तत्रापरा ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेदः सामवेदोऽथर्ववेदः
शिक्षा कल्पो व्याकरणं निरुक्तं छन्दो ज्योतिषमिति ।
अथ परा यया तदक्षरमधिगम्यते ॥ ५॥
tatrāparā ṛgvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo’tharvavedaḥ
śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇaṃ niruktaṃ chando jyotiṣamiti .
atha parā yayā tadakṣaramadhigamyate .. 5..
Of these two, the lower knowledge is the Rig-Veda, the Yagur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda, siksha (phonetics), kalpa (rituals), vyakaranam (grammar), nirukta (etymology), chhandas (metre) and jyotis (astronomy); and the Higher Knowledge is that by which the Imperishable Brahman is attained.
Commentary:
Very interesting! It gives a blow at the very root of our imagination that the Vedas are the highest knowledge. The Rigveda Samhitas, and everything connected to the Rigveda, such as the Brahmanas, and the Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda, are all lower knowledge only, my dear friend.
There are four Vedas. The Rigveda consists of hymns, prayers, mantras. The Yajurveda consists of certain invocations necessary for the performance of sacrifice. The Samaveda is Rig-verses set in music. The Atharvaveda contains such material that may be regarded as a sequel or an appendix to the threefold Vedas—the Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda. These four Vedas are not easy to understand. Their language is difficult, their grammar is very hard, and the implications of what they say are so deep that without proper introductory learning, one cannot know what the Vedas speak at all. This introductory training consists of what is called the Vedanga, a sixfold education. The anga, or the limb of the Veda, is sixfold, and we cannot approach the Veda unless we are proficient in these six accessories called the Vedanga. What are these six Vedangas?
Śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇaṁ niruktaṁ chando jyotiṣam iti. Siksha is the science of phonetics, the art of intonation and modulation of the voice in the recitation of a Veda mantra. You might have heard panditas chanting mantras of the Veda. It has a way of pronunciation, an articulation, a modulation, and a raising of the voice or bringing down of the voice, or keeping the voice in a harmonious manner without raising it or bringing it down. This is the science of giving a special meaning to the mantra.
You may be wondering what the great point is in intonating the mantra. “O God, protect me.” I can say that in any way I like. Why should I sing it in a particular tone? The reason is, the Veda mantras are composed in such a way that different intonations give them different suggestions. Even when we speak, our mode of speaking gives a special significance to the words. We can utter a sentence with different voice formations which may mean different things depending on the different ways of expression. Sometimes we gesticulate, and sometimes we change the tone of voice by raising, lowering or modulating it in such a way that conveys different meanings. For instance, when we say something when we are happy or unhappy, or when we are angry or want to abuse somebody, we know how our voice changes. Likewise, a special kind of technique has been adopted by the science of Siksha, attributed to Panini, the great grammarian, which instructs us in the art of the correct intonation and pronunciation of a Veda mantra, especially the first three Vedas—the Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda.
Kalpa means the performance of a ritual connected with a specific injunction of the Veda, especially of the Brahmanas. We have seen acharyas, purohitas performing a havana. While chanting they put something here, something there, such as darbha grass here, water there. They will do acharanam, wash their hands, put some rice grains there, and so many other things. These are certain techniques of ritual which are elaborately described in the Kalpa Sutras.
The Kalpa Sutras are of four types: Shrauta Sutras, Grihya Sutras, Dharma Sutras and Shulba Sutras. The Shrauta Sutras describe the manner of the performance of sacrifices according to Vedic injunctions. The Grihya Sutras are connected with sacrifices and performances to be undertaken in one’s own house, and not in some big yajnashala. The Dharma Sutras give us the rules and regulations of social and ethical life, such as Varnashrama dharma, etc. The Shulba Sutras describes the length, measurement, etc., of certain articles that are to be used in Vedic sacrificial methods. These are the four types of Kalpa Sutras.
Vyakarana is grammar. There are two types of grammar: classical grammar and Vedic grammar. In Panini’s method, both types of grammar are found. Vedic grammar is studied only in advanced stages. Students of Sanskrit usually study only classical works and the well-known Vyakarana. Unless we know the technology of the method by which words are used in the Veda mantras, we will not make any sense out of them, and so Vyakarana, the study of grammar, is necessary.
Nirukta is the etymology of the word—how the word has been formed. Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and so on—what is actually meant by these words? They have a root. As every word in a language has a root from which it is derived, Vedic words also have a root from which they arise. The Nirukta Shastra of Bhaskaracharya is the great textbook which goes into the details of the etymology, or the roots of the words, used in the Veda mantras.
Chandas is the metre. Every verse, every mantra of the Rigveda Samhita particularly, varies in its metre. It is long or short, it is Gayatri Chandas or Tristubh, and so on, and accordingly the intonation also changes.
Jyotisha is the astronomical science which tells us at what particular time of the conjunction of the stars or the planets we have to undertake a particular ritual or a sacrifice. It does not mean that on any day we can do some worship and on any day we can do some havanam, and so on. A particular yajna, or havan, should be done at a particular time, in consonance with the respective conjunction of the planets and the stars. That is Jyotisha, the shastra of astronomy.
We cannot go to the Veda directly and understand anything out of it unless we are proficient in these six auxiliary shastras, or scriptures, called śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇaṁ niruktaṁ chando jyotiṣam. All these, says the great Master, together with the original Vedas—the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda—should be considered as lower knowledge. They purify our minds and enlighten us into the mysteries of the whole of creation. They purify our minds because of the power that is embedded in the mantras and the emotional or religious awareness that is stimulated within us on account of the meaning that we see in the mantras, the blessing that we receive from the sages who composed the mantras, and also the special power that is generated by the metre. All these put together create a religious atmosphere in the person who takes to the study of the Veda. It is great and grand, worth studying. It will lift us to the empyrean of a comprehension of values that are not merely physical, but superphysical. Yet, it is not enough. There is a ‘but’ behind it. What is that greater knowledge, which is higher than this mentioned?
Atha parā yayā tad akṣaram adhigamyate: That is the higher knowledge with which alone can we reach the imperishable Reality. Learning is different from wisdom; scholarship is not the same as insight. One may be a learned Vedic scholar and very proficient in the performance of sacrifices and the invocation of gods in the heavens, but eternity is different from temporality. All these glories of the Veda are in the region of time, and the Eternal is timeless. What is that timeless thing, that which is called Imperishable?