VEDA. 



planet fecms to be carried round its centre ; and with which 

 it defcribes areas proportional to the times. 



VEDA, the name by which the Hindoos defignate the 

 colled.ive body of their fcripture. They enumerate eighteen 

 parts of true knowledge, as follow : four Vedas, four 

 Upavedas, fix Angas, and four Upangas. The prefixture 

 up infers a work deduced from its principal ; like our fub, 

 implying inferiority. 



The firft four, according to a native writer, quoted by fir 

 W. Jones, are the immortal Vedas, evidently revealed by 

 ■God, which are entitled, in one compound word, Rig- 

 yajufifamatharnia ; or, in feparate words, Rigi Tajujh, 

 Soman, and yltharvan. The Rigveda confifts of live 

 feftions ; the Yajurveda, of eighty-iix ; the Samaveda, of 

 a thoufand ; and the Atharvaveda, of nine ; with eleven 

 hundred yJjcAax, or branches, in various divifions and fub- 

 divifions. The Vedas in truth are infinite ; but were re- 

 duced by Vyafa to this number and order. The principal 

 part of them is that which explains the duties of man in a 

 methodical arrangement ; and in the fourth is a fyftem of 

 divine ordinances. 



From thefe are deduced the four Upavedas ; w'z. 

 Ayufli, Gandharva, Danufh, and Sthapatya. The firft 

 of which was delivered to mankind by Brahma, Indra, 

 Dhanwantari, and five other deities ; and comprifes the 

 theory of diforders and medicines, with the praAical 

 methods of curing difeafes. The fecond, on muiic, was in- 

 vented and explained by Bharata : it is chiefly ufeful in 

 raifing the mind by devotion to the felicity of the divine 

 nature. The third Upaveda was compofed by Vifwamitra, 

 on the fabrication and ufe of arms, and implements handled 

 in war by the tribe of Kflietriya. Vifwakarma revealed 

 the fourth, in various treatifcs on fixty-four mechanical arts, 

 for the improvement of fuch as exercife them. Of the 

 perfonages named above, a>/z. Brahma, Indra, Vifwakarma, 

 Vifwamitra, and Vyafa, fee under thofe words refpeAively. 

 Of Dhanwantari, fome mention is made under our article 



KORMAVATARA. 



The fix Angas, or bodies of learning, are alfo, according 

 to the fame native authority, derived from the fame fource. 

 We omit their names and contents : their fubjefts chiefly 

 are, i. Of the pronunciation of vocal founds. 2. Detail of 

 religious afts and ceremonies. 3. Grammar. 4. Profody. 

 5. Aftronomy. 6. On the fignification of difficult words 

 •and phrafes in the Vedas. 



Laftly, continues the fame author, there are four Upan- 

 gas, called Purana, Nyaya, Mimanfa, and Dhermafaitra. 

 (See Purana, Nyaya, and Mimansa.) Eighteen Pura- 

 nas were compofed by Vyafa, for the inftruftion and enter- 

 tainment of mankind in general. Nyaya is a coUeftion of 

 treatifes in two parts, on metaphyfics, logic, philofophy, &c. 

 Mimanfa is fimilarly divided into two parts ; the latter, 

 abounding in queftions on the divine nature, and other 

 fubhme (peculations, was compofed by Vyafa in four 

 chapters and fixtcen fedions. It may be confidered as 

 the fpring of all the Angas ; it expofes the heretical 

 opinions of fophifts ; and, in a manner fuited to the com- 

 prehenfion of adepts, it treats on the true nature of. 

 Ganefa, Bhaflcara or the fun, Nilakantha, Lakflimi, and 

 other forms of One Divine Being. Of Ganefa, the god of 

 prudence and fagacity, fee under Pollear. Bha/kara 

 is a name of Surya. Nilakantha is a name of Siva, 

 the fame as Shitakoonta. Lakfhmi is the confort of 

 Vifhnu. 

 ! The body of law, called Smriti, confifts of eighteen 



books, &c. delivered for the mftruftion of the human 

 fpecies by Menu, and other facred perfonagrs. As to 



ethics, the Vedas contain all that relates to the duties of 

 kings, the Puranas, what belong to the relation of hufband 

 and wife ; and the duties of friendfliip and fociety (which 

 complete the triple divifion) are taught fuccinftly in both. 

 This double divifion of Angas and Upangas may be con- 

 fidered as denoting the double benefit arifing from them in 

 theory and praftice. 



To the above native account of the Vedas, fir W. Jones 

 adds an ingenious commentary. He fays that the Vedas 

 confift of three kandas, or general heads ; viz. Karma, 

 Jnyana, and Upafana; or works, faith, and worlhip. To 

 the firil of which, the author of the Vidyaderfa, or View of 

 Learning, a rare Sanfcrit book, wifely gives the preference ; 

 as Menu liimfelf prefers univerfal benevolence to the cere- 

 monies of religion. 



After all, continues this inftruftive writer, the books on 

 divine knowledge, called Veda, or what is known, and 

 Sruti, or what has been heard from revelation, are ftill 

 fuppofed to be very numerous ; and the_/bar here mentioned 

 are thought to have been felefted as containing all the in- 

 formation neceflary for man. It muft not be omitted, that 

 the commentaries on the Hindoo fcriptures, among which 

 that of Vafiflit'ha (fee Vasisht'ha) feems to be reputed the 

 moft excellent, are innumerable. 



From the Vedas are immediately deduced the praftical 

 arts of chirurgery and medicine, mufic and dancing ; ar- 

 chery, which comprifes the whole art of war ; and archi- 

 tefture, under which the fyftem of mechanical arts is in- 

 troduced. 



Next in order to thefe are the fix Vedangas : three of 

 which belong to grammar ; one relates to religious cere- 

 monies ; a fifth, to the whole compafs of mathematics ; and 

 the fixth, to the explanation of obfcure words or phrafes in 

 the Vedas. Subordinate to thefe Angas, though the reafon 

 of the arrangement is not obvious, are the feries of facred 

 poems (fee Purana), the body of law, and the fix philo- 

 fophical faftras or ftiaftahs. See Philosophy of the Hin- 

 doos, and Shastah. 



In the commentary whence we quote parts of this article, 

 fir William Jones gives fome of the reafons that induced him 

 and Mr. Wilkins to believe, notwithftanding the mytho- 

 logical fable of Brahma's four mouths, each of which 

 uttered a Veda, that the fourth, or Atharva, was written or 

 collect ed after the other three : but Mr. Colebrooke, in the 

 eighth volume of the Afiatic Refearches, after noticing fome 

 texts and arguments on which that behef might be reafon- 

 ably grounded, gives his own reafons and proofs in fupport 

 of a contrary opinion. He thinks it probable that fome 

 portion at leaft of the Atharvana, is as ancient as the com- 

 pilation of the three others ; and its name, hke theirs, is an- 

 terior to Vyafa's arrangement of them ; but the fame, he 

 adds, muft be admitted of the portion called Itahafa and 

 Purana, which conftitute a fifth Veda, as the Atharvana does 

 a fourth. 



The Hindoos believe that the original Veda was revealed 

 by Brahma, and to have been preferved by tradition until it 

 was arranged in its prefent form by a fage, who thence ob- 

 tained the name of Vyafa, or the compiler ; or Vedavyafa, 

 that is, compiler of the Vedas. He diftributed the Indian 

 fcripture into four parts, as already enumerated ; each bear- 

 ing the common denomination of Veda. 



With the Hindoos it is an article of their creed, that the 

 Vedas were compofed by no human author. It muft be 

 underftood, therefore, that in afBrming the primeval exiftence 

 of their fcripture, they deny thefe works to be the original 

 compofition of the editor (Vyafa), but believe them to have 

 been gradually revealed to inspired writers. 



