वेदप्रणिहितो धर्मो ह्यधर्मस्तद्विपर्ययः ।

वेदो नारायणः साक्षात्स्वयम्भूरितिशुश्रुम ॥ ६-१-४०॥ श्रीमद्भागवतपुराण

Vedas are Shri Narayana himself, originating from the exhalation of Narayana. Actions prescribed in the Vedas are Dharma and actions that are prohibited by them are Adharma. 6-1-40 Srimadbhagwatpurana

One word that defines or carries in it all the elements that define Bharatvarsha(भारतवर्ष) is the Veda(वेद). Bharatiya civilisation originates from Sanatana Dharma(सनातन धर्म) and the seed of Sanatana Dharma is Veda. The Veda is an eternal source of knowledge which illuminates the path of a Sanatani(सनातनधर्मावलंबी) to fulfil his or her material and spiritual goals defined as the four sacred goals(पुरुषार्थ चतुष्टय) in Shastra(शास्त्र).

From Krita (कृत) to Dwapara Yuga(द्वापर), this Veda remains in its complete divine form. At the end of Dwapara Yuga, for the benefit of people in Kaliyuga(कलियुग), this Veda is reorganised and preserved by Veda Vyasa.

Here I will try to provide knowledge about the origin, organization and propagation of Vedakosha and its division (वेद कोष विभाग) with its various limbs and its propagator Veda Vyasa.

Basic Introduction of Veda

First, we will look at the literal meaning of the word Veda. As we all know, in Sanskrit(संस्कृत) words matter a lot as they carry profound meanings with them.

The word ‘वेद’ comes from the root(धातु) ‘विद्’ which means to know, to learn, to realise, to experience, to meditate.

The word Veda means one which helps us to know and experience the one who should be known, the Paramatma(परमात्मा).

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मतः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च।

वेदैश्च सर्वेरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम्।।१५-१५।।श्रीमद्भगवतगीत

I am enthroned in the heart of all; from Me come the faculty of memory, the faculty of knowing and also the faculty of differentiating; none but Me is to be known by means of all the Vedas; I am also the originator of the Vedanta, and I Myself am the knower of the Vedas. 15-15 Srimadbhagvatagita

In the shloka(श्लोक) quoted above, Shri Krishna himself declares that it is only him the Paramatma who should be known through Veda.

This makes it quite clear that the ultimate objective of Veda is to make a seeker realise the Paramatma.

Trayi(त्रयी), Nigam(निगम), Aamnaya(आम्नाय) are some of the synonyms of Veda.

Vedas are traditionally called Shruti(श्रुति) which means the sound that is heard. This is because, from the time of creation, knowledge of Veda is imparted only orally from mentor(गुरु) to his disciples(शिष्य). This tradition of Guru-Shishya is still alive and practised in different parts of Bharatvarsha.

गुरुर्मुखादनुश्रूयते इति अनुश्रवो वेदः।

Veda that is heard and learnt from Guru’s mouth is called Anushrava(अनुश्रव).

Veda is root of Dharma. It is defined as eternal(अनादि), endless/limitless(अनंत), authorless(अपौरुषेय) and exhalation(निश्वास) of Shri Narayana.

स यथाऽऽर्द्रैधाग्नेरभ्याहितात्पृथग्धूमा विनिश्चरन्त्येव वा अरेऽस्य महतो भूतस्य निश्वसितमेतद्यदृग्वेदो यजुर्वेदः सामवेदोऽथर्वाङ्गिरस इतिहासः पुराणं विद्या उपनिषदः श्लोकाः सूत्राण्यनुव्याख्यानानि व्याख्यानन्यस्यैवैतानि सर्वाणि निश्वसितानि॥ २-४-१०।। बृहदारण्यकोपनिशद

As from a fire kindled with wet fuel various kinds of smoke issue forth, even so, my dear, the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharvangirasa, history (इतिहास), mythology (पुराण), the arts (विद्या), the Upanishads(उपनिषद), verses (श्लोक), aphorisms (सूत्र), elucidations (अनुव्याख्यान) and explanations (व्याख्यान) are like the breath of this infinite Reality. From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed forth. 2-4-10 Brihadaranyakopnishad

The above verse quoted from Brihadaranyakopnishad defines all Vedakosha as the breath of the Supreme Self. Similar evidence we get from the Puranas and other sources to prove that they are not the work of any human but are divine in origin.

समाहितात्मानो ब्रह्मन ब्रह्मणः परमेष्ठिन‌ः।

हृद्याकाशाद भून्नादो वृत्तिरोधाद् विभाव्यते।।

While Brahmadeva, the occupant of the highest position in creation, was meditating with well composed mind from the space(sky like vacuum) in his heart arose a Nada.

The same Nada is perceptible when the function of the sense of hearing is closed.

यदुपासनया ब्रह्मन् योगिनो मलमात्मनोः।

द्रव्यक्रिया कारकाख्यं धूत्वा यान्त्यपुनर्भवम्।।

By concentrating on that Nada. O sage yogins wipe out all the impurities of the mind caused by the Adhibhuta, Adhyatma and Adhidaiva and attain liberation from Samsara.

ततो अभूत्त्रिवृदोङ्कारो यो अव्यक्तप्रभवः स्वराट्।

यत्रल्लिङ्ग भगवतो ब्रह्मणः परमात्मन‌ः।।

From that Nada arouse the sacred syllable OM (ऊँ) which consists of three matras (अ,उ and म) the source of which is unmanifest and shines. That OM is the special index of the glorious Brahman the Supreme Soul.

श्रृणोति य इमं स्फोटं सुप्तश्रोत्रे च शून्यदृक्।

येन वाग् व्यज्यते यस्य व्यक्तिराकाश आत्मन‌ः।।

Brahmadeva hears the unmanifest syllable OM even when the auditory sense has ceased to work(as when the ears are closed) and whose cognition remains unaffected even when all senses become functionless(as in samadhi or in deep sleep).

It is that sacred syllable OM which evolving from Paramatman becomes manifest(audible)in the cavity of the heart and produces the great speech called the Vedas.

स्वधाम्नो ब्रह्मणः साक्षाद् वाचकः परमात्मनः।

स सर्वमन्त्रोपनिषद्वेद बीजं सनातनम्।।१२-६-३७-४१।। श्रीमद्भागवतपुराण।

The Pranava Om directly and comprehensively expresses the Paramatman, the Brahman itself which is its source. It is the eternal seed of all the Mantras, Vedas and Upanishads.

The shlokas quoted above tell us in a very detailed manner how Brahmadeva at the time of creation got the initiation in Veda in a subtle form by Paramatma himself.

Brahmadeva was able to fulfil his duty of creation only after receiving diksha (दीक्षा)of the Veda.

He taught this Veda to his great sons who originated from his mind(मानसिक सृष्टि से उत्पन्न पुत्र) Bhrigu, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Angira, Mariachi, Daksha, Atri and Vashistha.

As I said earlier, Veda is eternal(नित्य) at the time of dissolution(प्रलयकाल) of the entire creation. Veda once again turns into a subtle form and resides in Paramatma.

नैव वेदाः प्रलीयन्ते महाप्रलये अपि।। मेधातिथि

At the great dissolution, Veda doesn’t get destroyed. Medhatithi

प्रलयकाले अपि सूक्ष्मरूपेण परमात्मनि वेदराशिः स्थितः ।। कुल्लुक भट्ट मनुस्मृति व्याख्या

During the whole period of dissolution whole Veda reside in the Paramatma in subtle form. Kulluka Bhatta commentary on Manusmriti.

युगान्ते अन्तर्हितान वेदान् सेतिहासान महर्षयः।

लेभिरे तपसा पूर्वमनुज्ञाता स्वयंभुवा।। महाभारत वन पर्व

Veda is eternal. At the time of reabsorption, the Veda with Itihaas and Purana turn into an unmanifested state and at the time of new creation Brahmadeva again recollect all the Veda Vidya through the effect of tapasya.

These shlokas make it quite clear not only the eternal nature of Veda but also a cycle of manifestation(प्रकटीकरण) and unmanifestation(लय) of Veda Vidya at the time of creation and dissolution.

Introduction Of Veda Vyasa

व्यासाय विष्णुरुपाय व्यासरुपाय विष्णवे।

नमो वै ब्रह्मनिधये वासिष्ठाय नमो नमः।।

I offer my profound salutations to Veda Vyasa who is the source of Brahmavidya. He hails from the lineage of Maharishi Vashistha and the incarnation of Shri Vishnu.

As I said earlier, at the end of Dvapara Yuga reorganisation and expansion of Veda happens for the benefit of mankind in Kaliyuga. This is because the lifespan, memory, intellect, wisdom, virility and brilliance of humans becomes weak to grasp and receive Veda in its divine form.

The divine personality who performs this task of expanding Veda is called Veda Vyasa.

Veda Vyasa is a post held by a great divine figure considered as the incarnation of Shri Vishnu.

So far twenty-eight sages have performed this task of expanding the Veda in this Manvantar(मनवन्तर), a Vedic unit of time.

First Vyasa was Brahmadeva, the others are: Prajapati, Shukracharya, Brihaspati, Surya, Dharmaraja, Indra, Vashistha, Saarasvat, Tridhaam, Trishikha, Bhaaradwaja, Antariksha, Varni, Trayyaruma, Dhananjaya, Ritunjaya, Jaya, Bharadwaja, Gautama, Haryaatma, Vajshrava, Somsushvanshi, Tranbindu, Riksha, Shakti, Parashara, Jatukarna and Krishnadvaipaayana.

Next Vyasa will be Asvathama.

Rishi Krishnadvaipaayana(ऋषि कृष्णद्वैपायन) is the Veda Vyasa of this cycle of four yugas.

Son of Maharishi Parashar and Satyavati who was the daughter of King of Chedidesh Uparichar Vasu and brought up by Dashraj a fisherman.

Veda Its Parts And Limbs

आद्यो वेदश्चतुष्पादः शतसाहस्त्र सम्मितः।

ततो दशगुणः कृत्स्नो यज्ञोअयं सर्वकामधुक।।३-४-१।।

At the beginning of creation, the fourfold Veda which originated from Paramatma had one lakh Mantras. Ten types of yagna(यज्ञ) which can bestow all the boons originated from the Veda.

This shloka quoted above gives us the idea of the revealed extent of Veda.

वेदो हि मन्त्रब्राह्मण भेदेन द्विविधः।।

Veda has two parts Mantra and Brahman.

As the above verse says, Veda has two major parts- Mantra and Brahman.

Mantra part of Veda is called Samhita(संहिता) and Brahman is also known as the body of meanings and description (अर्थस्मारक).

Brahman part includes Aranyaka and Upanishad part too.

Part of Brahman which deals with the rules of yagnas is called Brahman while parts that deal with the inquiry on Brahma Tattva are Aranyaka and Upanishads.

These four or precisely two parts of the Veda deal with three primary subjects classified as Karma, Upasana and Jnana.

Karma Kand(कर्मकाण्ड) deals with Kartavya Karma(कर्तव्यकर्म) for humans. These Kartavya Karmas are of two types: Ishta(इष्ट) and Purta(पूर्त).

Ishta Kartavya Karmas are karmas like Yagna. Purta Kartavya Karmas are acts of social welfare like getting schools, wells, temples and dharmashalas built.

These Vedic karmas have been classified further into three categories: Nitya, Naimittika and Kamya.

Karmas that should be done daily are called Nitya.

Karmas that should be done on specific occasions are called Naimittika and karmas that are done to fulfil specific desires are called Kaamya Karma.

Vedic Kriyas which help the Sadhak to control senses, mind, and makes one eligible to receive the knowledge of the self are expounded in Upasana Kand(उपासनाकाण्ड).

Jnana Kand(ज्ञानकाण्ड) as the name suggests deals with the knowledge of Prakriti, Aatma and Paramatma.

Getting disciplined and mentally purified through the correct practice of Karma and Upasana Kanda the sadhak becomes eligible to learn knowledge of Brahmattava(ब्रह्मतत्व) revealed in Jnana Kanda.

Veda Vyasa after carefully compiling all Veda mantras categorised them into four Vedas.

They are Rigveda, Yajurveda, Saamaveda and Atharvaveda.

He made four disciples who had the competence to learn Vedas. He taught Rigveda to Rishi Paila(ऋषि पैल), Yajurveda to Rishi Jaimini(ऋषिजैमिनी), Saamaveda to Rishi Vaishampaayana(ऋषिवैशम्पायन) and Atharvaveda to Rishi Sumantu(ऋषि सुमन्तु).

अङ्गानि वेदाश्चत्वारो मीमांसा न्यायविस्तर‌ः।

पुराणं धर्मशास्त्रं च विद्या ह्येताश्चतुर्दश।।३-६-२८।।

 

आयुर्वेदो धनुर्वेदो गान्धर्वश्चैव ते त्रयः।

अर्थशास्त्रं चतुर्थं तु विद्या ह्यष्टादशैव ताः।। ३-६-२९।। श्रीविष्णुपुराण

Four Vedas with their six limbs, Mimansa, Nyaya,Purana and Dharmashastra are called fourteen vidyas.

Aayurveda, Dhanurveda, Gandharvaveda these three with Arthashastra when all four Upavedas are also counted makes it eighteen vidyas.

Rigveda(ऋग्वेद)

Rik(ऋक्) root means to praise. Rigveda has hymns(ऋचा) that praise various deities.

Veda Vyasa Krishna Dvaipaayana taught Rigveda to his disciple Rishi Paila.

Rishi Paila created two branches of Rigveda and taught them to his disciples Indrapramiti and Baashkala.

Baashkala further divided his branch into four and taught them to Bodhya, Agnimaadhaka, Yajnavalkya and Parashar.

Indrapramiti taught his branch to his son Maandukeya.

In this way, the guru-shishya parampara of Rigveda got expanded.

It is said that only one branch of Rigveda is available which is Shaakala Samhita.

Yajurveda (यजुर्वेद)

The word Yajur comes from the root Yaj(यज्) which means to worship.

Veda Vyasa Krishna Dvaipaayana taught Yajurveda to his disciple Rishi Vaishampayan.

Rishi Vaishampaayan created 27 branches of Yajurveda and taught it to his disciples.

Today we have two types of Yajurveda, one that comes from the tradition of Brahmadeva known as Krishna Yajurveda(कृष्ण यजुर्वेद) and another one that comes from Suryanarayana tradition known as Shukla Yajurveda(शुक्ल यजुर्वेद).

There is a story related to the manifestation of Shukla Yajurveda.

Once the son of Brahmaraatra Rishi Yajnavalkya who was a disciple of Rishi Vaishampaayan disrespected and questioned the competence of his mates when Rishi Vaishampaayan asked them to perform Tapasya(तपस्या) for the removal of his Brahmahatya dosha.

Yajnavalkya said only he is capable of doing Tapasya for him and others are worthless. On hearing this, Rishi Vaishampaayan got angry with Yajnavalkya and asked him to vomit the Veda he learnt. As asked by Guru Yajnavalkya, he vomited the Veda which other disciples took in the form of partridge(तीतर).

Yajnavalkya decided to learn the Veda which nobody knew. For this, he started worshipping Suryanarayana and got the Veda branch which is known as Shukla Yajurveda today.

Rishi Yajnavalkya divided his Shukla Yajurveda into 15 branches and taught it to his disciples.

Today only four samhitas of Krishna Yajurveda are available.Taittiriya Samhita,Kathaka Samhita,Kapishthala Samhita,Maitrayani Samhita.

We have only two branches of Shukla Yajurveda Madhyandina and Kanva Samhita available today.

Saama Veda(सामवेद)

The word Sama(साम) means appeasing, calming, soothing.

Samaveda consists of mantras organized in meter(छन्द). The origin of music(संगीत)is from samagaana which is singing of mantras in a specific way prescribed in Shastra.

Veda Vyasa Krishna Dvaipaayana taught Samaveda to his disciple Rishi Jaimini.

Rishi Jaimini divided it into three branches and taught it to his son Sumantu, his grandson Sunavan and another disciple Sukarma.

Sukarma further divided it into thousand branches and imparted its knowledge to his disciples Hiranyagarbha, Paushyanji and Avantya.

Paushyanji and Avantya each had five hundred disciples. Each one learnt one branch from them.

Paushyanji had five more disciples whom he taught a hundred branches each.

Hiranyagarbha had a disciple Krita(कृत) who further created twenty-four branches and taught them to his disciples. In this way, Samaveda as compiled by Veda Vyasa got propagated in the guru shishya tradition of Rishi Jaimini.

The Samaveda had one thousand recensions (शाखा). At present only three are available Kauthuma(कौथूम), Jaiminiya(जैमिनीय) and Ranayaniya(रणयनीय).

Today Kauthuma is more prominent and consists of two parts Archika (अर्चिका) and Gana (गण).

Atharva Veda (अथर्ववेद)

Atharva means stable.

Veda Vyasa Krishna Dvaipaayana imparted knowledge of Atharva Veda to his able disciple Rishi Sumantu.

Rishi Sumantu taught it to his disciple Kabandha.

Rishi Kabandha created two branches of it and imparted it to his disciples Devadarsha and Pathya.

Devadarsha had four disciples Medha, Brahbali, Shaulkayani and Pippalaada who learnt Veda shakha from him.

Pathya taught his Veda shakha to Jabali, Kumudadi and Shaunaka.

Shaunaka further created two branches of his Veda shakha and gave them to his disciples Babhru and Saindhav.

Saindhav’s disciple Munjikesha further created five branches of his Veda shakha known as Nakshatrakalpa, Vedakalpa, Samhitakalpa, Angiraskalpa and Shantikalpa. In this way, Atharva Veda got expanded and propagated by the parampara of Rishi Sumantu.

The Atharva Veda have nine recensions but only two are available today. Shaunaka and Pippalaada.

Shaunaka Shakha is the prominent one.

Vedanga(वेदाङ्ग) and Darshana (दर्शन)

छन्द‌ः पादौ तु वेदस्य हस्तौ कल्पोsथ पतयते।

ज्योतिषामयनं चक्षुर्निरुक्तं श्रोत्रमुच्यते।।

शिक्षा घ्राणं तु वेदस्य मुखं व्याकरणं स्मृतम्।

तस्मात्साङ्गमधीत्यैव ब्रह्मलोके महीयते।। ४१-४२ पाणिनीय शिक्षा

 Chhanda is legs of Veda, Kalpa is hands, Jyotisha is eyes and Nirukta is ears.

Shiksha is considered nose of Veda and mouth is Vyakaran one who knows Veda with its limbs gets praised in Brahmaloka.

The six limbs of Veda as described in the above two verses enables the seeker of Veda to learn, practice and interpret Veda in a systematic flawless way. One who doesn’t know Chhanda, Kalpa, Jyotisha, Nirukta, Shiksha and Vyakaran cannot sail in the ocean of Veda.

न्यायवैशेषिके पूर्वं सांख्ययोगौ ततः परम्।

मीमांसादितयं पश्चादित्याहुर्दर्शनानि षट्।।

Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Purva and Uttar Mimamsa are six Darshana.

The word Darshana(दर्शन) comes from Sanskrit root Drisha(दृश्) which means to see,to look.

The word Darshana means eyes, intellect, knowing and perceiving.

The six Vedic philosophies are tools to perceive the ultimate truth.

Acharyas of these six Vedic Philosophies are:

Rishi Gautama, Rishi Kanada, Muni Kapil, Rishi Patanjali, Veda Vyasa and Rishi Jaimini.

Purana(पुराण) And Itihaas(इतिहास)

पुराणं सर्वशास्त्राणां प्रथमं ब्रह्मणा स्मृतम्।

अनन्तरं च वक्त्रेभ्यो वेदास्तस्य विनिर्गताः।।५३-३ मत्स्य पुराण।

Brahmaji first got the knowledge of Purana then only all the other Shastra and Veda revealed to him. 3-53 Matasya Purana

ऋग्यजुःसामsथर्वाख्या वेदाश्चत्वारउद्धृताः।

इतिहासपुराणं च पंचमो वेदउच्यते।।१-४-२० भागवत पुराण

After saying four veda Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharva Veda fifth Veda Purana and Itihaas was said. 1-4-20 Bhaagvata Purana.

The word Purana(पुराण) means ancient(पुरातन) and word Itihaas(इतिहास) means an account of the past(पूर्व वृत्त).

Like the four Vedas, Purana Samhita too is eternal in nature.

Both Purana and Itihaas impart knowledge of the past but where Purana illustrates the past on a gross and macro-level, Itihaas is more specific and detailed in nature. The purpose of Purana and Itihaas is to impart knowledge of dharma, artha, kama and moksha as per Veda through the stories of great saints, kings, devotees and avatars of Shri Vishnu.

As we know, Veda Vyasa Shri Krishna Dvaipaayana compressed and expanded one lakh mantra Veda into four. In the same manner, he compressed and expanded one crore shloka large Purana Samhita into four lakh shlokas and eighteen Puranas and taught it to his pupil Rishi Romaharshana.

Ramayana written by Maharishi Valmiki and Mahabharata by Veda Vyasa are the two Itihaas.

The former is a detailed account of Shri Rama and the latter one is an account of the Pandavas and Mahabharata war.

आद्यं सर्वपुराणानां पुराणं ब्राह्ममुच्यते ।

अष्टादश पुराणानि पुराणज्ञाः प्रचक्षते।।

 

ब्राह्मं पाद्मं वैष्णवं च शैव भागवतं तथा।

तथान्यं नारदीयं च मार्कण्डेयं च सप्तमम्।।

 

आग्नेयमष्टमं चैव भविष्यन्नवमं स्मृतम।

दशमं ब्रह्मवैवर्तं लैंगमेकादशं स्मृतम्।।

 

वाराहं द्वादशं चैव स्कान्दं चात्र स्मृतम्।

चतुर्दशं वामनं च कौर्मं पञ्चदश तथा।।

 

मात्सयं च गरुडं चैव ब्रह्माण्डं च ततः परम्।

महापुराणान्येतानि ह्यष्टादश महामुनि।। ३-६-२०-२४ विष्णुपुराण।

Brahma is the first of all Puranas. Those who are conversant with the knowledge of Purana Samhita enumerate them as eighteen. Brahma, Padma, Vishnu, Shiva, Bhaagvat, Narad and seventh is Markandeya. Then Agni, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta and Linga is eleventh. Varaha, Skanda, Vamana and Kurma is fifteenth. Matsya, Garuda and Brahmanda all these eighteen are called Mahapurana. 3-6-20-24 Vishnu Purana.

These eighteen mahapuranas consist of history, prayers, hymns, sacred chronology, creation of the universe, its successive generations, genealogies of kings, description of royal dynasties and manvantar.

Knowledge of Purana and Itihaas is very crucial in understanding the concepts of Veda.

Sages say that those who approach the Veda without obtaining the knowledge of Veda, their actions are like the thunderbolt(वज्रपात) on Veda.

Dharmashastra(धर्मशास्त्र)

धर्मशास्त्रं तु वै स्मृतिः।२-१० मनुस्मृति

Dharmashastras are called smritis. 2-10 Manusmriti.

The word smriti(स्मृति) comes from the Sanskrit root smra(स्मृ) which means to remember, to recollect, to think upon, to recite mentally.

धर्मशासनशास्त्रे

वेदार्थानुभवजन्ये वेदार्थानु- वादके मुनिप्रणीते वाक्यरूपे शास्त्रे।।

Authority on dharma, based on the experience of Vedic instructions, which unriddle the meanings of Veda in the form of shastra by the sages are dharmashastras.

The smritis impart knowledge of varna, ashram, guna, nimitta, vidhi, nishida,various acharyas and kriya samskaras.

Smritis also impart knowledge on raja dharma, shuddhi and prayaschitta.

मनुर्विष्णुर्याज्ञवल्क्यो हारीतोsत्रिर्यमोsङ्गिराः।

वशिष्ठदक्षसंवर्त शातातपपराशराः।।

आपस्तम्बोशनो व्यासः कात्यायन बृहस्पती।

गौतमःशङ्ख लिखितौ धर्ममेते यथाsब्रुवन्।।अग्निपुराण

Smritis have been written by Manu, Vishnu, Yajnavalkya, Haarit, Atri, Yama, Angira, Vashistha, Daksha, Samvarta, Shatatapa, Parashara, Apastambha, Ushna, Vyasa, Katyayana, Brihaspati, Gautama, Shanka and Likhita.

These twenty are prominent acharyas of Dharmashastra.

Upvedas(उपवेद)

Ayurveda(आयुर्वेद), Dhanurveda(धनुर्वेद), Gandharvaveda(गंधर्ववेद) and Arthashastra(अर्थशास्त्र) are upvedas of four Veda.

Ayurveda is upveda of Rigveda, Dhanurveda of Yajurveda, Gandharvaveda of Saamaveda and Arthashastra is upveda of Atharvaveda.

These four subsidiary knowledge systems play a crucial role in the practice of Vedic lifestyle.

Ayurveda

हितं अहितं सुखं दुखमायुस्तस्य हित अहितम्।

मानं च तच्च यत्रोक्तमायुर्वेदः स उच्यते ।।१-४१ चरक संहिता ।।

The science which deals with advantages and disadvantages, as well as happy and unhappy states of life along with what is good or bad for life, its measurement and life itself, is Ayurveda.

धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणामारोग्यं मूलं उत्तमम्।। १-१५-चरक संहिता ।।

Foundation of all four sacred goals of life dharma,artha,kaama and moksha is great health.

Ayurveda, the science of life enables human beings to achieve both material and spiritual goals.

Its methodology covers not only physical and mental plains but also subtle layers of existence and the effect of karma on them while treating the patients.

Shri Brahma ji taught Ayurveda to Daksha. From Daksha, Ashvinikumar learnt the Ayurveda and imparted its knowledge to Devaraja Indra. Later from Devaraja Indra Rishi Bharadwaja learnt Ayurveda for the benefit of mankind.

In this way, knowledge of Ayurveda got propagated. In this age of Kaliyuga, Acharya Sushrut, Charaka and Vangabhatta are considered foremost scholars of Ayurveda and called Acharya Trayi.

Charak Samhita, Sushrut Samhita, Ashtanga Hridaya, Ashtanga Samgrah, Bhavaprakash Nighantu, Sharangadhar Samhita and Madhav Nidan are considered authoritative texts on traditional knowledge of Ayurveda.

Dhanurveda

चतुष्पादं धनुर्वेदं वदे पञ्चविधं द्विज्।अग्निपुराण

Acharyas say Dhanurveda have four parts and five vidyas.

Dhanurveda Science of Arrows or warfare was revealed by Lord Shiva. It is upveda of Yajurveda. Lord Shiva taught it to Shri Parshurama.

Shri Parshurama taught it to Rishi Vashistha who later imparted its knowledge to Vishwamitra for the benefit of mankind. In this way, Dhanurveda got propagated.

Ancient Dhanurveda Samhita had six thousand shlokas which are unavailable today. Dhanurveda was created to protect dharma, sages, cows and mankind from adharmic forces. Many Puranas, especially Agnipurana talk about Dhanurveda in detail.

Dhanurveda talks in detail about different types of bows, arrows, wars, formations. It talks about when and how its knowledge should be imparted, who are eligible to receive it.

Dhanushchandrodaya by Shri Parshurama, Dhanushpradeep by Dronacharya, Yuktikalptaru by Vriddhasharangadhar,

Dhanurveda Samhita by Rishi Vashistha, Vishvamitra Dhanurveda, Vaishampayana Dhanurveda, Aushanasa Dhanurveda are major works of Dhanurveda but unfortunately many are unavailable today.

Gandharvaveda

स्वरैरुदात्तादिधमैस्तन्त्रीकण्ठोत्थितैः सदा।

सतालैर्गानविज्ञानं गान्धर्वो वेद एव सः।।४-३८।।

The science of sounds and their various forms produced from vocals and musical instruments, rhythms and songs is Gandharvaveda.

Gandharvaveda is upveda of Samaveda. It deals with seven sounds, ragas and raginis based on seven sounds, styles of singing, rhythms, different types of musical instruments.

Gandharvaveda is not only used for entertainment but also for the purpose of worship and bhakti of deities.

Among the nine forms of bhakti, one is Kirtana.

Our deities carry musical instruments which signifies its place in vedic way of life.It is described as a mean of achieving dharma,artha,kaama and moksha.

Shiva, Parvati, Brahma, Bharat Muni, Kashyapa Muni, Matanga Muni, Yashti, Durga, Aanjneya, Rambha, Narada, Arjuna, Tumbru, Ravana, Nandikeshvara are some of the acharyas of Gandharvaveda.

Natasutra of Shilali, Natyashastra of Bharatmuni, Natasutra of Krishashva and Sangitaratnakara of Sharangadeva are prominent works on Gandharva vidya.

Arthashastra

सर्वोपजीवकं लोकस्थितिकन्नीतिशास्त्रकम्।

धर्मार्थकाममूलं हि स्मृतं मोक्षप्रदं यतः।।

Protector of the society and its well being.Cause of dharma,artha and kaama and bestower of moksha is Nitishastra.

Arthashastra is upveda of Atharvaveda. It deals with statecraft, economy and governance.

Its acharya tradition starts from Brahmadeva. Rajdharma, Nitishastra, Dandaniti are synonyms of Arthashastra.

Brihaspati, Shukracharya, Bhishma, Vidur and Kautilya are some famous acharyas of Arthashastra.

Purana, Itihaas and Smritis all talk about Arthashastra to some extent. For instance in Ramayana, Shri Ram gave lecture on Arthashastra to Shri Bharat. In Mahabharata, Yudhisthir learnt about nuances of statecraft from Shri Bhishma.

Grantha created by Brihaspati which was based on Brahmadeva’s trivarga shastra is not available today.

Arthashastra of Kautilya, Shukraniti, Vidurniti, Nitivakyaamrita of Somadeva Suri, Nitisar of Kamandakiya, Hitopdesha and Panchatantra of Vishnu Sharma are some famous works on arthashastra.

ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेदो सामवेदो

अथर्वाङ्गिरस इतिहासपुराणं विद्या उपनिषदः श्लोकाः सूत्राणि अनुव्याख्यानानि व्याख्यानानि वाचैव सम्राट प्रजायते।। ६ १०-१४ – शतपथ ब्राह्मण

One who knows all four vedas with its limbs, purana, itihaas, upanishad, shlokas, sutra with their elucidations and interpretations becomes master of speech.

 All that is good in this article is grace of Pujya Guru and Maa Saraswati and all the flaws are mine.