Vedas

These are the Sanskrit Books of Knowledge. They are also called Nigama.

The sections of the Vedas can be divided into two, or three broad divisions.

1. Karma Khanda (Ritual Portion)
   • Includes Samhithas and Brahmanas
2. Upaasana Khanda (Worship Portion) [Minor Classification]
   • Upaasana (mostly in Aranyakas)
3. Jnaana Khanda (Wisdom Portion)
   • Includes Aranyakas and Upanishads

Vedas are passed on through Shakhas.

Shakhas focused on pronunciation, and not on the meaning of the words. So people ended up not knowing what Samhithas meant after the Vedic period, considering them as sacred sounds.

Validity

• Veda originates from the root Vid, meaning “to know”, and is cognate with Vidya (Knowledge)
• According to the Upanishads, there are two type of Vidya:
  • Para Vidya (Deep Knowledge)
  • Apara Vidya (Emprical Knowledge)
• Para Vidya is the goal, and Apara Vidya outlines the path
• Para Vidya is the knowledge of the Atma and Brahma

Veda is endless

The Ṛcs are limited (parimita), The Samans are limited, And the Yajuses are limited, But of the Word Brahman, there is no end.

— Taittiriya Samhita VII.3.1.4, Translated by Barbara Holdrege

Sections

Samhithas (Put Together / Collections)

They contain hymns and benedictions.

Brahmanas (Universal / Spiritual Insights)

Aranyakas (Forest Life / Ritual Philosophy)

They deal with the metaphorical meanings of rituals.

List

• Rigveda
  • Aitareya Aranyaka belongs to the Aitareya Shakha of Rigveda
  • Kaushitaki Aranyaka belongs to the Kaushitaki and Shankhayana Shakhas of Rigveda
• Yajurveda
  • Krishna
    • Taittiriya Aranyaka belongs to the Taittiriya Shakha of the Krishna Yajurveda
    • Maitrayaniya Aranyaka belongs to the Maitrayaniya Shakha of the Krishna Yajurveda
    • Katha Aranyaka belongs to the (Caraka)Katha Shakha of the Krishna Yajurveda
  • Shukla
    • Brihad Aranyaka in the Madhyandina and the Kanva versions of the Shukla Yajurveda. The Madhyandina version has 9 sections, of which the last 6 are the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
• Samaveda
  • Talavakara Aranyaka or Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana belongs to the Talavakara or Jaiminiya Shakha of the Samaveda. A part of this text forms the Kena Upanishad.
  • Aranyaka Samhita is not a typical Aranyaka text: rather the Purvarchika of the Samaveda Samhitas has a section of mantras, called the ‘Aranyaka Samhita’, on which the Aranyagana Samans are sung.

The Atharvaveda has no surviving Aranyaka, though the Gopatha Brahmana is regarded as its Aranyaka, a remnant of a larger, lost Atharva (Paippalada) Brahmana.

Upanishads

The Upanishads are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that “document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions” and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hinduism.

They are the most recent addition to the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, and deal with meditation, philosophy, consciousness, and ontological knowledge.

Earlier parts of the Vedas dealt with mantras, benedictions, rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices.

There are 108 Upanishads, and each Upanishad is associated with a separate Vedic Shakha.

Mahavakyas

They mean “Great Sayings”, and these four are handpicked from Upanishads of the four Vedas. There are other Mahavakyas, but these are “the Mahavakyas”.

• “Pra-Jnaanam Brahma” - “Ultimate Knowledge is Reality” (Aitareya Upanishad of Rig Veda, 3.3.7)
  • प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म
• “Aham Brahm Asmi” - “I am Reality” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad of Sama Veda, 1.4.10)
  • अहं ब्रह्म अस्मि
• “Tat Tvam Asi” - “That (Reality) and You are the Same” (Chaandogya Upanishad of Yajur Veda, 6.8.7)
  • तत्त्वमसि
• “Ayam Atma Brahma” - “This Soul is Reality” (Mandukya Upanishad of Atharva Veda, 4.4.5)
  • अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म
• “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma” - “All that exists is Reality” (Chaandogya Upanishad of Yajur Veda, 3.14.1)
  • सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म
• “Ekam Evadvitiyam” - “(Reality is) One Alone, Without a Second” (Chaandogya Upanishad 6.2.1)
  • एकमेवाद्वितीयम्