PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE OF LATER VEDIC AGE

PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE OF LATER VEDIC AGE

The corpus of later Vedic literature comprises the later three Vedas (Sama, Yajur and Atharva), the Brahmanas, the AranyakJls and the Upanishads-all written during 1000-600 J!C (The word Veda is derived from the word Vid, i.e. to know; thus, Veda means knowledge or wisdom). Together with the Rigveda, the whole corpus of Vedic literature is termed as Shruti, Le. 'not written' by man but revealed to certain seers by God.
However, the Aryan literature also includes the four Upavedas and six Vedangas, together termed as the Smriti literature, Le., not divine in nature but written by ordinary mortals.
Vedic literature can be divided into four groups.
(i) There are Samhitas or collection of h}'It1Il1.', prayers,
sacrificial formulae, etc. The Rigveda Samhita is the oldest and the most important. The Samaveda Samhita consists of 1,549 hymns of which all but 75 are found in the Rigveda Samhita. Its hymns were used for singing at sac~fices. The Yajurveda Samhita consists partly of hymns and partly of prose, containing sacrificial formulae. It is divided into 'white' Yajurveda and 'black' Yajurveda. The Atharvaveda Samhita (the latest of the Vedas) is a book of magical formulae and its hymns deal mainly with charms and spells to control demons and spirits. It is divided into 20 books and contains about 731 hymns.
(ii) The Brahmanas are notes in prose and they explain the origin and meaning of the various hymns of the Samhitas. The Aitareya and Kilushitaki Brahmanas are assigned to the Rigveda; Tandya and ]aiminiya Brahmanas to the Samaveda; ]aittireya and Satapatha Brahmanas to the Yajurveda; and Gopatha Brahmana to the Atharvaveda. The Brahmanas also contain cosmogonic myths, old legends and gathas or verses celebrating the exploits of kings famed in priestly tradition.
(iii) Next come the Aranyakas or forest texts, books of instruction to be given in the forest or writings meant for.

wood-dwelling hermits, which are found as appendices to the Brahmanas. These treatises resemble the Brahmanas in language, style and even context, but they are concerned more with the allegorical significance of rites, and the mystic meaning of the Samhitas.

contain deep speculations of a philosophical character which "revolve around the two conceptions of Brahman and Atman". The Upanishads marked a reaction against sacrificial religion and are highly philosophical, dealing with the ultimate truth and reality, knowledge of which would emancipate a man. Important Upanishads are Mundaka, ]aittireya, Aitareya, Chandogya and Kiltha.

Besides, there are other ancient literary works which relate to the later Vedic period. Firstly, there are six Vedangas (limbs of the Vedas)-(i) Siksha (Pronunciation); (ii) Killpa (Ritual); (iii) Vyakarana (Grammar); (iv) Nirukta (Etymol­ogy); (v) Chhandas (Me~); and (iv) ]yotisha (Astronomy). They are composed in the form of Sutras-short rules for memorising. Secondly, there are four Upavedas-{i) Ayurveda; (ii) Dhanurveda; (iii) Gandharvaveda; and (iv) Shilpaveda.
The study of Aryan literature will remain incomplete without mentioning the six prominent schools of Hindu Philosophy: (i) Kapila's Sankhya; (ii) Patanjali's Yoga; (iii) Gautama's Nyaya; (iv) Kanada's Vaishesika; (v) Jaimini's Purva Mimamsa; and (vi) Vyasa's Uttara Mimamsa.


(iv) Lastly, we have the Upanishads, 'secret or esoteric doctrines'. Some scholars derive the name from the root upa­ni-sad which means "to sit down near some one" and isapplied to doctrines that may be imparted to a son or a trusted pupil 'seated near the teacher'. The Upanishads are either imbedded in the Aranyakas or form their supple­ments. They are also found as independent works. They