Vedic Life

VedAngas or Limbs of the Vedas

The four Vedas form the body of the VedaPurusha or the Vedic Being. The six Veda Anga's (or parts) are the limbs of the VedaPurusha.

The following is taken from ibiblio.org

1. Siksha Shastra forms the nose of the Vedapurusha and tells us how and where each akshara or letter of the Veda mantras should emanate in our body (as we know, some sounds originate from the palate, some from the throat, some from the stomach etc.), the declension or Svaram applicable to each word, the length of time each letter and word should occupy during pronunciation (MatrA). Thus, Svara, MatrA, Balam, Samam, SantAnam, etc. are some of the topics dealt with in SIkshA, which is comparable to a limited extent to the modern science of Phonetics. If Vedas are being recited in the same fashion since time immemorial, it is this SIkshA shastra, that we have to thank.

2. Vyakarana Shastra or Grammar forms the Mouth of the Vedapurusha. Words by themselves may not mean much, unless there are set rules as to their usage and more rules for their usage in combinations, forming sentences. Vyakarana performs the important function of imparting significance to Veda vAkyAs. For each Shastra, there is a BhAshya (just as there is the Sri Bhashya for Brahmasutras). The greatness of the Vyakarana shastra would be evident when we note that its Bhashya is known simply as the "MahA Bhashya" (authored by Pathanjali Rishi, based on the SootrAs of PANini).

3. Chandas Shastra forms the tiruvadi or holy feet of the Veda Purusha and deals with the rules of composition, principally poetical - the number of lines to each metre, number of aksharAs or letters in each line. The importance of Chandas to the Veda mantra can be understood from the injunction to indicate the Chandas, each time a mantra is uttered ("Asana mantrasya .....Sutalam Chanda:...").

4. Nirukta Shastra forms the Veda PurushA's ears and constitutes the Dictionary or Lexicon for Vedamantras. It is this Etymological shastra that tells us the root of each word, the meaning of each word and of words that are not in ordinary parlance. YAska's is the most popular of niruktAs.

5. Jyotisha Shastra or Astrology occupies the all-important position of the eye of the Vedapurusha and enables performance of Yagas, Yagyas, etc. at the appropriate time. Apart from analyzing the movements of planets, this shastra tells us how they affect the fortunes of those below. This science also contains a fair amount of arithmetical studies.

6. Kalpa Shastra - Having undergone Veda adhyayanam, learned the proper mode of enunciation through the SIkshA Shastra, studied its etymology through the NiruktA and its Grammar through VyAkarana and fixed up the propitious time for performance through JyOtisham, one has to take recourse to the Kalpa Shastra to identify the meritorious deeds or Vaidika karmas to be performed, appropriate to one's VarNa, Ashrama etc. The Mantras to be uttered during the performance of various karmas, the vessels and other items to be used, the Devata to be propitiated, etc. are laid down by Kalpam, which, appropriately, is known as the Vedapurusha's hand.

Vedic life is holistic and addresses every aspect of life - from birth to death and beyond.