Vedic Culture & its Continuity (Proceedings of National Seminar)

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The Vedic literature alongwith all the Samhitas (Most sacred scriptures), is unqestionably the most ancient and the oldest literature of the world. The wise men (profound thinkers) regarding the knowledge of the Vedas as the first knowledge and as the knowledge inspired by God into spirit of those sages who had communion with the Universal Soul have recognised it as the repository of all the true learning and the perennial source of all the branches of knowledge and learning discovered afterwards. But due to the presence in the Vedas of some spiritual mysteries, those proceedings from the supernatural or divine agencies and those which are material, and due to the language of the Vedas being different from those languages which were used subsequently, there is often expressed doubt at some places with regard to the proper meaning of certain terms in the Vedas. Keeping in mind the possibilities of facing difficulties with regard to the meaning of these terms by those who do not have communion with God, those sages and profound thinkers who had such communion composed as far as possible on certain occasions in the form of explanatory scriptures on Vedas such as 'Sakhas', 'Brahmana granthas'. 'Aranyakas', 'Upanisads', 'Kalpa sutras', 'Pratisakhyas', 'Siksa Granthas' and 'Sutra granthas. This collection of ancient scriptures is referred to as Vedic literature.

For the knowledge of Vedas and for understanding the meaning of the words the knowledge of grammar and the process of Nirukta has been regarded to be the most essential. By authenticity of its most excellent style of interpreting, this 'nirvacana sastra' or Nirukta has been spoken of as the 'srotra' or ear of the Vedas in form of a man (Veda Purusa) by the Paniniya educationist regarding it as an important organ of 'Veda' in the 'Paniniya Siksa'. It is true that as one devoid of hearing power is completely unable to hear, in the same way in the absence or lack of the art of interpreting one will remain completely incompetent in knowledge of meaning of the Vedas.

The term 'nirvacana' (etymology) is derived from the root word vaca (√ वच) having the prefix 'nir' with the suffix 'lyut' (ल्युद्), the meaning of which is 'statement', 'explanation' or 'clarification'. It is the demonstration of the profundity of meaning which is the scope of etymon (nirvacana or "Nirukta sastra"). Sri Durga Singh, in his book "Durgavytti has clearly explained the form of the process of interpretation by saying that "अपिहितस्य अर्थस्य परोक्षवृत्ती अतिपरोक्षवृत्तौ वा शब्बे निष्कृष्य विगृह्य वचनं निर्वचनम्।

Acarya Sayana, in his book 'ऋग्वेदभाष्यभूमिका', has regarded the knowledge of meaning as the main subject of the process of etymons when he has said that "अविबोधे निरपेक्षतया परजातं येनोक्तं तन्निरुक्तम्।" It is known from this that it is the theory of meaning, being the principal thing, which is the main principle of the science of etymology. The aim of a term is the expression of meaning, meaningful context and its demonstration in the precincts of propriety. Yaska himself establishes this principle saying that "अर्थ नित्यः परीक्षेत." The other processes may be neglected or may be given a secondary place, but the expression of meaning is the first or main thing. They present the contextual, referential and practical form, specially, in knowledge of meaning of Veda, of the process and tradition of the Nirukta. The jurisdiction of the process of nirvacana or etymology is to express proper meaning. This method of expression of meaning and interpretation is made possible by the indication of root which follows meaning, by that of synonymous root, by more than one roots which follow the meaning, by the synonymous term, by the indication of the representative root of the separate terms used possibly for letters occuring in word or the synonymous term, by the use in the form of direct (प्रत्यक्ष), indirect (परोक्ष) or extremely indirect method (अतिपरोक्षवृत्ति) occuring in a term, or with the indication of disorder of letter (वर्णविकार), addition of a letter to a word (वांगम), metathesis; i.e. reversion of a letter (वर्णविपर्यय), destruction of a letter (वर्णनाश) in a term and use of difference of letters and by the indication of various meanings of the prefixes (उपसर्ग) and 'nipătas' (निपात)।

In the explanation of 'Astadhyayi' (अष्टाध्यायी-6.3.109), Kasikakara quoting "वर्णागमो वर्णविपर्ययश्च द्वौ चापरी वर्ण विकार नाशी। धातोस्तदर्थातिशयेन योगः तदुच्यते पञ्चविधं निरुक्तम्" has already presented the aforesaid five concepts of valid or real knowledge according to the meaning quoting this sentence. From the point of view of a philologist there are three marked points of a term; namely, pronunciation of a word (शब्दोच्वारण). form of a word (शब्दस्वरूप) and meaning of a word (शब्दार्थ). But the proper aim is to express the meaning of a word, the expression or manifestation is easily possible through the etymological process.

According to the principle of Nirukta etymologies are divisible into those having direct nature, those having indirect one and those having extremely indirect one, where the division of 'prakrti (dhatu) or root and vikyti or disorder i.e. the cause and effect or regional qualities etc. appear clearly or where along with the study of the similarity of letter the view of meaning is also positive. According to Yaska such etymologies due to having the rules of grammar etc., are capable natured (समर्थवृत्तिपरक), and in the language of Acarya Durga there are direct na-tured (प्रत्यक्षवृत्तिपरक); it is this which is often referred to as 'word etymon' (शब्दनिर्वचन) also. The second is that class where the context of nature (प्रकृति) and disorder (विकृति) does not become clear as it does in the above mentioned 'vetti (a grammati-cal process), and those classes which Maharşi Panini saying 'उणादयो बहुलम्' (अष्टा०, 3.3.1) has counted as having similarity of meaning and having looseness of rules of grammar and under the process of Unadi (उणादि). Such type of above etymologies are referred to as having indirect nature, and due to this very reason they have been called as 'meaning based etymology' also. Besides these etymologies there is the third class of such terms where the division of prakrti and vikrti etc. does not appear to exist at all and such type of etymological terms are assumed by imagination. Maharşi Pănini by saying "पृषोदरादीनि यथोपदिष्टम्" (अष्टा०, 6.1.109) has regarded them as different from the other ones 'prakrti pratyaya' etc. From the point of view of the primacy of meaning many changes such as 'varnagama', 'varnaviparyaya' 'varnanasa', 'varnadesa' etc. are made in such terms according to the need. Such etymons have been regarded as being extremely indirect natured (अतिपरोक्षवृत्तिपरक).

Whichever encyclopaedias are related to the Vedic literature, they are, cer-tainly, informative of the prakrti pratyayatmaka substance of words and are cer-tainly of historical background, but as in the 'Nirukta' of Yaska" तास्त्रिविधः ऋचः" the 'Rcas' have been said to have conceived in them the dignity and sanctity of the spiritual, supernatural and physical meanings. The revelation of knowledge of the words and their simple meanings can never be possible through the Vedic encyclo-paedias having apparent natured disposition (प्रत्यक्षवृत्तिपरक). The dictionaries avail-able at present are helpful directly in giving knowledge of meaning of a word (पदार्थ). But in those verses in which there is hidden and most hidden depth of meaning there in place, time, object, context and conjectural the knowledge of meaning of these terms is unambiguously known. It is possibly the reason that those who depend merely on word meaning dictionaries do sheer injustice in the presentation of the contextual meaning of the 'Vedic verses', and it is a great and absolutely contrary meaning-deficiency in itself.