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Line 33: − == चातुर्होतारः ॥ Four Chief Priests of Yajna == − The Vedas were mainly utilized in the performance of यज्ञाः ॥ [[Yajna (यज्ञः)|Yajnas]] (sacrifices) which were the most common form of early Vedic religion. Such use of the Veda led to its division into four parts based on the requirements of the chief priests conducting the yajnas.<ref>Upadhyaya, Baldev. (1958) ''[https://archive.org/details/VaidikSahityaBaldevUpadhyaya1958 Vaidik Sahitya]''.</ref> This is referred to in the following Rigveda mantra<blockquote>ऋचां त्व: पोषमास्ते पुपुष्वान्गायत्रं त्वो गायति शक्वरीषु । ब्रह्मा त्वो वदति जातविद्यां यज्ञस्य मात्रां वि मिमीत उ त्वः ॥११॥ (Rig. Veda. 10.71.11)<ref>Rig Veda Samhita ([http://vedicheritage.gov.in/samhitas/rigveda/shakala-samhita/rigveda-shakala-samhita-mandal-10-sukta-071/ Mandala 10 Sukta 71])</ref></blockquote><blockquote>r̥cāṁ tva: pōṣamāstē pupuṣvāngāyatraṁ tvō gāyati śakvarīṣu । brahmā tvō vadati jātavidyāṁ yajñasya mātrāṁ vi mimīta u tvaḥ ॥11॥</blockquote>Meaning : One priest engages in duly reciting of the mantras while another sings the Samans in gayatri chandas. Another knower of Vedas duly uses the mantras for special karmas by applying the prayaschittas and vidhis, yet another uses them to follow the procedures of yajna karmas.<ref name=":7">Pt. Sripada Damodara Satavalekar. (1985). ''Rigved ka Subodh Bhashya, [http://vedicheritage.gov.in/flipbook/Rigveda_Subodh_Bhasya_Vol_IV/#book/410 Volume 4]'', Parady: Svadhyaya Mandali</ref> − − === होता <nowiki>|| Hota</nowiki> === − The chief priest whose function was to chant the ऋग्वेद-मन्त्राः ॥ Rigveda mantras and invoke the deities to the yajna. − − === अध्वर्युः || Adhvaryu === − The chief executor of the Yajurveda part used to perform the यज्ञक्रियाः ॥ yajna kriyas (yajnika rites) and was in charge of the physical details of the yajna. He also takes care of the construction of the यज्ञवेदी ॥ yajnavedi and preparation of the आहुति-s ॥ ahutis. − − === उद्गाता || Udgata === − The chief singer who sings the collection of all the सामवेद-मन्त्राः ॥ Samaveda mantras (musical chants). − − === [[Brahma (ब्रह्मा)|ब्रह्मा || Brahma]] === − The chief overseer who would recite the mantras of अथर्ववेदः ॥ Atharvaveda and was considered as the supervisor over the whole process of yajna. Line 53:
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The Four Vedas (चतुर्वेदाः) (view source)
Revision as of 21:06, 6 September 2021
, 21:06, 6 September 2021→वेदवर्गीकरणम् ॥ Classification of Vedas: added content
| सुमन्तुः ॥ Sumantu
| सुमन्तुः ॥ Sumantu
|}
|}
== वेदवर्गीकरणम् ॥ Classification of Vedas ==
== वेदवर्गीकरणम् ॥ Classification of Vedas ==
There are four Vedas as compiled by the Maharshi Veda Vyasa :
There are four Vedas as compiled by the Maharshi Veda Vyasa :
# [[Samaveda (सामवेद)|सामवेदः || The Samaveda]]
# [[Samaveda (सामवेद)|सामवेदः || The Samaveda]]
# [[Atharvaveda (अथर्ववेदः)|अथर्ववेदः || The Atharvaveda]]''.''
# [[Atharvaveda (अथर्ववेदः)|अथर्ववेदः || The Atharvaveda]]''.''
Of these, the first three were the principal original division, also called त्रयी-विद्या || Trayi vidya, that is, "the triple science" of reciting hymns (Rigveda), performing yajnas (Yajurveda), and chanting songs (Samaveda). The Rigveda is the oldest work, which according to the Western Indologist Witzel, is probably from the period of 1900 to 1100 BC. However, till date no authentic dating method has been able to date literary works accurately. Only one version of the Rigveda is known to have survived into the modern era. Several different versions of the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda are known, and many different versions of the Yajurveda have been found in different parts of South Asia.
Of these, the first three were the principal original division, also called त्रयी-विद्या || Trayi vidya, that is, "the triple science" of reciting hymns (Rigveda), performing yajnas (Yajurveda), and chanting songs (Samaveda).
Some modern scholars opine that there are only three Vedas - Veda Trayi (Rig veda, Yajurveda and Samaveda) and later the Atharva Veda was added and thus Vedas are four in number.<ref name=":3">''Vedsvaroop'' by Pt. Yugalkishore Mishra in Vedkathaank. Gorakhpur: Gita Press (Pages 165-171)</ref> Such opinions are based on some instances as mentioned in Shatapatha Brahmana. However, embedded into the three types of writing style are the four vedas.
* सैषा त्रय्येव विद्या तपति... (Shat. Brah. 10.3.6.2)
* त्रयी वै विद्या... (Shat. Brah. 4.6.7.1)
Vedas have been broadly divided into two parts - mantras and Brahmanas. आम्नायः पुनर्मन्त्राश्च ब्राह्मणानि (Kau. Sutr. 1.3)<ref>Kaushika Sutra ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8C%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A6%E0%A5%A7 Adhyaya 1])</ref> Apastamba also mentions the veda lakshana similarly as मन्त्रब्रह्मणयोर्वेदानामवधेयम्। Vedas are to be understood as consisting of mantras and brahmanas. <blockquote>पादेनार्थेन चोपेता वृत्तबद्धा मन्त्रा ऋचः। गीतिरूपा मन्त्राः सामानि। वृत्तगीतिवर्जितत्वेन प्रश्लिष्टपठिता मन्त्रा यजूंषि।</blockquote>Mantras are of three types - those having a structured chandas ( are called Richa-s, those mantras lacking in chandas and song format (प्रश्लिष्टपठिता) are called Yajus, those which can be sung like a song are called Sama. The Atharva-angirasa mantras are also present in the style similar to richas, namely, padyatmak, thus is included as a Veda.
{| class="wikitable"
!Characteristics
!Rigveda
Atharva veda
!Yajurveda
!Samaveda
|-
|Structure
|वृत्तबद्धा (Padya)
|प्रश्लिष्टपठिता (Gadya)
|गीतिरूपा (Geya)
|-
|Chandas
|Present
|Absent
|Present
|-
|Mantras
|Rcha-s (ऋचः)
|Yajus (यजूंषि)
|Samans (सामानि)
|}
The parts containing the mantras are compiled into what are termed as Samhitas since ancient times. It is this Samhita literature that is arranged into Pada-patha, Krama-patha and other vikriti-pathas. The mantra consisting Samhita is recited and used in the yajnas. Acharya Shri. Karapatri Swami ji also added the perspectives of darshanas and yajnas into the definition of Vedas and presented the viewpoint of ancients as <blockquote>"शब्दातिरिक्त शब्दोपजीविप्रमाणातिरिक्तं च यत्प्रमाणं तज्जन्यप्रमितिविषयानतिरिक्तार्थको यो यस्तदन्यत्वे सति आमुष्मिकसुखजनकोच्चारणकत्वे सति जन्यज्ञानाजन्यो यो प्रमाणशब्दस्तत्त्वं वेदत्वम्" इति च प्राचीनस्तल्लक्षणमुक्तम् ।</blockquote>The apaurusheya shabdarashi (large amounts of literature which was not composed by any person) which shows the path to achieve both the worldly and beyond materialistic (alaukika) results, and which has both the mantra and brahmana parts, that shabdarashi is termed Veda.<ref name=":3" />
The Rigveda is the oldest work, which according to the Western Indologist Witzel, is probably from the period of 1900 to 1100 BC. However, till date no authentic dating method has been able to date literary works accurately. Only one version of the Rigveda is known to have survived into the modern era. Several different versions of the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda are known, and many different versions of the Yajurveda have been found in different parts of South Asia.
== वेदविभागाः ॥ Sub Classification of Vedas ==
== वेदविभागाः ॥ Sub Classification of Vedas ==
Each Veda has been sub-classified into four major text types –
Each Veda has been sub-classified into four major text types –
Adi Shankaracharya (आदिशङ्कराचार्यः) classified each Veda into karma-kanda (कर्मकाण्डम्) or action/ritual-related sections and jnana-kanda (ज्ञानकाण्डम्) or knowledge/adhyatmikita-related sections.
Adi Shankaracharya (आदिशङ्कराचार्यः) classified each Veda into karma-kanda (कर्मकाण्डम्) or action/ritual-related sections and jnana-kanda (ज्ञानकाण्डम्) or knowledge/adhyatmikita-related sections.
== चातुर्होतारः ॥ Four Chief Priests of Yajna ==
The Vedas were mainly utilized in the performance of यज्ञाः ॥ [[Yajna (यज्ञः)|Yajnas]] (sacrifices) which were the most common form of early Vedic religion. Such use of the Veda led to its division into four parts based on the requirements of the chief priests conducting the yajnas.<ref>Upadhyaya, Baldev. (1958) ''[https://archive.org/details/VaidikSahityaBaldevUpadhyaya1958 Vaidik Sahitya]''.</ref> This is referred to in the following Rigveda mantra<blockquote>ऋचां त्व: पोषमास्ते पुपुष्वान्गायत्रं त्वो गायति शक्वरीषु । ब्रह्मा त्वो वदति जातविद्यां यज्ञस्य मात्रां वि मिमीत उ त्वः ॥११॥ (Rig. Veda. 10.71.11)<ref>Rig Veda Samhita ([http://vedicheritage.gov.in/samhitas/rigveda/shakala-samhita/rigveda-shakala-samhita-mandal-10-sukta-071/ Mandala 10 Sukta 71])</ref></blockquote><blockquote>r̥cāṁ tva: pōṣamāstē pupuṣvāngāyatraṁ tvō gāyati śakvarīṣu । brahmā tvō vadati jātavidyāṁ yajñasya mātrāṁ vi mimīta u tvaḥ ॥11॥</blockquote>Meaning : One priest engages in duly reciting of the mantras while another sings the Samans in gayatri chandas. Another knower of Vedas duly uses the mantras for special karmas by applying the prayaschittas and vidhis, yet another uses them to follow the procedures of yajna karmas.<ref name=":7">Pt. Sripada Damodara Satavalekar. (1985). ''Rigved ka Subodh Bhashya, [http://vedicheritage.gov.in/flipbook/Rigveda_Subodh_Bhasya_Vol_IV/#book/410 Volume 4]'', Parady: Svadhyaya Mandali</ref>
=== होता <nowiki>|| Hota</nowiki> ===
The chief priest whose function was to chant the ऋग्वेद-मन्त्राः ॥ Rigveda mantras and invoke the deities to the yajna.
=== अध्वर्युः || Adhvaryu ===
The chief executor of the Yajurveda part used to perform the यज्ञक्रियाः ॥ yajna kriyas (yajnika rites) and was in charge of the physical details of the yajna. He also takes care of the construction of the यज्ञवेदी ॥ yajnavedi and preparation of the आहुति-s ॥ ahutis.
=== उद्गाता || Udgata ===
The chief singer who sings the collection of all the सामवेद-मन्त्राः ॥ Samaveda mantras (musical chants).
=== [[Brahma (ब्रह्मा)|ब्रह्मा || Brahma]] ===
The chief overseer who would recite the mantras of अथर्ववेदः ॥ Atharvaveda and was considered as the supervisor over the whole process of yajna.
== Dating सनातन-धर्मः ॥ Sanatana Dharma ==
== Dating सनातन-धर्मः ॥ Sanatana Dharma ==
Vedas will have historical implications when the rishis are assumed to be the authors of these vedas. So the primary question of whether these rishis are authors (मन्त्रकर्तारः) of mantras or drastas (मन्त्रद्रष्टारः) to whom the Vedas were revealed to, needs to be understood clearly.<ref name=":2">Sharma, Pt Sri Jayadevaji (2008) ''Rigveda Samhita Bhashabhashya Volume 1'' Ajmer: Arya Sahitya Mandal Ltd</ref> Only when historicity needs to be verified does dating of vedas becomes important. It has to be stated that dating of the Sanatana Dharma texts is beyond the scope of this article. We do not have the exact facts about this topic and believe in the timelessness of many issues related to Sanatana Dharma. However, given below are some views of the scholars. The dates and times given below are not verified.
Vedas will have historical implications when the rishis are assumed to be the authors of these vedas. So the primary question of whether these rishis are authors (मन्त्रकर्तारः) of mantras or drastas (मन्त्रद्रष्टारः) to whom the Vedas were revealed to, needs to be understood clearly.<ref name=":2">Sharma, Pt Sri Jayadevaji (2008) ''Rigveda Samhita Bhashabhashya Volume 1'' Ajmer: Arya Sahitya Mandal Ltd</ref> Only when historicity needs to be verified does dating of vedas becomes important. It has to be stated that dating of the Sanatana Dharma texts is beyond the scope of this article. We do not have the exact facts about this topic and believe in the timelessness of many issues related to Sanatana Dharma. However, given below are some views of the scholars. The dates and times given below are not verified.