Paper 9   – Vedang - Shiksha, Kalpa, Vyakaran, Nirukta, Jyotish, Chandas

The Vedangas are the last treatises of the Vedic Literature. Paniniya Shiksha (41-42) narrates two verses on the importance of the Vedangas which describe Veda as a Purusha having six limbs as six Vedangas: Chandas are His two feet, Kalpa are His two arms, Jyotisha are His eyes, Nirukta is His ears, Shiksha is His nose and Vyakarana is His mouth. One of the oldest record of their names occurs in the Mundaka Upanishad (1.1.5) where they are named as:

Shiksha or phonetics or pronunciation, Kalpa or ritual,Vyakarana or grammar, Nirukta or etymology, Chandas or meter, Jyotisha or astronomy.

Paper 10 – Upavedas - Gandharva Veda, Dhanurveda, Ayurveda, Sthapatyaveda

The term upaveda (“applied knowledge”) is used in traditional literature to designate the subjects of certain applied knowledge and technical works. The lists in this class differ among sources. However the one largely acceptable and as per Caraṇavyuha, is as follows:-

1. Ayurveda (Medicine), associated with the Ṛgveda
2.Dhanurveda (Archery), associated with the Yajurveda
3. Gāndharvaveda (Music and sacred dance), associated with the Samaveda, and
4. Arthaśāstra (Economics), associated with the Atharvaveda

Paper 11 – Upanishads (Part 1) - Isha, Kena, Kath, Prashna

Isavasya Upanishad is a small Upanishad consisting of 18 mantras and it belongs to Shukla Yajur Veda.Isavasya Upanishad is one of the few Upanishads like Taittiriya Upanishad for which the Svara is still maintained and available for chanting. This Upanishad gets it name because of the first portion of the beginning verse “IsavasyamIdamSarvam”. The first two words are “Isa” and “Avasyam” and hence its called Isavasya. The first word is “Isa” so it can also be called Isa Upanishad or Isopanishad.Kenopanishad  is a small Upanishad in Sama Veda, and it has 4 chapters, each chapter known as a Kanda or Adhyaya. There are in total 35 mantras and therefore it’s a relatively small but a very important Upanishad. Kath Upanishad is also known as Kathopanishad and belongs to Krishna Yajur Veda. This is a fairly big Upanishad consisting of 119 mantras spread over 2 chapters. Each chapter is called an Adhyaya, and in each chapter there are 3 sections known as Vallis. Prasna Upanishad is a commentary or elaboration on Mundaka Upanishad. This Upanishad can also be called by the name Prasnopanishad, and it is given in the form of a dialogue between a Guru named Pippalada and 6 disciples.

Paper 12 – Upanishads (Part 2) - Mundak, Mandukya, Taittirya, Aitareya

“Mundaka” means “head”, and the word “head” generally indicates importance. For e.g. the head of an organization.Mundaka Upanishad is known by this name because it is one of the most important Upanishads. Therefore it being a primary Upanishad it’s called Mundaka Upanishad.This Upanishad has got 3 chapters and 6 sections; each chapter having 2 sections each. Each chapter is known as Mundaka and each section as a Kanda. There are in total 65 mantras in the entire Upanishad.Mandukya  is the smallest Upanishad among the 10 main Upanishads, containing only 12 mantras.We know that it’s impossible to cover entire Vedanta in just 12 mantras, so it’s important to know that this Upanishad is not primarily meant to teach Vedanta but to remember the teachings which have been elaborately dealt with in the other Upanishads.Taittiriya Upanishad is named after an acharya, Tittiri Acharya, who preserved and propagated this Upanishad. This Upanishad is in prose form and has 3 chapters, each chapter being known as a “Valli”. The three chapters are called Shiksha Valli, Brahma Valli and Bhrigu Valli.AitareyaUpanishad was given out by a Rishi named Aitareya and hence the name of the Upanishad. Aitareya Rishi is also known as Mahidasa. So some people call him AitareyaMahidasa Rishi. He got the name of Aitareya because his mother’s name was Itara.