Sanskrit dictionary (beta)

[विद्-अच् घञ् वा]

1. Knowledge.
2. Sacred knowledge, 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 distinct parts, the Mantra or Samhitā and Brāhmaṇa. According to the strict orthodox faith of the Hindus the Vedas are a-pauruṣeya, 'not human compositions', being supposed to have been directly revealed by the Supreme Being, Brahman, and are called Śruti' id est, that is 'what is heard or revealed', as distinguished from 'Smṛiti', id est, that is '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. Name of Viṣṇu.
5. A part of a sacrifice (यज्ञांग).
6. Exposition, comment, gloss.
7. A metre.
8. Acquisition, gain, wealth (Ved).
9. Name of the number 'four'.
10. 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.

1. (in compound)
2. masculine gender (from √1. विद् quod vide) knowledge, true or sacred knowledge or lore, knowledge of ritual fg-veda AitBr.
3. masculine gender Name of certain celebrated works which constitute the basis of the first period of the Hindu1 Hindu religion (these works were primarily three, viz. 1. the R2ig-veda ऋग्-वेद, 2. the Yajur-veda यजुर्-वेद [of which there are, however, two divisions see तैत्तिरीय-संहिता, वाजसनेयि-संहिता], 3. the Sa1ma-veda साम-वेद Page1015,2; these three works are sometimes called collectively त्रयी, "the triple Vidya1 विद्या" or "threefold knowledge", but the R2ig-veda ऋग्-वेद is really the only original work of the three, and much the most ancient [the oldest of its hymns being assigned by some who rely on certain astronomical calculations to a period between 4000 and 2500 Bombay editionCalcutta edition, before the settlement of the A1ryans Aryans in India; and by according to others who adopt a different reckoning to a period between 1400 and 1000 Bombay editionCalcutta edition, when the A1ryans Aryans had settled down in the Panja1b Panjab]; subsequently a fourth Veda वेद was added, called the Atharva-veda अथर्व-वेद, which was probably not completely accepted till after Manu मनु, as his law-book often speaks of the three Vedas वेद s -calling them त्रयम् ब्रह्म सनातनम्, "the triple eternal Veda वेद", but only once [xi, 33] mentions the revelation made to Atharvan अथर्वन् and An3giras अङ्गिरस्, without, however, calling it by the later name of Atharva-veda अथर्व-वेद; each of the four Vedas वेद s has two distinct parts, viz. 1. Mantra मन्त्र, id est words of prayer and adoration often addressed either to fire or to some form of the sun or to some form of the air, sky, wind etc., and praying for health, wealth, long life, cattle, offspring, victory, and even forgiveness of sins, and 2. Bra1hman2a ब्राह्मण, consisting of Vidhi विधि and Artha-va1da अर्थ-वाद, id est directions for the detail of the ceremonies at which the Mantras मन्त्र s were to be used and explanations of the legends etc. connected with the Mantras मन्त्र s [see ब्राह्मण, विधि], both these portions being termed श्रुति, revelation orally communicated by the Deity, and heard but not composed or written down by men [confer, compare IW. 24 etc.], although it is certain that both Mantras मन्त्र s and Bra1hman2as ब्राह्मण s were compositions spread over a considerable period, much of the latter being comparatively modern; as the Vedas वेद s are properly three, so the Mantras मन्त्र s are properly of three forms, 1. R2ic ऋच्, which are verses of praise in metre, and intended for loud recitation; 2. Yajus यजुस्, which are in prose, and intended for recitation in a lower tone at sacrifices; 3. Sa1man सामन्, which are in metre, and intended for chanting at the Soma सोम or Moon-plant ceremonies, the Mantras मन्त्र s of the fourth or Atharva-veda अथर्व-वेद having no special name; but it must be borne in mind that the Yajur यजुर् and Sa1ma-veda साम-वेद hymns, especially the latter, besides their own Mantras मन्त्र s, borrow largely from the R2ig-veda ऋग्-वेद; the Yajur-veda यजुर्-वेद and Sa1ma-veda साम-वेद being in fact not so much collections of prayers and hymns as special prayer- and hymn-books intended as manuals for the Adhvaryu अध्वर्यु and Udga1tr2i उद्गातृ priests respectively [see यजुर्-वेद, साम-वेद]; the Atharva-veda अथर्व-वेद, on the other hand, is, like the R2ig-veda ऋग्-वेद, a real collection of original hymns mixed up with incantations, borrowing little from the R2ig ऋग् and having no direct relation to sacrifices, but supposed by mere recitation to produce long life, to cure diseases, to effect the ruin of enemies etc.; each of the four Vedas वेद s seems to have passed through numerous S3a1kha1s शाखा s or schools, giving rise to various recensions of the text, though the R2ig-veda ऋग्-वेद is only preserved in the S3a1kala शाकल recension, while a second recension, that of the Bha1shkalas भाष्कल s, is only known by name; a tradition makes Vya1sa व्यास the compiler and arranger of the Vedas वेद s in their present form: they each have an Index or Anukraman2i1 अनुक्रमणी [quod vide], the principal work of this kind being the general Index or Sarva7nukraman2i1 सर्वानुक्रमणी [quod vide]; out of the Bra1hman2a ब्राह्मण portion of the Veda वेद grew two other departments of Vedic literature, sometimes included under the general name Veda वेद, viz. the strings of aphoristic rules, called Su1tras सूत्र s [quod vide], and the mystical treatises on the nature of God and the relation of soul and matter, called Upanishad उपनिषद् [quod vide], which were appended to the A1ran2yakas आरण्यक s [quod vide], and became the real Veda वेद of thinking Hindu1s Hindus, leading to the Dars3anas दर्शन s or systems of philosophy; in the later literature the name of "fifth Veda वेद" is accorded to the Itiha1sas इतिहास s or legendary epic poems and to the Pura1n2as पुराण s, and certain secondary Vedas वेद s or Upa-vedas उप-वेद s [quod vide] are enumerated; the Veda7n3gas वेदा*ङ्ग s or works serving as limbs [for preserving the integrity] of the Veda वेद are explained under वेदा*ङ्ग below: the only other works included under the head of Veda वेद being the Paris3isht2as परिशिष्ट s, which supply rules for the ritual omitted in the Su1tras सूत्र s; in the Br2ihad-a1ran2yaka बृहद्-आरण्यक Upanishad उपनिषद् the Vedas वेद s are represented as the breathings of Brahma1 ब्रह्मा, while in some of the Pura1n2as पुराण s the four Vedas वेद s are said to have issued out of the four mouths of the four-faced Brahma1 ब्रह्मा and in the Vishn2u-Pura1n2a विष्णु-पुराण the Veda वेद and Vishn2u विष्णु are identified) RTL. 7 etc. IW. 5; 24 etc.
4. masculine gender Name of the number "four" VarBr2S. Page1015,3 S3rutabh.
5. masculine gender feeling, perception S3Br.
6. masculine gender Equivalent to वृत्त (varia lectio वित्त) Lexicographers (confer, compare 2. वेद).
7. masculine gender (from √3. विद्) finding, obtaining, acquisition (see सु-व्that the rest of a word is to be supplied)
8. masculine gender property, goods A1s3vGr2.
9. masculine gender (perhaps connected with √1. वे, to weave or bind together) a tuft or bunch of strong grass (Kus3a कुश or Mun5ja मुञ्ज) made into a broom (and used for sweeping, making up the sacrificial fire etc., in rites) AV. manuscript Breton S3rS. Mn.
10. masculine gender Name of a pupil of A1yoda आयोद MBh.

1. [véd-a] masculine [√1. vid] knowledge, ritual lore (Veda, Vedic); singular plural sacred knowledge, handed down in the threefold form (trayî vidyâ) of Rig-veda, Sâma-veda, and Yagur-veda; later the A tharva-veda was added as a fourth; in Epic the Itihâsa-purâna or Purâna is spoken of as a fifth Veda; perception (Brâhmana, rare).
2. [ved-a] masculine [√2. vid] finding, obtainment (in su-véda); property (Sûtra, rare).
3. [vedá] masculine tuft of strong grass (Kusa or Muñga) used as a broom etc. in rites.