27/02/2019 Aranyaka - Wikipedia

Aranyaka
The Aranyakas (/ɑːˈrʌnjəkə/; Sanskrit: āraṇyaka आर यक)
constitutes the philosophy behind ritual sacrifice of the ancient
Hindu sacred texts, the Vedas.[1] They typically represent the later
sections of Vedas, and are one of many layers of the Vedic texts.[2]
The other parts of Vedas are the Samhitas (benedictions, hymns), A page of the Jaiminiya Aranyaka Gana found
embedded in the Samaveda palm leaf
Brahmanas (commentary), and the Upanishads (spirituality and
manuscript (Sanskrit, Grantha script).
abstract philosophy).[3][4]

Aranyakas describe and discuss rituals from various perspectives,

but some include philosophical speculations. For example, the Katha Aranyaka discusses rituals connected with the
Pravargya.[5] The Aitareya Aranyaka includes explanation of the Mahavrata ritual from ritualisitic to symbolic meta-
ritualistic points of view.[6] Aranyakas, however, neither are homogeneous in content nor in structure.[6] Aranyakas are
sometimes identified as karma-kanda (कमका ड) / (कांड), ritualistic action/sacrifice section), while the Upanishads are
identified as jnana-kanda ( ानका ड /कांड) knowledge/spirituality section).[3][7] In an alternate classification, the early
part of Vedas are called Samhitas and the ritualistic commentary on the mantras and rituals are called the Brahmanas
which together are identified as the ceremonial karma-kanda, while Aranyakas and Upanishads are referred to as the
jnana-kanda.[8]

In the immense volume of ancient Indian Vedic literature, there is no absolute universally true distinction between
Aranyakas and Brahmanas. Similarly, there is no absolute distinction between Aranyakas and Upanishads, as some
Upanishads are incorporated inside a few Aranyakas.[9] Aranyakas, along with Brahmanas, represent the emerging
transitions in later Vedic religious practices.[10] The transition completes with the blossoming of ancient Indian
philosophy from external sacrificial rituals to internalized philosophical treatise of Upanishads.[11]

Contents
Etymology
Discussion
Structure
Contents
Aitareya Aranyaka
Taittiriya Aranyaka
Katha Aranyaka
Shankhayana Aranyaka
Brihad-Aranyaka
Rahasya Brahmanas
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aranyaka 1/7
27/02/2019 Aranyaka - Wikipedia

Etymology
"Aranyaka" (āraṇyaka) literally means "produced, born, relating to a forest " or rather, "belonging to the wilderness". It is
derived from the word Araṇya (अर य), which means "wilderness".[12][13]

Several theories have been proposed on the origin of the word Aranyaka. Originally, as per Oldenberg (1915),[14] it meant
(dangerous texts to be studied in the wilderness (Taitt. Ar. II). A later, post-Vedic theory holds that these texts were meant
to be studied in a forest, while the other holds that the name came from these being the manuals of allegorical
interpretation of sacrifices, for those in Vanaprastha (retired, forest-dwelling) stage of their life, however the Vanaprastha
Ashrama came into existence only well after that of the Sanyasin (Sprockhoff 1976) -- according to the historic age-based
Ashrama system of human life.[15]

Taittiriya Ar. 2 says, "from where one cannot see the roofs of the settlement", which does not indicate a forested area.[16]

Discussion

Structure
Aranyakas are diverse in their structure. Jan Gonda summarizes,[6]

The structure of the Aranyakas is as little homogenous as their contents. Some portions have the character
of a Samhita, others of a Brahmana, others again of a Sutra, according to the material that, varying from
Veda to Veda, and from school to school, was collected in an Aranyaka corpus. Linguistically and
stylistically also, these works form a transition between the Brahmanas proper and the speculative literature
that follows them and develops part of the ideas and lines of thought which are characteristic of them.

— Jan Gonda, Vedic Literature [6]

Many Aranyaka texts enumerate mantras, identifications, etymologies, discussions, myths and symbolic interpretations,
but a few such as by sage Arunaketu include hymns with deeper philosophical insights.[6]

Contents
The Aranyakas discuss sacrifices, in the language and style of the Brahmanas, and thus are primarily concerned with the
proper performance of ritual (orthopraxy). The Aranyakas were restricted to a particular class of rituals that nevertheless
were frequently included in the Vedic curriculum.

The Aranyakas are associated with, and named for, individual Vedic shakhas.

Rigveda

Aitareya Aranyaka belongs to the Aitareya Shakha of Rigveda

Kaushitaki Aranyaka belongs to the Kaushitaki and Shankhayana Shakhas of Rigveda
Yajurveda

Taittiriya Aranyaka belongs to the Taittiriya Shakha of the Krishna Yajurveda

Maitrayaniya Aranyaka belongs to the Maitrayaniya Shakha of the Krishna Yajurveda
Katha Aranyaka belongs to the (Caraka)Katha Shakha of the Krishna Yajurveda[17]
Brihad Aranyaka in the Madhyandina and the Kanva versions of the Shukla Yajurveda. The Madhyandina version
has 9 sections, of which the last 6 are the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aranyaka 2/7
27/02/2019 Aranyaka - Wikipedia

Samaveda

Talavakara Aranyaka or Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana belongs to the Talavakara or Jaiminiya Shakha of the
Samaveda
Aranyaka Samhita is not a typical Aranyaka text: rather the Purvarchika of the Samaveda Samhitas has a section
of mantras, called the 'Aranyaka Samhita', on which the Aranyagana Samans are sung.

The Atharvaveda has no surviving Aranyaka, though the Gopatha Brahmana is regarded as its Aranyaka, a remnant of a
larger, lost Atharva (Paippalada) Brahmana.

Aitareya Aranyaka
There are five chapters each of which is even considered
Human beings
as a full Aranyaka. The first one deals with the regimen
But only in human beings is the Atman [soul] obvious,
known as ‘Mahaa-vrata’. The explanations are both
for they are equipped with cognition.
ritualistic as well as speculative. The second one has six
They speak what they have understood.
chapters of which the first three are about ‘Praana-vidyaa’
They see what they have recognized,
– meaning, Prana, the Vital Air that constitutes the life-
and know what will exist tomorrow.
breath of a living body is also the life-breath of all
They know of this world and of the other.
mantras, all vedas and all vedic declarations (cf. 2.2.2 of
Through that which is mortal, they strive for immortality.
Aitareya Aranyaka). It is in this portion of the Aranyaka
They are equipped with all this...
that one finds specific statements about how one who
such a human being is an ocean.
follows the vedic injunctions and performs the sacrifices
He partakes of everything in the world,
goes to become the God of Fire, or the Sun or Air and how
and still his thoughts go beyond it.
one who transgresses the Vedic prescriptions is born into
And even if he were to partake of the other world,
lower levels of being, namely, as birds and reptiles.
his thoughts would also go beyond it.
The 4th, 5th and 6th chapters of this second Aranyaka
—Aitereya Aranyaka 2.3.2 – 2.3.3, ~1000 BCE
constitute what is known as Aitareya Upanishad.
Translated by Annette Wilke and Oliver Moebus[18]
The third Aranyaka in this chain of Aranyakas is also
known as ‘Samhitopanishad’. This elaborates on the
various ways – like pada-paatha, krama-paatha, etc. – of reciting the Vedas and the nuances of the ‘svaras’.

The fourth and the fifth Aranyaka are technical and dwell respectively on the mantras known as ‘MahaanaamnI’ and the
yajna known as ‘Madhyandina’.

Taittiriya Aranyaka
There are ten chapters, of which, one to six form the Aranyaka proper. The first two chapters are part of the aṣṭau
kāṭhakāni (the "8 Kathaka sections"),[19] which were not native to the tradition of the Taittiriya shakha. They were adopted
from the Kāṭhaka shakha, and mostly deal with varieties of the Agnicayana ritual.[20] and with Vedic study.

Chapter 1, is a very late Vedic chapter, which even has some Puranic names; it is usually called the Āruṇa praśna for the
particular styleof fire-brick piling dealt with in the text. It is also referred to as the "Surya namaskara chapter" by South
Indian Brahmins who have created a ritual of reciting it with surya namaskara exercises after each of its 132 anuvakas.[21]
Parts of the Kaṭha version of this section has been published by L. v. Schroeder in 1898.[22]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aranyaka 3/7
27/02/2019 Aranyaka - Wikipedia

Chapter 2, discusses the five Mahā-yajñas that every Brahmin has to do daily, most importantly the daily recitation of the
Veda (svādhyāya). Further, the sacred thread, the yajñopavīta, sāndhyā worship, that of the ancestors (pitṛ), the brahma-
yajña, and the cleansing homa-sacrifice ('kūṣmāṇḍa-homa') are all treated in detail. – In this chapter the word 'shramana'
is used (2-7-1) in the meaning of an ascetic (tapasvin); this word was later used also for the Buddhist and Jain ascetics. –
Discussed and translated by Ch. Malamoud (in French, 1977); the Kaṭha version of this section has been published by L. v.
Schroeder in 1898.

Chapter 3, treats technicalities of several other homas and yajnas.

Chapter 4, provides the mantras used in the pravargya Shrauta ritual that is considered to be dangerous as it involves
heating a specially prepared clay vessel full of milk until it is glowing red. It is fairly close to the Kaṭha version.

Chapter 5, treats the Pravargya-yajña in prose discussion (brāhmaṇa style). Again, it is fairly close to the Kaṭha version.

Chapter 6, records the ‘pitṛmedha’ mantras, recited during the rituals for the disposal of the dead body.

Chapters 7, 8 and 9, are the three vallis of the well-known Taittiriya Upanishad.

Chapter 10, is also known as the "Mahanarayana Upanishad". It has several important mantras culled from the three
Samhitas. TA 10.41–44 is known as the "Medha sukta".

Katha Aranyaka
The Katha Aranyaka is fairly parallel to the text of the Taittiriyas. It has been preserved, somewhat fragmentarily, in just
one Kashmiri birchbark manuscript. It has recently been edited and translated,;[23] cf. the early uncritical print by L. von
Schroeder[22]

Shankhayana Aranyaka
There are fifteen chapters:

Chapters 1–2 deal with the Mahavrata.

Chapters 3–6 constitute the Kaushitaki Upanishad.

Chapters 7–8 are known as a Samhitopanishad.

Chapter 9 presents the greatness of Prana.

Chapter 10 deals with the esoteric implications of the Agnihotra ritual. All divine personalities are inherent in the Purusha,
just as Agni in speech, Vayu in Prana, the Sun in the eyes, the Moon in the mind, the directions in the ears and water in the
potency. The one who knows this, says the Aranyaka, and in the strength of that conviction goes about eating, walking,
taking and giving, satisfies all the gods and what he offers in the fire reaches those gods in heaven. (cf.10-1).

Chapter 11 prescribes several antidotes in the form of rituals for warding off death and sickness. It also details the effects
of dreams.

Chapter 12 elaborates the fruits of prayer.

Chapter 13 treats more philosophical matters and says one must first attitudinally discard one's bodily attachment and
then carry on the ‘shravana’, manana and nidhidhyasana and practise all the disciplines of penance, faith, self-control etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aranyaka 4/7
27/02/2019 Aranyaka - Wikipedia

Chapter 14 gives just two mantras. One extols the “I am Brahman” mantra and says it is the apex of all Vedic mantras. The
second mantra declares that one who does not get the meaning of mantras but only recites vedic chants is like an animal
which does not know the value of the weight it carries.

Chapter 15 gives a long genealogy of spiritual teachers from Brahma down to Guna-Sankhayana.

Brihad-Aranyaka
The Aranyaka of the Shukla Yajurveda is part of its Brahmana: Satapatha Br. 14,1–3 in the Madhyandina version. Like the
Taittiriya and Katha Aranyakas it exclusively deals with the Parvargya ritual, and is followed by the Brihad-Aranyaka
Upanishad (Satapatha Br. 14.4–9).

Rahasya Brahmanas
There is also a certain continuity of the Aranyakas from the Brahmanas in the sense that the Aranyakas go into the
meanings of the 'secret' rituals not detailed in the Brahmanas. Later tradition sees this as a leap into subtlety that provides
the reason for Durgacharya in his commentary on the Nirukta to say that the Aranyakas are ‘Rahasya Brahmana’, that is,
the Brahmana of secrets.

See also
Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad

Notes
1. "Aranyaka" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/aranyaka). Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
2. In post-Vedic classifications by text types, the Aranyakas are one of five, with other four being Samhita, Brahmana,
Upasana and Upanishad; see A Bhattacharya (2006), Hindu Dharma: Introduction to Scriptures and Theology,
ISBN 978-0595384556, pages 5-17
3. A Bhattacharya (2006), Hindu Dharma: Introduction to Scriptures and Theology, ISBN 978-0595384556, pages 8-14
4. Barbara A. Holdrege (1995), Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture, State University of New York
Press, ISBN 978-0791416402, pages 351-357
5. M. Witzel, Katha Aranyaka,Cambridge:Harvard Oriental Series 2004: xxviii sqq
6. Jan Gonda (1975), Vedic Literature: (Saṃhitās and Brāhmaṇas), Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447016032,
page 424-426
7. See Shankara's Introduction (https://books.google.com/books?id=3uwDAAAAMAAJ) at Google Books to Brihad
Aranyaka Upanishad at pages 1-5; Quote - "The Vedas are divided in two parts, the first is the karma-kanda, the
ceremonial part, also (called) purva-kanda, and treats on ceremonies; the second part is the jnana kanda, the part
which contains knowledge, also named uttara-kanda or posterior part, and unfolds the knowledge of Brahma or the
universal soul." (Translator: Edward Roer)
8. Stephen Knapp (2005), The Heart of Hinduism: The Eastern Path to Freedom, Empowerment and Illumination,
ISBN 978-0595350759, pages 10-11
9. AB Keith (2007), The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-
8120806443, pages 491-492
10. Edward F Crangle (1994), The Origin and Development of Early Indian Contemplative Practices, Otto Harrassowitz
Verlag, ISBN 978-3447034791, pagea 55-59
11. AB Keith (2007), The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-
8120806443, pages 491-509
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aranyaka 5/7
27/02/2019 Aranyaka - Wikipedia

12. araNya (http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=araNya&direction=SE&script=HK&link=yes&beginning=0)

Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
13. Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam, ed. India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 68.
14. Āraṇyaka. NG 1915, 382-401= Kleine Schriften 1967, 419-438
15. AB Keith (2007), The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-
8120806443, pages 489-490
16. Schroeder, Die Tübinger Handschriften..., Vienna Academy 1898
17. ed. Michael Witzel, Kaṭha Āraṇyaka, Critical Edition with a translation into German and an introduction. Cambridge:
Harvard Oriental Series 2004.
18. Annette Wilke; Oliver Moebus (2011). Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism
(https://books.google.com/books?id=KZCMe67IGPkC). Walter de Gruyter. p. 399. ISBN 978-3-11-018159-3.
19. Brahmana 3.10–12; Aranyaka 1–2. In a South Indian recension, the 8 Kathaka chapters are not part of the Brahmana
and Aranyaka but form a separate collection.
20. Keith(1914), p.xxviii
21. Reference Broken! (http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/2005-September/036648.html).
22. Die Tübinger Kaṭha-Handschriften und ihre Beziehung zum Taittirīya-Āraṇyaka, Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen
Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse 137.4. Wien
23. M. Witzel, The Katha Aranyaka, Harvard Oriental Series 2004

References
Vaidik Sahitya aur Samskriti ka swarup (in Hindi) by Om Prakash Pande. Vishwa Prakashan (A unit of Wylie Eastern)
1994, New Delhi .ISBN 81-7328-037-1
Aitareya Aranyaka – English Translation by A. B. Keith, London 1909

Arthur Berriedale Keith, The Aitareya Aranyaka: Edited from the manuscripts in the India Office and the Library of
the Royal Asiatic Society with introduction, translation, notes, ... unpublished of the Sankhayana Aranyaka,
Eastern Book Linkers (1995) ISBN 81-86339-14-0
Aitareya Aranyaka – A Study . Dr. Suman Sharma. Eastern Book Linkers. New Delhi 1981
Taittiriya Aranyaka, with Sayana Bhashya . Anandashram, Pune 1926.
B.D. Dhawan. Mysticism and Symbolism in Aitareya and Taittiriya Aranyakas, South Asia Books (1989), ISBN 81-
212-0094-6
Charles Malamoud, Svādhyāya : récitation personelle du Veda Taittirīya-Āranyaka livre II : texte; traduit et commenté
par Charles Malamoud. Paris : Institut de civilisation indienne, 1977
Houben, Jan. The Pravargya Brāhmaṇa of the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka : an ancient commentary on the Pravargya ritual;
introduction, translation, and notes by Jan E.M. Houben. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1991.
Michael Witzel, Katha Aranyaka : Critical Edition with a Translation into German and an Introduction, Harvard Oriental
Series, Harvard Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies (2005) ISBN 0-674-01806-0 (in German)
Bhagyalata A. Pataskar, The Kaṭhakāraṇyakam (With text in Devanāgarī, Introduction and translation. New Delhi:
Adarsha Sanskrit Shodha Samstha / Vaidika Samshodhana Mandala, 2009.

Further reading
Jan Gonda (1975), A History of Indian Literature: Volume 1, Vedic Literature: (Saṃhitās and Brāhmaṇas), Otto
Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447016032, Chapter IX: The Āraṇyakas (For context, see other chapters as well).

External links
Rajendralal Mitra, ed. (1872). The Taittiriya Aranyaka (https://archive.org/stream/bibliothecaindi00indigoog#page/n6/
mode/1up). Baptist Mission Press.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aranyaka 6/7
27/02/2019 Aranyaka - Wikipedia

W. Caland, ed. (1907). Baudhayana Srauta Sutra (https://archive.org/stream/bibliothecaindi03indigoog#page/n5/mod

e/1up). Asiatic Society.
Vedic Hinduism (http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/vedica.pdf) Jamison and Witzel (1992), Harvard University
(Discusses Vedic literature (including Aranyakas), its history, timeline, diversity and difficulty in translations, and the
variation in versions of discovered manuscripts in different parts of India)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aranyaka&oldid=877201472"

This page was last edited on 7 January 2019, at 05:34 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aranyaka 7/7