatapata Brahmana is Aranyaka for Shukla Yajurveda, whereas in Krishna Yajurveda, the Taittiriya Brahmana and Aranyaka are completely separate.

Aranyakas, however, neither are homogeneous in content nor in structure. They are a combination of instructions and ideas, and some include chapters of Upanishads within them. Two theories have been proposed on the origin of the word Aranyakas. One theory holds that these texts were meant to be studied in a forest, while the other holds that the name came from these being the manuals of allegorical interpretation of sacrifices, for those in वानप्रस्थ || Vanaprastha (retired, forest-dwelling) stage of their life, according to the historic age-based Ashrama system of human life.

The Aranyaka portion is addressed to the people of that category offering a substitute for rituals. They teach methods of meditation based upon symbolical interpretations of sacrificial rites. It is a process of performing Yajnas and sacrifices at the mental level. For example Brihadaranyaka Upanishad starts with such analytical mental performance of Aswamedha Yajna. The Aranyakas are intended for the Vanaprasthas or people who prepare themselves for the last stage in life i.e. Sanyasa. Aranyakas form the transition link between the ritual of the Brahmanas and the philosophy of the Upanishads.

उपनिषदः || Upanishads

The number of works that go by the name Upanishad and available today in print exceeds 200. The Muktikopanishad gives a list of 108 Upanishads. However, the principal Upanishads are accepted to be those which Sri Adi Sankaracharya chose to comment upon.

Sri Sankaracharya was the earliest commentator on the Upanishads. He chose only 10 Upanishads for his commentaries. According to some scholars he commented upon 11 Upanishads. He refers to 4 more Upanishads in his commentary on Brahma Sutra namely Svetasvatara  Upanishad, Kousitaki Upanishad, Jaabaala Upanishad, Mahanarayana Upanishad, and Paingala Upanishad.

Considering the ones chosen by him for commenting and as reference material as the most ancient and authentic, they are termed as major or principal Upanishads. We may list them as follows:

TEN MAJOR UPANISHADS (Based on Sri Adi Shankaracharya's Commentaries)

1. Isavasya or Isopanishad
2. Kena Upanishad
3. Katha Upanishad
4. Prasna Upanishad
5. Mundaka Upanishad
6. Mandukya Upanishad
7. Taittiriya Upanishad
8. AitareyaUpanishad
9. Chandogya Upanishad
10. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad

The Upanishads are the concluding portions of the Vedas which discuss philosophical issues both in prose and metrical forms. They are commonly referred to as वेदान्त || Vedanta, variously interpreted to mean either the "last chapters, parts of the Vedas" or "the object, the highest purpose of the Veda". The concepts of ब्रह्मन || Brahman (Ultimate Reality, Paramatma), आत्मन् || Atman (Soul, Self, Jivatma) and liberation of soul (Mukti Moksha) are central ideas in all the Upanishads and primarily focus on routes for obtaining Brahmavidya which on practice leads one to Mukti. The Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu philosophical thought and its diverse traditions.

They are the essence of the Vedas containing their knowledge aspects along with explanation of karmas (as in Upakosala's tending to fires in Chandogya Upanishad). The philosophy of the Upanishads occupies the highest pedestal in the spiritual knowledge. They speak about the identity of the Supreme Eternal Soul, the Brahman, the individual soul, the Atman, their mutual relationship, the Universe (jagat) and man’s place in it. In short they deal with जीवात्मा || Jivatma, परमात्मा || Paramatma, जगत् || Jagat Avidya, Karmaphalam, Punarjanma and जगदीश्वर || Jagadishwara.

Aranyakas are sometimes identified as karma-kanda (ritualistic section), while the Upanishads are identified as jnana-kanda (spirituality section). In an alternate classification, the early part of Vedas are called Samhitas and the commentary are called the Brahmanas which together are identified as the ceremonial karma-kanda, while Aranyakas and Upanishads are together referred to as the jnana-kanda.