Vedangas are the sciences dependent upon or auxiliary to the Vedas. These sciences enable us to better understand the scriptures, like the Samhitha, Brahmana, Aranyaka, and the Upanishads. Anga means help, and these branches are very helpful in understanding the materialistic form of the language used in the scriptures. These Vedangas are developed as special Sastras because of the difficulty envisaged in understanding the Vedas. They are used to determine the ritual practices specified in the Vedas. The Vedangas are six, namely, Siksha, Kalpam, Vyakarana, Chandas, Niruktham, and Jyothisham.
These sciences were developed to help and guide the students of the Vedas. They are also useful to those who teach the Vedas. The references to the Vedangas can be found in scriptures, like the Gopadha Brahmana, Bodhayana Dharma Sutra, and the Ramayana. These six Vedangas play an important role in Vedic knowledge, languages, and thought.
Maharishi Panini had declared that the Vedas were the representation of Lord Brahma. The Vedangas are like six bodies to the Vedas. The Nirukta is one among them and it functions as a listening aid for practitioners. It acts as the ear in the body.
Maharishi Sayanacharya defined the term ‘Nirukta” as Ardhavabodhe nirapekshathaya padajatham yatra uktham thad – Niruktham. In other words, it is the glossary of words employed in the Vedas.
In the Niruktha, the pronunciation of the word becomes secondary or Gaunamu, and the meaning of the word takes precedence over its pronunciation. As such, the niruktha is a collection of words that teaches their meaning. It is Gauna, as it accords greater priority to the meaning rather than pronunciation. Although both niruktha and vyakarana deal with words, there are some fundamental differences between them. In the vyakarana, the sounding of the word takes precedence over its import.
All ritual activities are performed by chanting mantras or Vedic words. Thus, the rites are dependent on the sound of the words and not on their meaning. For this reason, Maharishi Panini declared Swam rupam sabdasyasabda sanjya. There are some exceptions to this practice. However, pronunciation is all important. Since the vyakarana gives importance to sound, it is known as Sabdasastra.
The niruktha deals with the meanings of words. It also gives importance to their pronunciation. However, it is not the objective of the vyakarana to provide a meaning to words. Therefore, the only way to know the meanings of words in the Vedas is by means of the niruktha. This is an important branch, and it denotes definition.
According to Yaska, the academician, each and every speech or sound is produced by following some process. The famous grammarian Sakatayana said that all sounds were based on the grammatical root, namely nouns and verbs. Yaska supported the version of Sakatayana.
Words have different meanings according to the context. There will be derivative words for words, and such derivation depends on the multiple meanings provided in the Vedas. Grammar or vyakarana deals with the words that are used in daily life; whereas, the niruktha deals with the words in the Vedas.
However, the niruktha also depends on vyakarana, and the student must have knowledge of the vyakarana.
Niruktha acts like a tika to the dictionary. In the past, students of the Vedas were required to know the meaning of words used in the Vedas. Acquiring knowledge, regarding the meaning of words was part of the Vedic study. However, over time, greater importance was attached to the pronunciation of Vedic words, and their meaning lost importance. Gradually, the import of the words lost its importance and was ignored by many. This resulted in the loss of the original meaning of the words, which in turn caused severe damage to the interpretation of the Vedas, in the later times.
Yaska states that it would be very difficult to establish the actual meaning of the words in the Vedas, due to the loss of such knowledge. The reason behind this sorry situation is that the early scholars defined the meaning of words, only in their speeches. They failed to record them in the written form for the benefit of the succeeding generations. To rectify this lacuna, later scholars developed some dictionaries for the benefit of the students. They collected the difficult words and provided their meanings in these dictionaries. There were a large number of dictionaries in those days. At present, only one dictionary has survived, and it was stated in the Mahabharata that Maharishi Kasyapa had prepared this dictionary.
Yaska’s commentary to this dictionary, is the present niruktha. This dictionary was finalised by Yaska. The latter has sung the praise of 12 compilers of the niruktha, and these are Agrayana, Aupamanyava, Audumbarayana, Jeernanabha, Kathakya, Gargya, Galava, Thaiteeki, Varshyayani, Sakapurni, and Sthaulastheeni. Yaska chiefly employed the opinions of Sakapurni in preparing the niruktha.
At present, the niruktha developed by Yaska is the only available text for the import of the Vedas. It has 12 chapters, with two annexures at the end. Masters like Sayana and Vuvvata widely used these 14 chapters to explain the Vedas. Yaska belonged to the seventh or eighth century B.C, and it is assumed that he lived before Maharishi Panini.
Yaska had discussed several principles of the niruktha in the beginning of the book. There were differences in determining the accurate meaning of Vedic words in his time. Religious followers had defined different meanings for these words. These differences can be classified into Adidaivatha, Adyatma, Akhyana, Aithihasika, Naidana, Nairuktha, Parivrajika, and Yajnika groups. The niruktha text of Yaska influenced the succeeding generations of Vedic scholars, and can be seen in the interpretations, provided by the scholars, who came after Yaska.
The niruktha functinos as the tika to the dictionary, and it provides elaborate meaning to the words. However, over time, this niruktha has also become very difficult to understand, and further explanation to the meanings provided in it was required. There are several factors that contributed for this. These factors are: evolution of the language, inability of the learners to understand or study the niruktha, differences in the curricula, and destruction of parts of the scripts, by the barbaric and uncivilised foreign invaders. At present, only the book written by Master Durgacharya is available, and information about this writer is scarce.
The Niruktha is not restricted to descriptions regarding the formation of words. It also contains grammar, knowledge about language, literature, sociology, and history. Both foreign and home researchers refer to this book, whilst studying the Vedas and while establishing principles and doctrines of new philosophies.
About the book:
This book starts with the sentence “samamnayaha samamnathaha - sa vyakhyathavyaha”. This can be understood as the systematic compilation of Vedic words is the samamnayam and the subsequent explanation is based on it.
A large number of words in the Vedas do not have just one meaning. They provide several technical meanings also. Therefore, a careful selection of the meaning is very important. The Niruktha provides the meanings of nearly 1770 words from ‘Go’ to ‘Devapathni’.
The first chapter of the first section contains the definition of the samamnaya word. It also covers word formation, the definitions of Nama, Khya, Thopasarga, and Nipatha vibhaga, and appropriate examples.
In the second chapter, details of nouns and verbs, their pronunciation, and the power of mantras are explained. The third chapter follows the system of Master Varshyayani Acharya. It provides an explanation about the eight important expressions. The fourth chapter deals with the remaining expressions, the inner meaning of these expressions, the effects of the upasargas according to the sakatayana tradition, the arthavatwa under the Gargya tradition, the pra, para, apa upasargas in the panchama khanda and the pathiswika meaning of upasargas.
In the Upamardha, the four nipathas, such as aiva etcetera are explained. In the karmopa samgrahardha, nipathas, like as ‘cha’ are clearly described. In the fourth section, the noun forms, such as Akhyathajas are described. It establishes these noun forms, in accordance with the Gargya tradition.
Some vayakaranas argue that the nouns are Anakhyathajas. However, the book proves that the nouns are Akhyathajas by quoting the verse sarvam nama dhathujamaha, sakatasya cha thokam of the adherents of the Sakatayana.
The fifth chapter addresses various issues, like words, the meaning of words, knowledge and its uses, the meaning of mantras and their effects, and information about the Kautsa tradition. The sixth chapter provides information about the divisions of words and their uses, identification of deities in mantras, the benefits of Veda knowledge, praising knowledge, and condemnation of ignorance. It also covers the following issues:
Samamnayam
Sastra
Veda
The nature of Vedanga
Naighantu
Naigama
Daivatha procedures
Principles in the sastras
Dhatu
Pratipadika
Prathaya
Thadardha
Thathparaya and
Pronunciation
The second section is divided into 7 sub-sections.
In the first sub – section, the characteristic of definitions, vrithis, the forms of presentation in accordance with the meaning, deficit of letters, the behaviour of letters, the primary, middle, and end levels of deficits, the flow of letter usage are explained and established with telling examples.
It also explains the differences in the pronunciation of letters, in accordance with time, place and other factors. The other issues covered are the evolution of meanings, verb tenses, samasa, nirvachana, and a few other aspects.
Subsections 2 to 7 deal with the following aspects:
The peculiarity of the terms ‘Gau’, ‘Gla’ and others; the differences in the pronunciation or sound of letters; characteristics of words; alternative words; doubtful meanings; doubtful explanations; nouns; Akhyatha; upasarga, nipatha; and the arrangement of words in the dictionary are covered. The 3rd chapter also provides information about the remaining sabdas. The dictionary part of nikrutha ends with this chapter.
The following aspects are covered in the 4th, 5th, and 6thchapters: the meanings of single-words; nature of words, characteristics of words; the affixes to roots and words forming derivatives and inflections.
There is also information regarding the performance of rites pertaining to the deities; the philosophy or essential characteristics of deities; establishment of the meanings to the deities; the direct and indirect characteristics of riks; the mantras that are used for praising, blessing and cursing others; the number of deities; the anadhishta mantras of the deities; and guhyardha vicharam; to name a few.
The 13th and 14th chapters provide information regarding the prayers to the deities, spiritual progression, and the means to attain salvation.
The Niruktha is a dictionary as well as a comprehensive text about Vedic information. It was compiled and authored by Maharishi Yaska. It scientifically establishes various features pertaining to the Sabda sastra. It provides detailed information about the ritual ceremonies in the Vedas, and it provides the meaning and usage instructions for several words in the Vedas. Thus, it is acclaimed as the Vedanga by many Indian and foreign scholars.