Vedic Literature and Philosophy
NCERT Class 6 - Our Pasts I • NCERT Class 12 - Themes in Indian History Part I
Vedic Literature and Philosophy
Vedic literature is arranged in layers. Each Veda has four parts - Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad - moving from hymn to ritual to forest teaching to philosophy. Six Vedangas support their study, and six darshanas grow out of them.
The four Vedas
- Rigveda - the oldest, a collection of hymns; 10 mandalas and about 1028 suktas. Mandalas 2 to 7 are the oldest family books.
- Samaveda - hymns set to melody for chanting; it is the root of Indian classical music.
- Yajurveda - sacrificial formulas, and the only Veda in both prose and verse; it has two branches, Shukla and Krishna.
- Atharvaveda - charms, spells, and remedies for everyday life; it is the latest of the four and reflects popular belief.
- The Vedas are called shruti, that which is heard, as against smriti, that which is remembered.
The four layers of each Veda
| Layer | Contents |
|---|---|
| Samhita | Collection of hymns and formulas |
| Brahmana | Prose explanation of rituals and sacrifice |
| Aranyaka | Forest texts, mystical meaning of ritual |
| Upanishad | Philosophy - Brahman, Atman, karma, moksha |
Key texts to remember
- Shatapatha Brahmana belongs to the Yajurveda and is the largest Brahmana; it records the eastward move of Videgha Mathava.
- Aitareya Brahmana belongs to the Rigveda.
- The Upanishads number over a hundred, of which a small group is treated as principal; Brihadaranyaka and Chandogya are among the oldest and longest.
- India's national motto Satyameva Jayate is taken from the Mundaka Upanishad.
- The two epics are the Ramayana by Valmiki and the Mahabharata attributed to Vyasa; the Mahabharata is also called Satasahasri Samhita for its hundred thousand verses.
The six Vedangas
- Shiksha - phonetics and pronunciation.
- Kalpa - ritual procedure.
- Vyakarana - grammar; Panini's Ashtadhyayi is the classic work.
- Nirukta - etymology, the meaning of difficult words.
- Chhanda - metre.
- Jyotisha - astronomy, used to fix the time of sacrifice.
The six schools of philosophy
| School | Founder | Core idea |
|---|---|---|
| Samkhya | Kapila | Purusha and Prakriti as two realities |
| Yoga | Patanjali | Discipline of mind and body |
| Nyaya | Gautama | Logic and valid means of knowledge |
| Vaisheshika | Kanada | Atomic theory of matter |
| Mimamsa | Jaimini | Authority and purpose of Vedic ritual |
| Vedanta | Badarayana | Brahman and Atman, drawn from the Upanishads |
हिंदी संकेत: वेद श्रुति हैं और स्मृति ग्रंथ स्मृति। उपनिषद वेद का अंतिम भाग हैं, इसीलिए इन्हें वेदांत भी कहा जाता है।
Exam me kaise aata hai
This is a pure match-the-following and factual topic - Veda with its subject, Brahmana with its Veda, darshana with its founder. One-liners on the number of mandalas, the source of Satyameva Jayate and the alternate name of the Mahabharata appear very often.
UPSC / State PSC ke liye
Note the intellectual shift the Upanishads represent - from external sacrifice to internal knowledge, and the first systematic statements of karma, rebirth and moksha. This shift is the background against which Buddhism and Jainism are usually explained in descriptive answers.
Yahan confuse hote hain
✗ The Samaveda is the oldest Veda | ✓ The Rigveda is the oldest; the Samaveda is the source of Indian music
✗ Satyameva Jayate comes from the Rigveda | ✓ It comes from the Mundaka Upanishad
✗ Vaisheshika was founded by Gautama | ✓ Kanada founded Vaisheshika; Gautama founded Nyaya
Ek nazar me
- Four Vedas - Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda; Rigveda oldest, Atharvaveda latest.
- Rigveda has 10 mandalas and about 1028 suktas; Samaveda is the root of Indian music.
- Each Veda has Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad layers.
- Shatapatha Brahmana is the largest; Satyameva Jayate comes from the Mundaka Upanishad.
- Six Vedangas - Shiksha, Kalpa, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Chhanda, Jyotisha.
- Six darshanas - Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, Vedanta.