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Vol. XXVII, 2004
UPAVEDAS - ARTHAŚĀSTRA IN RĀMĀYANA
15
and Mimāṁsā.
Vedas - Rg., Yajur, Sāma and Atharva Upavedas - Āyurveda, Dhanurveda, Gāndharva veda and Artha Šāstra or Nīti
Šāstra.
Vedangas - Śikṣā, Vyākaraṇam, Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotisa and Kalpa.
Each one has many subdivisions and put together, collective name of all these can be said to be Vedas - i.e. Knowledge. Normally any knowledge or any deed is divided into two divisions - sacred and secular. Four essential aspects of the vedic study are laid down, such as the study of the Rsis, the authors of the Vedas, Chandas, the metres, Daivatas, the vedic mythology and Yoga, the ritualistic application of the vedic literature. The sacred ones came to be known as Vedas imparting the rela ultimate knowledge pertaining to the higher level and the secular which are considered slightly lower than the Vedas but at the same time, equally important and essential, came to be known as Upavedas.
The aim of life is to obtain the real truth or knowledge and the Vedas specify certain codes of rules to achieve that. Adi Sankara in his 'Sopāna pañcakam'
said -
"Vedo nityamadhiyatām taduditam karma svanusthiyatām Teneśasya vidhiyatāmapacitih kamye matirtyajyatām ||”
Vedas have to be studied ever. The deeds specified therein have to be • followed meticulously and diligently; and one has to follow these actions in life and one has to abandon the desires from one's mind.' To follow these rules and regulations, the essential instrument to be used is the human body, given by God. It is impossible to achieve these pursuits, the goal of life, without a healthy body and healthy mind. Kālidāsa says in Raghuvamsa (canto 5) 'śarīramadyam khalu dharmasādhanam' body is, indeed the main requirement to achieve these dharmas. These four 'Upavedas' stress the importance of the maintenance of hale and healthy body and give ways and means to keep it sound and fit.
As tradition goes, there were only three Vedas, 'trayi' i.e. Rg. yajur and sāma and later on with the addition of fatharvan' it came to be known as 'caturvedas'. In the same way, in due course of time, these secular arts and sciences, having divine touch and origin might have taken separate branches and came to be known as 'upavedas'. 'Upa' means 'close' 'nearby' i.e. very near to the vedas'. To my knowledge, there can be any number of upavedas but tradition has prescribed only four as Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Gāndharva veda and Arthaśāstra.
