The story of the Vedas (Part-3)

When Krishna Dvaipāyana (Vyas) was compiling the Vedas, there also existed some texts both in the prose as well as in verse form, that explained the meaning of the Vedic ceremonies. These texts were different from the Samhitās. These texts mostly dealt with the steps involved in a ceremony and also the spiritual value of the structure, recitation and activities concerning the Vedic ceremonies. During the time when the Vedas were re-organized and systematically compiled by Ved-Vyas (around 1500 BCE), there already existed few of such texts. Ved-Vyas termed them as the Brahmanas (Sanskrit: ब्राह्मणम्; not to be confused with the Priest-Brahman) and went through an extensive effort of organizing the Brahmanas under the relevant Samhitās. He also arranged for his disciples to develop more such books of Brahmanas in the coming time. Thus, the Brahmanas are classified as the old Brahmanas (those existing before Ved-Vyas) and the new Brahmanas (those developed by Ved-Vyas and his disciples).

Later in time, as the Shākhās or the recensions/ branches of each Veda grew so, the Brahmanas for each Veda got segregated based on the Shākhās. It is said that the schools or the Shākhās (as mentioned in part-2) were developed by the Ved-Vyas. 

The Brahmanas are mostly in prose and they contain detailed descriptions of the ceremonies. Thus, the Samhitā portion of the Vedas and the Brahmanas go hand in hand, so much so that the one is incomplete without the other. In the past, a Brahman priest who attained great expertise in the Brahmanas came to be referred to as the ‘Brahamanam’ and was usually considered an authority of the Vedas.

Sāyāna is considered to be one of the great scholars of the Vedas. He stayed in the land that was controlled by the Vijayanagara Empire in South India and belonged to the Taittiriya Shākhā (for Shākhā refer to part-2 of the blog) of the Krishna-Yajurveda. Sāyāna describes that the Brahmanas deal with eight different topics- itihāsa, Purāna, vidyā, Upanishad, sloka, sutra, vyākhyāna, and anuvyākhyāna, which means history, old stories, esoteric knowledge about meditation, supreme knowledge, verses, aphorisms, explanations, and elaborations respectively. All these topics are primarily based on the Samhitās that they are associated with. 

Many Brahmanas under each Samhitās are lost. Very few remain alive until today. Only two Brahmanas of the Rig Ved remain- 

1. Aitareya Brahmana. This Brahamana book was developed by the Sākala Shākhā of the Rig Ved. These texts were developed by a scholar named Mahidasa Aitareya around 1000 – 500 BCE (the period cannot be confirmed with precision). 
2. The other Brahmanam comes from the Bāskala Shākhā of Rig Ved and is called as the Kaushitaki Brahmana or the Sānkhyāyana Brahmana. 

Similarly, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda Samhitās contain their Brahmanas explaining the spiritual value of the ceremonies mentioned in their respective Samhitās. Explaining the different Brahmanas belonging to the various Shākhās and Samhitās is beyond the scope and objective of this blog. The sole purpose of the three parts of the blog is to help the aspiring learner of the Vedas to understand its composition and structure before the lessons begin. At no point do I wish to discourage the learning, but expressing the vastness of the Vedas is imminent. We must appreciate and acknowledge the number of efforts that generations of Rishis and Vedic Scholars had put into. Certainly, they did not do so because they had ample time to spend. But, out of the intense desire of welfare of mankind and its ultimate salvation. The amount of commitment can be seen from the fact that the Brahmanas were developed in 200 years (900 – 700 BCE), with ~ 8 generations of hundreds of Rishis sacrificing all material pleasures for attaining the sole objective of welfare of the mankind. 

The entire Vedic literature can be divided into three portions based on the approach and the topics that they teach-

1. The Karma Kānda– This contains the Samhitās and the Brahmanas and mainly deal with the Yajna (also called Vedic Karma) portion of the Vedas
2. The Upāsanā Kānda– This is formed of the books of Ãranyakas relating to the contemplative and meditative value of the Vedas
3. The Jnyāna Kānda– This is formed by the Upanishad booksand deals mainly with supreme knowledge

Thus, the other extensions of the Samhitās, apart from the Brahmanas are also the Ãranyakas and the Upanishads. 

In a process that took centuries, the Ãranyakas evolved out of the Brahmanas, and the Upanishads out of the Ãranyakas . For example, the Tattiriya Ãranyaka (Aranyaka developed by the Taittiriya Shākhā) forms out of the later part of Taittiriya Brahmana. 

Around the time when the Buddha emerged on the platform of Bharat, the Brahmanas, Ãranyakas and the Upanishads were almost fully developed.  

The Ãranyakas (Sanskrit: आरण्यक), was named so as it was said that these should only be studied in a forest (Aranya) away from the villages. These were originally considered to be part of the Brahmanas. The Ãranyakas were supposed to be studied by those who had moved to the Vānaprasthashrama (moving to the forest) phase of life. The Ãranyakas delve deeper into the meditative and speculative meanings of the mantras and ceremonies of the Vedas. It explains the spiritual meanings of the mantras and also speaks about Vrata. It is from the Ãranyakas and the Upanishads that one can decipher the subtle meanings of the Vedic ceremonies. It was the Ãranyakas and the Upanishads that formed a matter of great discussion in the later ages. Through these explanatory commentaries, the common people became used to the philosophical thought of the Vedas. Without the Ãranyakas and the Upanishads, the Vedas may merely seem to be a collection of mantras and organized ceremonies.  

Previously there were 108 books of Upanishads. This later became condensed into 18. Similarly, a large number of books of Ãranyakas were written. Many of these we have lost in the later invasions. 

The recitations of the mantras without the proper context of the Brahmanas, the Ãranyakas and the Upanishads may not bear great fruits. Even so, the mere recitation of the mantras bears a sound effect that naturally raises the consciousness of life. Certainly, the study of the Vedas is a vast subject and only a few noble beings carry the determination to study those completely. There was a time when the Vedas were recited every day in all the houses. The Vedic ceremonies used to be extremely long sessions, a few have been documented to go on even for years! 

However, in time, a large fraction of society has moved away from this ideal way of life. The Vedas represent universal truths. These shall always remain alive regardless of what we consider of them. It is time that a major fraction of the population of the Bharat must indulge merrily into the daily recitation, contemplation, meditation and implementation of the Vedic knowledge. A large number of committed Rishis sacrificed their entire life for growing, preserving and spreading of this knowledge. We must appreciate this gift from our great ancestors and strive collectively to revive the same, not out of a sentiment of pride but, a realization of the need for a happy and fulfilling life. 

May the power of the Gāyatri and the knowledge of the Vedas that she upholds illumines the intellect of the masses. May the elemental form of the Goddess Sarasvati be invoked and activated everyday within us that guides our intellect to work towards a higher purpose. 

References & further reading-

1. Vedic Civilization. Book: The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol-1 (1958)
2. Aitareya and Kausitaki Brahmanas- A Translation. Vedic Foundation Trust
3. Keith, AB. Book: The Aitareya Aranyak. (1909).
4. Book: Kaushitaki Brahmana Upanishad. Asiatic Society of Bengal
5. Keith, AB. Book: The religion and the philosophy of the Veda and the Upanishads
6. Haug, M. Book: The Aiterya Brahmanam of the the Rigveda