Shakha

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The Sanskrit term shakha (IAST śākhā), literally "branch" (as of a tree) or "arm", is used to refer either to a school of the Vedas, or to the traditional texts followed by a school.^[1] Monier-Williams defines it as "a branch or school of the Veda, each adhering to its own traditional text and interpretation)".^[2] That is, a shakha is a theological school that specializes in learning certain Vedic texts chosen from the extensive Vedic corpus.^[3]

The related term caraṇa, which in general means "conduct of life" or "behavior", is also used to refer to a school or branch of any of the Vedas.^[4] Monier-Williams says that "although the words caraṇa and śākhā are sometimes used synonymously, yet caraṇa properly applies to the sect or collection of persons united in one school, and śākhā to the traditional text followed, as in the phrase śākhām adhite, he recites a particular version of the Veda."^[5]

An individual follower of a particular school or recension is called a "follower" (śākhin).^[6] This term is also used in Hindu philosophy to refer to an adherent of a particular orthodox system.^[7] The schools have different points of view on some things, which are described as "difference of (Vedic) school" (śākhābhedaḥ).^{[8] [9]}

In traditional Hinduism affiliation with a specific school is an important aspect of class identity. By the end of the Rig Vedic period the term Brāmaṇa had come to be applied to all members of the priestly class, but there were subdivisions within this order based both on caste and on the shakha (branch) with which they were affiliated.^[10] A Brāmaṇa who changed his own school of the Vedas would be called "a traitor to his śākhā" (śākhāraṃḍaḥ).^[11]

Contents 1 Summary of schools 1.1 Rig 1.2 Yajur 1.3 Sama 1.4 Atharva 2 Rig Veda 3 Yajur Veda 4 Sama Veda 5 Atharva Veda 6 Notes 7 References

[edit] Summary of schools

A Vedic text may have a number of theological schools associated with it. For each school, adherents would learn a specific Vedic Saṃhita (one of the "four Vedas" properly so-called), as well as its associated Brahmana, Aranyakas, Shrautasutras, Grhyasutras and Upanishads.

Only a small number of recensions have survived. Shaunaka's Caraṇa-vyūha is a traditional source of information about the shakhas for each Veda, giving lists of the numbers of recensions that were believed to have once existed as well as those still extant at the time the work was compiled.^[12]

[edit] Rig

• Monier-Williams says that Śaunaka's Caraṇa-vyuha lists five shakhas for the Rig Veda, the Śākala, Bāṣkala, Aśvalāyana, Śaṅkhāyana, and Māṇḍukāyana, but that only one, the Śākala, is now extant.

• Uncited notes:

• The Rigveda is known in the Shakala-shakha only (with surviving Bashkala fragments),

• The Bashkala recension of the Rigveda has the Khilani which are not present in the Shakala text.

• Rigveda: The Shakala has the Aitareya-Brahmana, The Bashkala has the Kausitaki-Brahmana.

[edit] Yajur

• Monier-Williams says that Śaunaka's Caraṇa-vyuha lists forty-two or forty-four out of eighty-six shakhas for the Yajur Veda, but that only five of these are now extant, with a sixth partially extant.

• Uncited notes:

• for the Yajur Veda the five (partially in six) shakhas are the (Vajasaneyi Madhandina, Kanva; Taittiriya, Maitrayani, Caraka-Katha, Kapisthala-Katha).

• Yajurveda: The Yajurvedin shakhas are divided in "White" and "Black" schools. The White recensions have separate Brahmanas, while the Black ones have their Brahmanas interspersed between the Mantras.

• White Yajurveda: vājasaneyi madhyandina (VSM), vājasaneyi kānva (VSK): Shatapatha Brahmana (ShBM, ShBK)
• Black Yajurveda: taittirīya saṃhita (TS) with an additional Brahmana, Taittiriya Brahmana (TB), maitrayani saṃhita (MS), caraka-katha saṃhita (KS), kapiṣṭhala-katha saṃhita (KapS).

[edit] Sama

• Monier-Williams says that Śaunaka's Caraṇa-vyuha lists twelve shakhas for the Sama Veda out of a thousand that are said to have once existed, but that of these only one or perhaps two are still extant.

• Uncited notes:

• The two Samaveda recensions are the Jaiminiya and Kauthuma.

• Samaveda: The Kauthuma shakha has the PB, SadvB, the Jaiminiya shakha has the Jaiminiya Brahmana.

[edit] Atharva

• Apte says there are nine shakhas and five kalpas for the Atharvaveda.^[13]

• Monier-Williams says that only one shakha of an original nine is now extant for the Atharvaveda.

• Uncited notes:

• The Shaunaka is the only shakha of the Atharvaveda for which both printed texts and an active oral tradition are known to still exist.

• For the Atharvaveda, both the Shaunakiya and the Paippalada traditions contain textual corruption, and the original text of the Atharvaveda may only be approximated from comparison between the two.

• The Paippalada tradition was discontinued, and its text is known only from manuscripts collected since the 19th century.

• No Brahmana is known for the Shaunaka shakha.

• The Paippalada is possibly associated with the Gopatha Brahmana.

[edit] Rig Veda

Shakha	Samhita	Brahmana	Aranyaka	Upanishad
Shakala RV	Oral and Printed	Printed (=Aitareya Brahmana) and Oral (?)	Printed (Aitareya Aranyaka) and Oral (?)	Printed (Aitareya Upanishad) and Oral (?)
Bashkala RV	Manuscript exists with accents and Padapatha.	-	-	-
Shankhayana RV	Manuscript exists with accents and Padapatha.	Printed (=Shankhayana Brahmana)	Printed (=Shankhyana Aranyaka)	Printed as a part of the Aranyaka
Kaushitaki RV	X	Printed (=Kaushitaki Brahmana) and Oral	Manuscript exists	Printed (=Kaushitaki Upanishad)
Ashvalayana RV	Manuscript exists, with accents and Padapatha.	Same as Shakala	Same as Shakala shakha	Same as Shakala shakha
Paingi RV	X	Manuscript might exist	‘Rahashya Brahmana’ lost.	X

[edit] Yajur Veda

Shakha	Samhita	Brahmana	Aranyaka	Upanishad
Madhyandina YV	Oral and Printed	Oral and Printed (Madhyandina Shatapatha) with accents.	Oral and Printed (=Shatapatha XIV.1-8) with accents	Oral and Printed (=Brihadaranyaka Upanishad=Shatapatha XIV. 3-8) with accents.
Kanva YV	Oral and Printed	Oral and Printed partially (=Kanva Shatapatha Brahmana) with accents.	Oral and Printed (Book XVII of Kanva Shatapatha) with accents.	Oral and Printed (with numerous commentaries, as ‘Brihadaranyaka Upanishad’) with accents.
Katyayana YV	Manuscript (?)	Manuscript (only first 6 books, rest lost)	X	X
Taittiriya YV	Oral and Printed	Oral and Printed: =Taittiriya Br. and Vadhula Br. (part of Vadhula Srautrasutra)	Oral and Printed (=Taittiriya Aranyaka) with accents.	Oral and Printed (=Taittiriya Upanishad, Mahanarayana Upanishad) with accents.
Maitrayani YV	Oral (partial?) and Printed	Lost	Oral and Printed (=Maitrayani Aranyaka/Upanishad) with accents.	Oral and Printed (virtually same as Aranyaka)
Kathaka YV	Printed. Accents survive only on 1/3 on the text.	Fragments printed and in manuscript)	Printed as ‘Katha Aranyaka’ (almost the entire text from a solitary manuscript)	Printed as Kathaka Upanishad with numerous commentaries. Katha Shiksha Upanishad also published.
Kapishthala YV	Printed (from a fragmentary manuscript. Accents left out)	Small fragment extant in manuscript	X	X
Charaka	Manuscript exists (?)	Lost	In Manuscript (?)	X

[edit] Sama Veda

Shakha	Samhita	Brahmana	Aranyaka	Upanishad
Kauthuma SV	Samhita and Samans printed/recorded	Printed (8 Brahmanas in all). Accents lost long back.	None. The Samhita itself has the ‘Aranyaka’.	The famous Chhandogya Upanishad with numerous commentaries
Ranayaniya SV	Manuscripts of Samhita exist. Samans recorded but not printed	Same as Kauthuma with minor differences.	None. The Samhita itself has the ‘Aranyaka’.	Same as Kauthuma.
Jaiminiya/Talavakara SV	Samhita published. Two distinct styles of Saman recitation, partially recorded and published.	Brahmana published (without accents) – Jaiminiya Brahmana, Arsheya Brahmana	Tamil Nadu version of Talavakara Aranyaka (=Jaiminiya Up. Brahmana) published	Famous Kena Upanishad
Shatyayana SV	X (traditions might be similar to Jaminiya SV)	Manuscript (?)	X	X

[edit] Atharva Veda

Shakha	Samhita	Brahmana	Aranyaka	Upanishad
Paippalada AV	Two versions: Kashmirian (published) and Orissan (partly published, in manuscript, unaccented)	Lost	X	Famous Prashna Upanishad, Sharabha Upanishad etc. – all published.
Shaunaka AV	Printed and Oral traditions alive	Fragmentary Gopatha Brahmana (extant and published). No accents.	X	Mundaka Upanishad (?) published.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 913, left column.
2. ^ Monier-Williams, A Sanskit-English Dictionary, p. 1062, right column.
3. ^ Flood, Gavin. op. cit., p. 39.
4. ^ V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary. p. 429, middle column.
5. ^ Monier-Williams, A Sanskit-English Dictionary, p. 1062, right column.
6. ^ V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 913, left column.
7. ^ E.g., Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli; and Moore, Charles A. A Source Book in Indian Philosophy. Princeton University Press; 1957. Princeton paperback 12th edition, 1989. ISBN 0-691-01958-4. p. 560. The example is given here of a text which refers to a dispute involving śākhins [followers] who do not accept a particular position.
8. ^ V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 913, left column.
9. ^ Monier-Williams, A Sanskit-English Dictionary, p. 1062, right column.
10. ^ Basham, A. L. The Wonder That Was India: A Survey of the Culture of the Indian Sub-Continent Before The Coming Of The Muslims. (Grove Press, Inc.: New York, 1954) p. 139.
11. ^ V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 913, left column.
12. ^ For a brief summary of the shakhas as given in Shaunaka's Caraṇa-vyūha see: Monier-Williams, A Sanskit-English Dictionary, p. 1062, right column.
13. ^ V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 37, left column, says there are nine shakhas and five kalpas for the Atharvaveda.

[edit] References

• Michael Witzel, Tracing the Vedic dialects in Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes ed. Caillat, Paris, 1989, 97–265.