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Lord Māhavīra and His Times
by the commentator Abhayadeva to have been those of song and dance. The Maggas may represent texts containing Ajīvika religious songs and directions for ritua dances respectively. VEDANGA LITERATURE
The Vedānga literature composed during this period does not form part of the Vedic literature, but is in close association with it. It is not the Veda, a divine revelation, but the Vedanga, “the limbs of the Veda", constituting works of human authorship. These Vedāngas include a number of exegetical sciences like Śiksha (phonetics), Kalpa.. (ritual), Vyakarana (Grammar), Nirukia (etymology); Chhandas (metrics), and Jyotisha (astronomy). These six Vedāngas refer to the six subjects that help the proper understanding, recitation, and the sacrificial use of the Vedas. As a whole, these have been written in a Sutra style. A Sutra has come to mean a short rule, in as few words as possible, giving a clue to the learning of a particular topic. The voluminous increase of knowledge along with the oral system of instruction necessitated this peculiar fashion of Sūtra style so that it might be easier to memorize. The intricacies of Vedic ritual, which were to be scrupulously observed in every small detail, contributed to a certain extent to the development of this form of literature.
In course of time, each of the original Vedic Angas gave rise to a number of allied sciences through its specialized and scientific study in special schools. The sacrificial ritual itself led to the growth of some of the sciences. Geometry and Algebra arose out of the elaborate rules for the construction of altars. Astronomy and Astrology grew out of the necessity of finding out the proper times and seasons for sacrifice and other purposes. The foundation of Anatomy was laid in the dissection of sacrificial animals. Grammar and Philology had their origin in the care to preserve the sacred texts from corruption and fix the methods of their proper. pronunciation. CLASSES OF SUTRA WORKS
The first branch of the Sūtra literature is called śrauta. The Srauta Sūtras deal with the rites and sacrifices which
