ऋग्वेदः
Ṛgveda
Ṛk — the hymns of praise, recited by the hotṛ.
वेदाः · शाखाः · ग्रन्थाः
Vedic Knowledge Map
Read the Veda the way it is learned — one śākhā at a time, from saṃhitā to upaniṣad, with the limbs and commentaries that belong to it.
The Veda is not a single book. Each Veda is carried by its śākhās (recensions), and each śākhā has its own set of books: a saṃhitā of mantras, a brāhmaṇa that explains the rites, an āraṇyaka and an upaniṣad, and the sūtras that put them into practice. Bhāṣyas are the voices of the ācāryas who explained these texts; you will find them beside the book they explain, not as another layer of the Veda.
How to read this map
- Choose a VedaFour doors — the Yajurveda opens into its Śukla and Kṛṣṇa halves.
- Choose a śākhāEach śākhā is one living line of recitation with its own books.
- Walk its booksA single path from saṃhitā to upaniṣad, then its limbs. Open any book for what it is and where to hear or read it.
The layers of a śākhā
- Saṃhitā— the mantras
- Brāhmaṇa— the rites explained
- Āraṇyaka— taught away from the village
- Upaniṣad— knowledge of Brahman
- Prātiśākhya— this śākhā’s phonetics
- Kalpa-sūtras— ritual in practice
The four Vedas
Open a door, then choose the śākhā you want to walk.
यजुर्वेदः
Yajurveda
Yajus — the formulas of the sacrifice, recited by the adhvaryu.
सामवेदः
Sāmaveda
Sāman — the ṛk set to melody, sung by the udgātṛ.
अथर्ववेदः
Atharvaveda
Atharvāṅgiras — protection, healing and the household; the Veda of the brahman priest.
षडङ्गानि
The six limbs of the Veda
Śikṣā and Kalpa live on each śākhā’s path. Vyākaraṇa, Nirukta, Chandas and Jyotiṣa serve every Veda and sit on a shared shelf.
छन्दः पादौ तु वेदस्य हस्तौ कल्पोऽथ पठ्यते।
ज्योतिषामयनं चक्षुर्निरुक्तं श्रोत्रमुच्यते॥
शिक्षा घ्राणं तु वेदस्य मुखं व्याकरणं स्मृतम्।
chandaḥ pādau tu vedasya hastau kalpo'tha paṭhyate | jyotiṣām ayanaṃ cakṣur niruktaṃ śrotram ucyate || śikṣā ghrāṇaṃ tu vedasya mukhaṃ vyākaraṇaṃ smṛtam |
Chandas is the feet of the Veda, Kalpa its hands, Jyotiṣa its eyes, Nirukta its ears, Śikṣā its nose, and Vyākaraṇa its mouth.
— Pāṇinīya Śikṣā 41–42Where the texts come from
Every link on this map was opened and checked. We point to a few good sources per book rather than every copy on the internet.
- Vedic Heritage PortalIGNCA, Ministry of Culture. Recitations by śākhā, introductions to each book, published editions and a manuscript search.(opens in a new tab)
- GRETILGöttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages. Scholarly Sanskrit e-texts, several with their bhāṣyas.(opens in a new tab)
- TITUSDigitised and hosted at Goethe University Frankfurt, but most of the Kalpa-sūtras linked here are typed from editions published in India: by the Oriental Research Institute, Mysore; the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi; the Ānandāśrama, Pune; the Asiatic Society, Kolkata; and the University of Travancore. Each link names its edition. Texts are in Roman transliteration.(opens in a new tab)
- Sanskrit DocumentsVolunteer-typeset Vedic texts with svara marks, including the Taittirīya books and the Kauthuma Sāmaveda.(opens in a new tab)
- Internet ArchiveScans of classic printed editions, such as Sāyaṇa’s Ṛgveda bhāṣya.(opens in a new tab)
This first edition covers the Veda and its Upaniṣads. Darśana, Itihāsa and Purāṇa will follow.