The Vedic Period

Veclangas.

Besides the purely ceremonial matter, the Brah manas also contained a considerable amount of matter bearing on the correct interpretation of the Vedic texts; and, indeed, the sacred obligation incumbent on the Brahmans of handing down correctly the letter and sense of those texts necessarily in volved a good deal of serious grammatical and etymological study in the Brahmanical schools. These literary pursuits resulted in the accumulation of much learned material, which it became de sirable to throw into a systematic form. These practical require ments were met by a class of treatises, grouped under six different heads or subjects, called V edangas, i.e., members, or limbs, of the (body of the) Veda. In their present form these works represent a rather advanced stage of scientific development. Though a few of them are composed in metrical form—the majority belong to a class of writings called sutra, i.e., "string," consisting of strings of rules in the shape of tersely expressed aphorisms, intended to be committed to memory.

StItras.

The Sutras form a connecting link between the Vedic and the classical periods of literature. These treatises are included among the Vedic writings, and in point of language may be considered as the latest products of the Vedic age, but they are no longer iruti or revelation. They are of human, not of divine, origin. The Sutras are regarded nevertheless as works of great authority, second only to that of the revealed Scriptures; in contrast to the latter they are called smriti, or tradition.

The six branches of Vedic science, included under the term Vedanga, are as follows:— I. Sikshd, or Phonetics.—In addition to a small treatise as cribed to the great grammarian Panini, the Paniniya sikshd, there are usually included under this head certain works, called Pra tiialehya, i.e., "belonging to a certain Saha or recension," which deal minutely with the phonetic peculiarities of the several Sarphit5.s, and are of great importance for Vedic textual criticism.

2. Chhandas, or Metre.—Tradition makes the Chhandalpsfitra of Pingala the starting-point of prosody. The Vedic metres, how ever, occupy but a small part of this treatise ; they are particu larly dealt with in the Nidana-sutra of the Samaveda, and in a chapter of the Rik-pratigakhya. For later profane prosody, on

the other hand, Piligala's treatise is valuable.

3. Vyakaroja, or Grammar.—Panini's famous grammar is said to be the Veda.figa; but it marks the culminating point of gram matical research rather than the beginning, and treats chiefly of the post-Vedic language.

4. Nirukta, or Etymology.—Yaska's Nirukta deals entirely with Vedic etymology and exegesis. It consists, in the first place, of strings of words in three chapters: (I) synonymous words; (2) such as are purely or chiefly Vedic; and (3) names of deities. These lists are followed by Yaska's commentary, interspersed with numerous illustrations. Yaska quotes the works of several predecessors but his is by several centuries the oldest surviving work of its kind. The above four studies deal with the correct understanding of texts, the next two with rites and their proper seasons.

5. Jyotisha, or Astronomy.—The metrical treatise which has come down to us in two different recensions under the title of Jyotisha, ascribed to one Lagadha, or Lagata, seems to be the oldest existing systematic treatise on astronomical subjects.

6. Kalpa, or Ceremonial.—Sacrificial practice gave rise to a large number of systematic sutra-manuals for the several classes of priests. The most important of these works have come down to us, and they occupy by far the most prominent place among the literary productions of the sutra-period. The Kalpa-sutras, or rules of ceremonial, are of two kinds: (I) the grauta-sistras, which are based on the gruti, and teach the performance of the great sacrifices, requiring three sacrificial fires; and (2) the Smarta sutras, or rules based on the smriti or tradition. The latter class again includes two kinds of treatises: (I) the Grihya-siitras, or domestic rules, treating of ordinary family rites, such as marriage, birth, name-giving, etc., connected with simple offerings in the domestic fire; and (2) the Samayachdrika- (or Dharma-) sutras, which treat of customs and temporal duties, and are supposed to have formed the chief sources of the later law-books.