Nirukta is one of the six Vedanga disciplines of Hinduism, treating etymology. Nirukta sutras consist of glossaries of difficult or rare Vedic words. One important work on Nirukta relates to Yaska, an ancient Sanskrit scholar and grammarian, believed to have flourished as early as in 800-700 BCE, according to one school and as late as 300 BCE according to other. Yaska's Nirukta (etymology) consists of three parts, viz.: (i) Naighantuka, a collection of synonyms; (ii) Naigama, a collection of words peculiar to the Vedas, and (iii) Daivata< ...

Including:

• Nirukta - External link

Read more here: » Nirukta: Encyclopedia - Nirukta

Nirukta (Sanskrit). An anga or limb, a division of the Vedas; a glossarial comment.

(See also: Nirukta, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )

Nirukta (Sanskrit) [from nir forth, out + the verbal root vac to speak, utter]

Uttered, pronounced, expressed, defined; as a noun, the etymological interpretation of a word, also the name of such works, especially of a commentary on the Nighantus (a Vedic glossary) by Yaska, the oldest commentary on the Vedas presently known.

(See also: Nirukta, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

The Vedangas: There are six Angas or explanatory limbs, to the Vedas: the Siksha and Vyakarana of Panini, the Chhandas of Pingalacharya, the Nirukta of Yaska, the Jyotisha of Garga, and the Kalpas (Srauta, Grihya, Dharma and Sulba) belonging to the authorship of various Rishis.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Vedangas: The Vedangas in the Hindu Scriptures

The Vedas contain revelations of the eternal Truth. The culture of a community or a nation is derived from the values that people live and uphold in their lives. The word Veda is derived from the Sanskrit vid , to know.

They contain knowledge in every field of worldly science , under the following broad headings - the sadangas or six limbs: Siksa or phonetics, kalpa or the code of rituals, vyakarana or grammar, nirukta or etymology, chandas or literature, and jyotish or astronomy. Along with these, four upvedas o r subvedas consist of the four sciences: Ayurveda or medicine, dhanurveda or new archery, gandharvaveda or music and sthapatyaveda or architecture

(See also: Vedas, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Yaska Acharya is a celebrated Sanskrit scholar and grammarian of ancient India. He is believed to have flourished, according to one school as early as during eighth BCE, while according to other, as late as during third century BCE. Acharya Yaska is the author of a well known ancient work on etymology of Sanskrit words, known as Nirukta. He is thought to have succeeded Sakatayana, an old grammarian and expositor of the Vedas, as the lat ...

Including:

• Yaska - External link

Read more here: » Yaska: Encyclopedia - Yaska

The Vedanga (IAST vedāṅga, "member of the Veda") are six auxiliary disciplines for the understanding and tradition of the Vedas. Shiksha (śikṣā): phonetics and phonology (sandhi) Chandas (Including:

• Vedanga - Literature

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The Mahābhāṣya ("great commentary"), attributed to Patañjali, is a commentary on the celebrated Ashtadhyayi of Panini is one of the three most famous works in Sanskrit grammar. In was with Patanjali that Indian linguistic science reached its definite form. The system thus established is extemely detailed as to shiksha (phonology, including accent) and vyakarana (morphology). Syntax is scarecely touched, but nirukta (etymology) is discussed, and these etymologies naturally lead to semantic explanations. People interpret his work t

Read more here: » Mahābhāṣya: Encyclopedia - Mahābhāṣya

Samudra is a Sanskrit term for ocean. The term occurs over 150 times in the Rig Veda. There are more references to the Samudra than to rivers in the Rig Veda. The oldest vedic commentators like the Brihaddevata of Shaunaka, Nighantu and the Nirukta of Yaska interpret the term Samudra as ocean. The scholar G.V. Davane studied the occurences of the term samudra in the Rig Veda and concluded that the term means "terrestrial ocean". (Davane, G. V. 1982. An Ana ...

Including:

• Samudra - Samudra and rivers
• Samudra - Samudra and Vedic deities
• Samudra - Ships
• Samudra - Related terms

Read more here: » Samudra: Encyclopedia - Samudra

Patañjali (Devanāgarī पतञ्जलि) is the compiler of the Yoga Sutra, a major work containing aphorisms on the practical and philosophical wisdom regarding practice of Raja Yoga. ("Yoga" in traditional Hinduism involves inner contemplation, a rigorous system meditation practice, ethics, metaphysics, and devotion to the one common soul, God, or Brahman/Atman.) Virtually nothing is known about the life of Patañjali, and some scholars believe he is entirely mythical. Various references suggest he lived between ...

Including:

• Patañjali - Yoga Sutras of Patañjali
• Patañjali - The Mahābhāṣya

Read more here: » Patañjali: Encyclopedia - Patañjali

Nirukta Vedanga: (Sanskrit) "Etymology Veda-limb."

Auxiliary Vedic texts which discuss the origin and development of words; among the four linguistic skills taught for mastery of the Vedas and the rites of yajna. Nirukta relies upon ancient lexicons, nighantu, as well as detailed hymn indices, anukramani. Five nighantus existed at the time of Yaska (320 bce), whose treatise is regarded a standard work on Vedic etymology.

See: Vedanga.

(See also: Nirukta Vedanga, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

etymology: The science of the origin of words and their development. The history of a word.

See: Nirukta Vedanga, Sanskrit.

(See also: Etymology, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Aurnavabha (Sanskrit) A grammarian mentioned in Yaska's Nirukta; also a demon in the Rig-Veda.

(See also: Aurnavabha, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Nighantu, Nighantuka (Sanskrit) [from the verbal root ghat, ghant to collect, bring together]

A glossary; particularly in the plural, the Vedic glossary explained by Yaska in his nirukta or glossarial commentary.

(See also: Nighantu, Nighantuka, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

The traditional Hindu explanation of the name Viṣṇu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle, to enter", or also (in the Rigveda) "to pervade", and a suffix nu, translating to approximately "the All-Pervading One". The early commentator on the Vedas,Yaska, in his Nirukta, defines Vishnu as 'vishnu vishateh; one who enters everywhere', and 'yad vishito bhavati tad vishnurbhavati; that which is free f ...

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Vishnu, Vishnu - Etymology, Vishnu - Pre-Puranic Vishnu, Vishnu - In the Vedas, Vishnu - In the Brahmanas, Vishnu - In the Upanishads, Vishnu - Theological attributes and more, Vishnu - Relations with other Deities, Vishnu - Iconography, Vishnu - Worship, Vishnu - Names, Vishnu - Theological beliefs and philosophy

Read more here: » Vishnu: Encyclopedia II - Vishnu - Etymology

The battle of the ten kings was led against the Turvashas (one of the five vedic people of the RV), the Bhrigus (a family of Vedic seers related to the Angirasas), the Druhyus (one of the five vedic peoples), the Kavashas (a family of Rishis), the Anus (Vedic) (one of the five Vedic peoples) and others (e.g. RV. 7.18.6; 5.13.14; 7.18.12). Rig Veda 7.83.1-6 tells that Sudas defeated both Aryas and Dasyus. Part of this battle is also fought on the Parusni river, which according to Yaska (nirukta 9.26) refers ...

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Sudas, Sudas - Battle of the ten kings, Sudas - Literature

Read more here: » Sudas: Encyclopedia II - Sudas - Battle of the ten kings

Vedanga:

Vedanga: Veda-limb. Six branches of post-Vedic studies revered as auxiliary to the Vedas. Four Vedangas govern correct chanting of the Vedas: 1. Shiksha (phonetics), 2. Çhandas (meter), 3. Nirukta (etymology), 4. Vyakarana (grammar). The two other Vedangas are 5. Jyotisha Vedanga (astronomy-astrology) and 6. Kalpa Vedanga (procedural canon) which includes the Shrauta and Shulba Shastras (ritual codes), Dharma Shastras (social law) and Grihya Shastras (domestic codes).

(See also: Vedanga, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Vayu (Sanskrit). Air: the god and sovereign of the air; one of the five states of matter, namely the gaseous; one of the five elements, called, as wind, Vata. The Vishnu Purana makes Vayu King of the Gandharvas.

He is the father of Hanuman, in the Ramayana. The trinity of the mystic gods in Kosmos closely related to each other, are " Agni (fire) whose place is on earth; Vayu (air, or one of the forms of Indra), whose place is in the air ; and Surya (the sun) whose place is in the air (Nirukta.) In esoteric interpretation, these three cosmic principles, correspond with the three human principles, Kama, Kama-Manas and Manas, the sun of the intellect.

(See also: Vayu, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )

Sushumna susumna (Sanskrit) Astronomically, the highest of the seven principal rays or Logoi of the sun, the others being Harikesa, Visvakarman, Visvatryarchas, Sannaddha, Sarvavasu, and Svaraj. These rays "are all mystical, and each has its distinct application in a distinct state of consciousness, for occult purposes.

The Sushumna, which, as said in the Nirukta (II, 6), is only to light up the moon, is the ray nevertheless cherished by the initiated Yogis. The totality of the Seven Rays spread through the Solar system constitute, so to say, the physical Upadhi (basis) of the Ether of Science; in which Upadhi, light, heat, electricity, etc., etc., -- the forces of orthodox science -- correlate to produce their terrestrial effects. As psychic and spiritual effects, they emanate from, and have their origin in, the supra-soar Upadhi, in the ether of the Occultist -- or Akasa" (SD 1:515n).

(See also: Sushumna, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Vayu (Sanskrit) Air; one of the five cosmic elements. Personified, the god and sovereign of the air and the king of the gandharvas. Agni, Vayu, and Surya formed the primeval Vedic Trimurti: " 'Agni (fire) whose place is on earth; Vayu (air, or one of the forms of Indra), whose place is in the air; and Surya (the sun) whose place is in the air' [celestial spaces]. (Nirukta.)

In esoteric interpretation, these three cosmic principles, correspond with the three human principles, Kama, Kama-Manas and Manas, the sun of the intellect" (TG 361). These three deities in this connection are three manifestations of cosmic fohat, guided and directed by cosmic mahat.

In later mythology Vayu is the father of Hanuman, the monkey-king who aids Rama in the Ramayana. The allegory of Hanuman becoming the son of Vayu by Anjuna (an ape-like monster) refers to the first glimmering of mind coming into the highest apes through the miscegenation of unevolved late third root-race and early fourth root-race humans with certain simians, themselves the descendants of a previous and parallel origin during an earlier time of the third root-race.

(See also: Vayu, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)