Veda Vargeekarana (वेदवर्गीकरणम्)

Vedas (Samskrit : वेदः) is regarded as revealed scripture, self-explanatory and self authoritative, according to many traditional scholars. वैदिक सूक्त || Vedic Suktas (Collection of Mantras) and मन्त्र || Mantras are "seen by" or "revealed to" and only spoken by the 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 अपौरुषेय ॥ 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 Veda Vyasa and further formation of shakas (recensions) or versions of Vedas seen today is based on different rishis.

परिचय || 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

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.

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.

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).

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

Shakas

Only one Shaka (school or recension) of the Rigveda is available today called as शाकला || 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.

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).

विषयविभागम्

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

स्तुतिविभागम्

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.

उपासनाविभागम्

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.

इतिहासविभागम्

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.

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

Brahmanas, Aranyakas and the Upanishads

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

यजुर्वेद || Yajurveda

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.

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) which 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.

Shakas

The number of Yajurveda shakas is given variously by different rishis and scholars as 101 shakas (recensions) 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. 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.

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

Brahmanas Aranyakas and Upanishads

Related to this Samhita are-

1. Taittiriya Brahmana

2. Taittiriya and Maitrayani Aranyakas

3. Taittiriya, Katha, Swetaswatara, Maitrayani and Maha Narayana Upanishads.

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

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. Brhadaraanyokopanishad and Isavasyopanishad.

कृष्णशुक्ल-यजुर्वेदयोः भेदः

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

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.

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.

सामवेद || Saamaveda

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. Shatapata Brahmana states that without Samagana, Somayajna does not yield the desired results.

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 SamaSamhita)
2. गान Gana or the Melody

According to some 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 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.

Shakas

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.

• कौथुम || Kauthuma
• राणायनीय || Ranayaneeya
• 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.

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

Unlike the mantras of the other three Vedas, the mantras of Samaveda are simply known as Saman having seven svaras or musical scales. Therefore, 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 Gods. Hence, Sri Krishna says in the Gita (Ch.10 Verse 22) ‘vedaanaam saamavedosmi’ meaning ‘among the Vedas I am the Sama Veda’. 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).

Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads

Affiliated to this Samhita are-

1. Out of 9 Brahmanas of this Veda Tandya Maha Brahmana is the biggest and most important.
2. Only one Aranyaka of this Samhita is available which is called Talavakara or Jaiminiya Aranyaka.
3. Chandogya Upanishad and the Kenopanishad, also known as Talavakaropanishad.

अथर्वण || Atharvana or अथर्व वेद || Atharva veda

The Artharvaveda Samhita is the text 'belonging to the अथर्वण || Atharvan and अङ्गिरस || Angirasa poets. It has about 760 hymns, and about 160 of the hymns are in common with the Rigveda. Most of the verses are metrical, but some sections are in prose. This is also called Brahma Veda because it is assigned to the ब्रह्मा || Brahma priest who supervises the conduct of the Yajnas. The mantras in this Veda are both in prose and verse forms.

As the Atharva Veda Samhita has some special features it stands apart from the other three Vedas. It deals more with things here and now than with the hereafter and the sacrifices are utilized as a means to them. This Veda contains many types of mantras designed to ward off evils and hardship as also to destroy enemies. Besides this it deals with diseases and their cure, rites for prolonging life, for fulfilling one’s desires, construction activities, trade and commerce, statecraft, defense systems of the country among others.

Many mantras deal with creation and emergence of the Universe. The sukta extolling the wonder of creation is called पृथ्वी सूक्तं || Prithvi Sooktam. Amidst mundane subjects high philosophical ideas are also found in this Veda. The literary style of this Veda is highly sophisticated.

Most of the Shakhas of Atharva Veda are lost. Out of the 9 Shakhas known to have existed under this Samhita only two are available now. They are

1. Pippalada
2. Saunaka

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
4. Kaivalya Upanishad

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 Atharvaveda is sometimes called the "Veda of magical formulas", an epithet declared to be incorrect by other scholars. The Samhita layer of the text likely represents magico-religious rites to address superstitious anxiety, spells to remove maladies believed to be caused by demons, and herbs- and nature-derived potions as medicine. However, books of the Atharvaveda Samhita are dedicated to rituals without magic, such as to philosophical speculations and to philosophy.

The Atharva veda has been a primary source for information about Vedic culture, the customs and beliefs, the aspirations and frustrations of everyday Vedic life, as well as those associated with kings and governance. The text also includes hymns dealing with the two major rituals of passage – marriage and cremation. The Atharva Veda also dedicates significant portion of the text asking the meaning of a ritual.

Sub Classification of Vedas

संहिता || Samhitas

Samhitas (Sanskrit saṃhitā, "collection"), are collections of mantras or hymns and prayers 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 recensions (śākhā).

In some contexts, the term Veda is used to refer to these Samhitas. This is the oldest layer of Vedic texts, apart from the Rigvedic hymns, which were probably essentially complete by 1200 BC, dating to the 12th to 10th centuries BC according to historians.

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

ब्राह्मण || Brahmanas

The Brahmanas are commentaries, explanation of solemn rituals as well as expound on their meaning of Vedic Samhita rituals in the four Vedas. They also incorporate legends and in some cases philosophy. Each regional 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. For example, the first chapter of the Chandogya Brahmana, one of the oldest Brahmanas, includes eight ritual suktas (hymns) for the ceremony of marriage and rituals at the birth of a child.

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.

अरण्यक || Aranyakas

Aranyakas, "wilderness texts" or "forest treaties", 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. It is frequently read in secondary literature.

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.

उपनिषद् || 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 Adi Sankaracharya who lived between 788 and 820 A.D. chose to comment upon.

Sankara 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 Adi Shankara's Commentaries)

1. Isavasya or Isopanishad
2. Kena Upanishad
3. KathaUpanishad
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. They are commonly referred to as वेदान्त || Vedānta, 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) and आत्मन् || Ātman (Soul, Self) are central ideas in all the Upanishads, and "Know your Ātman" their thematic focus. The Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu philosophical thought and its diverse traditions.

They are the essence of the Vedas containing their knowledge aspects. 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 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.

References

1. https://ia802606.us.archive.org/17/items/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft.pdf
2. Shastri, Jwalanth Kumar. (2009) Ved aur vedarth Rajasthan: Sri Ghudhmal Prahladkumar Arya Dharmarth Nyasa
3. Rigveda Classification on Vedic Heritage Portal
4. Introduction to Samhitas in Vedic Heritage Portal
5. Gopal Reddy, Mudiganti and Sujata Reddy, Mudiganti (1997) Sanskrita Saahitya Charitra (Vaidika Vangmayam - Loukika Vangamayam, A critical approach) Hyderabad : P. S. Telugu University
6. Singh, Ahilya. (2010) PhD Thesis Title: Pracheen bharat mein aarthik jeevan prarambh se vaidik kaal tak. V. B. S. Purvanchal University.
7. Swaminathan, C. R. (1997) Kanvasatapathabrahmanam Vol 2. New Delhi : Indra Gandhi National Centre For the Arts and Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
8. Topic : Yajus samhita from Vaidika Vangmayasya itihasa bharatiya samskriti cha, Volume: Vedaparichaya by Rastriya Samskrit Samsthan.
9. Yajurveda Introduction by Vedic Heritage Portal
10. Regmi, Sri Rishiramji. Article : Yajurved ka Sankshipth Parichay available in Vedic Heritage Portal.
11. Samaveda as per Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (Adhyaya 1)
12. Adhikari, Shriram Article : Samaved ka parichay evam vaisishtya from Vedic Heritage Portal