वेदः _vēdḥ

वेदः [विद्-अच् घञ् वा]

1 Knowledge.

-2 Sacred know- ledge, holy learning, the scripture of the Hindus. (Originally there were only three Vedas :- ऋग्वेद, यजुर्वेद and सामवेद, which are collectively called त्रयी 'the sacred triad'; but a fourth, the अथर्ववेद, was subsequently added to them. Each of the Vedas had two dis- tinct parts, the Mantra or Samhitā and Brāh- maṇa. According to the strict orthodox faith of the Hindus the Vedas are a-pauruṣeya, 'not human compo- sitions', being supposed to have been directly revea- led by the Supreme Being, Brahman, and are called Śruti' i. e. 'what is heard or revealed', as distingui- shed from 'Smṛiti', i. e. 'what is remembered or is the work of human origin'; see श्रुति, स्मृति also; and the several sages, to whom the hymns of the Vedas are ascribed, are, therefore, called द्रष्टारः 'seers', and not कर्तारः or सृष्टारः 'composers'.)

-3 A bundle of Kuśa grass; पद्माक्षमालामुत जन्तुमार्जनं वेदं च साक्षात्तप एव रूपिणौ Bhāg. 12.8.34; Ms.4.36.

-4 N. of Viṣṇu.

-5 A part of a sacrifice (यज्ञांग).

-6 Exposition, comment, gloss.

-7 A metre.

-8 Acquisition, gain, wealth (Ved).

-9 N. of the number 'four'.

-1 The ritual (वेदयतीति वेदो विधिः); Karma-kāṇda; वेदवादस्य विज्ञानं सत्याभासमिवानृतम् Mb.12.1. 2 (see Nīlakaṇtha's commentary).

-11 Smṛiti literature; आम्नायेभ्यः पुनर्वेदाः प्रसृताः सर्वतोमुखाः Mb.12.26.9.

-Comp. -अग्रणीः N. of Sarasvatī.

-अङ्गम् 'a member of the Veda', N. of certain classes of works regarded as auxiliary to the Vedas and designed to aid in the correct pronun- ciation and interpretation of the text and the right employment of the Mantras in ceremonials; (the Ved- āṅgas are six in number :-- शिक्षा कल्पो व्याकरणं निरुक्तं छन्दसां चयः । ज्योतिषामयनं चैव वेदाङ्गानि ष़डेव तु ॥; i. e. 1 शिक्षा 'the science of proper articulation and pronunciation'; 2 छन्दस् 'the science of prosody'; 3 व्याकरण 'grammar'; 4 निरुक्त 'etymological explanation of difficult Vedic words'; 5 ज्योतिष 'astronomy'; and 6 कल्प 'ritual or ceremonical'). A peculiar use of the word 'वेदाङ्ग' in masculine gender may here be noted; वेदांश्चैव तु वेदाङ्गान् वेदान्तानि तथा स्मृतीः । अधीत्य ब्राह्मणः पूर्वं शक्तितो$न्यांश्च संपठेत् ॥ Bṛihadyogiyājña- valkya-Smṛti 12.34.

-अधिगमः, -अध्ययनम् holy study, study of the Vedas; काम्यो हि वेदाधिगमः कर्मयोगश्च वैदिकः Ms.2.2.

-अधिपः 1 one who presides over the Veda; ऋग्वेदाधिपतर्जीवो यजुर्वेदाधिपो भृगुः । सामवेदाधिपो भौमः शशिजो$- थर्ववेदपः ॥

-2 N. of Viṣṇu.

-अध्यापकः a teacher of the Vedas, a holy preceptor.

-अनध्ययनम् Remissness in the Vedic study; Ms.3.63.

-अन्तः 1 'the end of the Veda', an Upaniṣad (which comes at the end of the Veda). Also

-अन्तम् (See quotation from बृहद्योगियाज्ञ- वल्क्यस्मृति under

-अङ्ग above).

-2 the last of the six principal Darśanas or systems of Hindu philosophy; (so called because it teaches the ultimate aim and scope of the Veda, or because it is based on the Upaniṣads which come at the end of the Veda); (this system of philosophy is sometimes called उत्तरमीमांसा being regarded as a sequel to Jaimini's पूर्वमीमांसा, but it is practically quite a distinct system; see मीमांसा. It represents the popular pantheistic creed of the Hindus, regarding, as it does, the whole world as synthetically derived from one eternal principle, the Brahman or Supreme Spirit; see ब्रह्मन् also). ˚गः, ˚ज्ञः a follower of the Vedanta philosophy.

-अन्तिन् m. a follower of the Vedanta philosophy.

-अभ्यासः 1 the study of the Vedas; वेदाभ्यासो हि विप्रस्य तपः परमिहोच्यते Ms.2.166.

-2 the repetition of the sacred syllable Om.

-अर्थः the meaning of the Vedas.

-अवतारः reve- lation of the Vedas.

-अश्र a. quadrangular.

-आदि n.,

-आदिवर्णः, -आदिवीजम् the sacred syllable. Om.

-उक्त a. scriptural, taught in the Vedas.

-उदयः N. of the sun (the Sāma Veda being said to have proceeded from him).

-उदित a. scriptural, ordained by the Vedas; वेदोदितं स्वकं कर्म नित्यं कुर्यादतन्द्रितः Ms. 4.14.

-कार the composer of the Veda.

-कौलेयकः an epithet of Śiva.

-गर्भः 1 an epithet of Brahman; कमण्डलुं वेदगर्भः कुशान् सप्तर्षयो ददुः Bhāg.8.18.16.

-2 a Brāhmaṇa versed in the Vedas.

-3 N. of Viṣṇu.

-ज्ञः a Brāhmaṇa versed in the Vedas; तथा दहति वेदज्ञः कर्मजं दोषमात्मनः Ms.12.11.

-त्रयम्, -त्रयी the three Vedas collectively.

-दर्शिन् a. one who discerns the sense of the Veda; तपोमध्यं बुधैः प्रोक्तं तपो$न्तं वेददर्शिभिः Ms.11.234.

-दृष्ट a. sanctioned by the Vedas.

-निन्दकः 1 an atheist, a heretic, an unbeliever (one who rejects the divine origin and character of the Vedas).

-2 a Jaina or Buddhist.

-निन्दा unbelief, heresy; Ms.11.56.

-पारगः a Brāhmaṇa skilled in the Vedas.

-पुण्यम् a merit acqui- red by the study of the Veda. वेदपुण्येन युज्यते Ms.2.78.

-बाह्य a. contrary to the Veda. (

-ह्यः) a sceptic.

-मातृ f.

1 N. of a very sacred Vedic verse called Gāyatree q. v.

-2 N. of सरस्वती, सावित्री and गायत्री; सूतश्च मातरिश्वा वै कवचं वंदमातरः Mb.5.179.4.

-भूतिः (embodiment of the Veda) an honourable title before the names of learned Brāhmaṇas.

-वचनम्, -वाक्यम् a Vedic text.

-वदनम् grammar.

-वादः see वेदः (1); तदुक्तं वेदवादेषु गहनं वेददर्शिभिः Mb.12.238.11 (com.); Vedic discus- sion; यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः । वेदवादरताः Bg. 2.42.

-वासः a Brāhmaṇa.

-वाह्य a. contrary to, or not founded on, the Veda.

-विद् m.

1 a Brāhmaṇa versed in the Vedas.

-2 N. of Viṣṇu.

-वद्वस् a. conversant with the Vedas; ब्राह्मणान् वेदविदुषो यज्ञार्थं चैव दक्षिणाम् Ms. 11.4.

-विहित a. enjoined by the Vedas.

-व्यासः an epithet of Vyāsa who is regarded as the 'arranger' of the Vedas in their present form; see व्यास.

-शास्त्रम् the doctrine of the Vedas; Ms.4.26.

-श्रुतिः Vedic revelation.

-संन्यासः givig up the ritual of the Vedas.

-संमत, -संमित a. sanctioned by the Vedas.