VEDA IS OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SRUTHY - HEARD, SEEN AND REALIZED. VEDA IS ETERNAL AND INFINITE.
VEDA MANTRA IS REALIZED BY RISHIES, AND THEY MADE IT INTO SOOKTHAM.
IN KRITA YUGA, PRANAVAM - OM ALONE WAS THE VEDA, AND GOD WAS SHRIMAN NARAYANA. THERE WAS NO OTHER GOD. THERE WAS NO VARNAM i.e., DIVISION BASED ON CHARACTER. BRAHMA YAGNAM WAS CHANTING OF PRANAVAM, AND THAT WAS THE ONLY YAGNA.
IN TRETA YUGA, RISHI PURURUVAS INTRODUCED 'TRIYI VIDYA' HE WAS ATTRACHED BY DESIRES, AND HE CHANGED THE CONCEPT OF YAGNA. IN THE YAGNAS MODIFIED BY HIM, HOTA, ADVARYU, UDGADA, AND BRAHMAN FOUND PLACE, PERFORMING DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS. HOTA WAS THE MAIN PRIEST, ADVARYU WAS DOING YAGNA KARMA, UDGADA WAS CHANTING STUDHY AND BRAHMAN WAS IN CHARGE OF OVER ALL SUPERVISION. IN THE LATTER YUGA, HOTA REPRESENTED RIG VEDA, ADVARYU REPRESENTED YAJUR VEDA, UDGATHA REPRESENTED SAMA VEDA AND BRAHMA REPRESENTED ADHARVA VEDA. MANTRAS CHANTED IN YAGNA, CAME THAT WAY. DEVADAS ALSO FOUND PLACE BASED ON DIFFERENT SANKALPAS. YAGNA BECAME POPULAR. VARNAM CAME INTO EXISTENCE. TRIYIVIDYA WAS STUDIED BY BRAHMINS.
IN DWAPARA YUGA, GOD CAME AS PARASARA MUNI'S SON (KNOWN LATER BY THE NAME VEDA VYASA). HE NOTICED A DECLINE IN DHARMA, DECLINE IN INTELLECTUAL WISDOM, DECLINE IN SRADDHA, AND LESS ATTENTION TO OM. AS A REMEDIAL MEASURE, HE INTRODUCED FOUR DIVISIONS FOR VEDA - RIK, YAJUS, SAMA AND ATHARVA. RIG VEDA WAS ADVISED TO PYALA, YAJUR TO VYSAMBAYANAN, SAMA TO JAIMINI AND ATHARVA TO SUMANTHA. THE NAME VEDA VYASA THUS CAME TO PARASARA MUNI'S SON. HE WAS CONSIDERED AS AN INCARNATION OF GOD.
THERE ARE UPA-VEDAS VIZ AYURVEDA, DHANUR VEDA, GANDHARVA VEDA AND ARTHA VEDA
IN KALI YUGA, VEDA VYASA INTRODUCED ITHIHASAS AND PURANAS. THEY ARE KNOWN AS PANCHAMA VEDA. HE ADVISED THIS TO ROMAHARSHNA. SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM IS CONSIDERED AS THE MOST PRECIOUS AMONG PURANAS. RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA ARE THE ITHIHASAS.
RIG VEDA HAS TWO DIVISIONS VIZ GAKALA SAMHITA AND BASHKALA SAMHITA. SO ALSO RIGVEDA HAS TWO SUTRAS VIZ ASWALAYANAM AND KOWSTHAKAM.
YAJUR VEDA HAS ALSO TWO SAMHITAS VIZ., SUKLA AND KRISHNA. IN THE SUKLA SAMHITA OF YAJUR VEDA, THERE ARE TWO SAKAS VIZ: MADYANINAM AND KANVAM; UNDER THESE TWO SAKAS, THERE ARE THREE SUTRAS VIZ., KATYAYANA SROWDHA SUTRA, AND TWO GRAHYA SUTRAS VIZ., VAJASANEYAM AND PARASKAVAM.
KRISHNA SAMHITA OF YAJUR VEDA ALSO HAS TWO SAKAS VIZ., ADWARYOO, AND TAITREEDA. FOR ADWARYOO SAKA, THERE ARE TWO SCHOOL OF THOUGHTS VIZ KATAKOM AND MAITRANEEYAM (KALAPAKOM). YET ANOTHER SAKA VIZ., TAITAREEYAM DISCARDED BY SAGE YAGNAVALKYA, IS AN ADDITION. TAITREEYAM LAST MENTIONED, HAS SEVEN SUTRABHEDAMS VIZ APASTHAMBA, BODAYANA, VADULAAGNIVESHA, VAIKANASA, BHARATWAJA AND SATYASHADA (HIRANYAKESI). ADDING TWO MORE SUTRAS VIZ MANAVAM AND VARAHAM TO THE SEVE SUTRAS ABOVE MENTIONED, KRISHNA SAMHITA OF YAJURVEDA HASA TOTAL OF FIVE DIFFERENT SAKAS AND NINE SUTRA BHEDAMS.
SUTRAS ARE APHORISMS IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE, TO REMEMBER THE VEDAS IN GENERAL..THERE ARE JAIMINI SUTRAS BASED ON POORVA MIMASA, AND VEDAVYASA'S SUTRAS RELATING TO UTTARA MIMASA. THERE ARE GRAHYA SUTRAS, DHARMA SUTRAS AND GULBA SUTRAS.
SAMA VEDA HAS THREE DIVISIONS KNOWN BY THE NAME SAHITYA PADANGAL. THEY ARE JAIMANEEYAM, RAMAYANEEYAM AND KOWDUMAM. SAMA VEDAY HAS 5 SUTRAS VIZ., JAIMANEEYA, DRAGVAYANAM, CHOBHILAM, KHADIRAM, KOWDHUMAM.
ATHARVA VEDA HAS TWO SAKAS VIZ GOWKHANAM AND PIPALADAM, THIS VEDA ALSO HAS TWO SUTRAS VIZ VAIDANAM AND KOWSIKOM. THEY ARE ALSO KNOWN AS GOWDHAMA SUTRAM AND GRAHYA SUTRAM RESPECTIVELY.
AT THE END OF SIXTH MANVANTHARA - CHAKSHUSHA MANVANTHARA, A NAIMITHIKA PRALAYAM OCCURRED WHEN KING SATYAVRIDHA, AS ORDAINED BY GOD, GOT INTO A BOAT, ALONG WITH SAPTA RISHIES. THE BOAT WAS BELIEVED TO BE THE EARTH WHICH FORMED AS A BOAT TO ACCOMMODATE THE KING AND RISHIES. THE BOAT WAS TIED TO A MATSYA (MATSYA AVADHAR). THE VEDAS WHICH WERE STOLEN BY AN ASURA - HAYAGREEVA - WERE RECOVERED AFTER KILLING THE ASURA. THEREAFTER, VEDAS WERE TAUGHT TO THE KING AND RISHIES. AFTER THE PRALAYAM WAS OVER, THE LINEAGE STARTED FROM SAPTA RISHIES. SAPTA RISHIES ARE: JAMADAGNI, BHARADWAJA, VISWAMITRA, ATRI, GOWTHAMA, VASHITA AND KASHYAPA.
VEDA SAHITYAM; BROADLY DIVIDED AS SROWDHAM, SMARTHAM AND SASTRAM.
SROWDHAM CONSISTS OF SAMHITA, BRAHMANA, ARANYAKA AND UPANISHADS.
SMARTAM (SMRITHY): AROUND 100 SMRITIES ARE AVAILABLE. MANU SMRITHY IS THE FIRST ONE. OTHER SMRITIES ARE YAGNAVALKA SMRITHY, PARASARA SMRITHY, BHARGAVA SMRITHY ETC.
SASTRAM CONSISTS OF SIKSHA, KALPAM, VYAKARANAM, NIRUKTAM, CHANDAS AND JYOTHISHAM.
AGAMAS: KALPAM MENTIONED ABOVE UNDER 'SASTRAM', DESCRIBES AGAMAS (METHOD OF IDOL WORSHIP). THE BASIS FOR AGAMA IS TANTHRIKOM. AGAMAS ARE: SAIVA AGAMA, VAISHNAVA AGAMA, AND SAKTHYA AGAMA. EACH AGAMA HAS FOUR ASECTS, GNANAM (STUDY OF ISWARA TATWAM), KRIYA AND CHARIYA (KARMAS INLUDING BIBMBHA PRATHISHTA) AND POOJA METHODS. VAISHNAVA AGAMA IS OTHERWISE KNOWN BY VAIKANASA AGAMA. BROADLY AGAMAS ARE GROUPED AS SAIVA AGAMAS (28 Nos), SAKTHA AGAMAS (FOR SAKTHY WORSHIP) AND PANCHARATRA AGAMAS (VAIKANASA AGAMA COME UNDER THIS GROUP). SOWRA AGAMA, GANAPATHYA AGAMA , VISHNU AGAMA, SAKTHY (ENERGY) ARE INCLUDED IN THE PANCHARATRA AGAMA. IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT IN CERTAIN TEMPLES OF LORD VISHNU, VAIKANASA AGAMA IS FOLLOWED. IN MAJORITY TEMPLES, ONE OF THE PANCHARATRA AGAMAS IS FOLLOWED.
DARSANAS: THERE ARE SIX DARSANAS. THE AIM OF ALL DARSANAS IS TO KNOW THE REALITY THROUGH DIFFERENT DARSANAS; THE DARSANAS ARE NYAYAM, VYSESHIKOM, SANKYAM, YOGAM, MIMASA (POORVA MIMASA) AND VEDANTA (UTTARA MIMASA).
GOTRAM AND PRAVARAM : AS ALREADY INDICATED GOTRAMS ARE KNOWN BY THE RISHIES. THERE ARE 54 PRAVARAMS IN EIGHT GOTRAS. E.G. KASYAPA GOTRAM - PRAVARAM: KASYAPA, AVASTHARA, NYTHRUPAM. SAGE AGASTYA IS ALSO ADDED TO SAPTARISHIES, AND THUS EIGHT GOTRAS.
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ABSTRACT TO REMEMBER:
VEDA SAHITYAM CONSISTS OF SROWDHAM (SRUTHY), SMARTHAM (SMRITHY) AND SASTRAM.
SROWDHAM COMPRISES OF SAMHITA, BRAHMANAS, ARANYAKOM AND UPANISHADS.
SMARTHAM OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SMRITHY CONSISTS OF MANU SMRITHY, YAGNAVALKYA SMRITHY, PARASARA SMRITHY, BHARGAVA SMRITHY - AROUND 100 SMRITHIES ARE AVAILABLE.
SASTRAM: SIKSHA, KALPAM, VYAKARANAM, NIRUKTHAM, CHANDAS AND JYOTHISHAM.
AGAMAS: A PART OF KALPA.
ITHIHASAM: RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATHA.
PANCHAMA VEDA: PURANAS
DARSANAMS: NYAYAM, VAISESHIKOM, SANKYAM, YOGAM, POORVA MIMASA (SAMHITAS AND BRAHMANAS) AND UTTARA MIMAMSA (ARANYAKA AND UPANISHADS) VEDA IS THE BASIS OF MIMAMSAS.
UPAVEDAS: AYURVEDA, DHANUR VEDA, GANDHARVA VEDA, ARTHAVEDA.
SUTRAMS: EACH SAKA OF VEDA HAS SEPARATE KALPA SUTRAM. EACH KALPA SUTRAM CONSISTS OF SROWDHA SUTRAM, GRAHYA SUTRAM,(FOR PERFORMING SHODAJA SAMSKARAMS) DHARMA SUTRAM GULBA SUTRAM.
SHODACHA SAMSKARAMS: COMING UNDER GRAHYA SUTRA A DIVISION OF KALPA. THERE ARE 16 SAMSKARAS BEGINNING FROM GARBHA DHANAM, SEEMANTHAM, NAMAKARANAM, CHORUNU, UPANAYANAM, MAHANAMNYAM (DISCIPLINE FOR STUDYING VEDAS), OUPANISHADAM ( DISCIPLINE TO LEARN UPANISHADS), GODHANAM, SAMAVARDHANAM, VIVAKOM AND FINALLY AGNYA DHANAM.
KARMAS: THERE ARE NITYA KARMAS, NIYAMITTIKA KARMAS KAMYA KARMAS AND PRAYACHITTA KARMAS. KARMAS LIKE SANDYAVANDANAM COME UNDER NITYA; SHODACHA SAMSKARAMS, SRADDHAMS COME UNDER NAIMITTIKA, YAGAS AND RITUALS TO ACHIEVE CERTAIN DESIRES FALL UNDER KAMYAM AND TO GET OUT OF KARMA LOBHAM, DURIDAKSHYAM, ONE PERFORMS PRAYACHITTA KARMA.
SOOKTHAM: A POETICAL LANGUAGE USED BY RISHIES, IN VEDA.
SAMHITA: A PART OF SRUTHY (SROWDHAM) FALLING UNDER VEDA SAHITYAM.
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IN THE UPAKARMA (KNOWN AS AVANI AVITTAM) ALL VEDAS, THEIR SUBDIVISIONS, SMRITHY, SASTRAM, PURANAS AND ITHIHASAS ARE REMEMBERED, THE PURPOSE OF WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY TO PURSUE THE LEARNING AND TO PRESERVE THE HERITAGE FOR EVER.
