# वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/vedanga

वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) is a Sanskrit word meaning a sacred science or part of the Vedas, one of the six auxiliary works belonging to the Veda, the auxiliary literature of the Vedas, surya, vishnu, a text subsidiary to the study of the Rigveda. Its 11 recorded definitions are grouped into 3 contexts, among them Auxiliary Vedic Disciplines (The Six Vedāṅgas), Epithet for Deities (Sūrya, Viṣṇu), Referential Entries (Pointers).

- **Etymology:** E. वेद the Vedas, and अङ्ग a member — E. veda the Vedas, and aṅga a member
- **SLP1:** `vedANga`  **IAST:** vedāṅga  **Devanagari:** वेदाङ्ग
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedanga
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/vedanga/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** वेदांग (vedāṃga)

## Meanings by context

### Auxiliary Vedic Disciplines (The Six Vedāṅgas) (9 definitions)
- a body of six auxiliary works to the Veda: phonetics, metre, grammar, etymology, astronomy, and ceremonial  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1016,3] वेदा (vedā) ङ्ग (ṅga) b n. ‘a limb (for preserving the body) of the Veda’, N. of certain works or classes of works regarded as auxiliary to and even in some sense as part of the Veda, (six are usually enumerated [and mostly written in the Sūtra or aphoristic style]; 1. शिक्षा (śikṣā), ‘the science of proper articulation and pronunciation’, comprising the knowledge of letters, accents, quantity, the use of the organs of pronunciation, and phonetics generally, but especially the laws of euphony peculiar to the Veda [many short treatises and a chapter of the Taittirīya-āraṇyaka are regarded as the representatives of this subject; but other works on Vedic phonetics may be included under it See प्रातिशाख्य (prātiśākhya) ] : 2. छन्दस् (chandas), ‘metre’ [represented by a treatise ascribed to Piṅgala-nāga, which, however, treats of Prākṛt as well as Sanskṛt metres, and includes only a few of the leading Vedic metres] : 3. व्याकरण (vyākaraṇa), ‘linguistic analysis or grammar’ [represented by Pāṇini's celebrated Sūtras] : 4. निरुक्त (nirukta), ‘explanation of difficult Vedic words’ [ cf. यास्क (yāska) ] : 5. ज्योतिष (jyotiṣa), ‘astronomy’, or rather the Vedic calendar [represented by a small tract, the object of which is to fix the most auspicious days for sacrifices] : 6. कल्प (kalpa), ‘ceremonial’, represented by a large number of Sūtra works [ cf. सूत्र (sūtra) ] : the first and second of these Vedāṅgas are said to be intended to secure the correct reading or recitation of the Veda, the third and fourth the understanding of it, and the fifth and sixth its proper employment at sacrifices: the Vedāṅgas are alluded to by Manu, who calls them, in iii, 184, Pravacanas, ‘expositions’, a term which is said to be also applied to the Brāhmaṇas), Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 145 &c. [ ID=205937 ]
- A member of the Veda or subsidiary Vedic treatise, comprising Shiksha, Kalpa, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Chandas, and Jyotisha.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) [Printed book page 298-3 ] वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) veda‿aṅga, n. member of the Veda, subsidiary Vedic treatise ( six are enumerated : Śikṣā, Kalpa, Vyākaraṇa, Nirukta, Chandas, Jyotiṣa); -ādi, m. beginning of the Veda; m. n. sacred syllable om; -adhigama, m. Vedic study; -adhyayana, n. id. : -adhyāya, a. studying or having studied the Veda; -adhyāyin, a. id.; -anadhyayana, n. neglect of Vedic study; -anuvacaná, n. repetition or recitation of the Veda; Vedic doctrine. [ ID=17038 ]
- A sacred science considered subordinate to the Vedas, comprising six subjects: pronunciation, religious ceremonies, grammar, prosody, astronomy, and the explanation of difficult Vedic words.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वेद (veda) ाङ्ग (vedāṅga) [Printed book page 806 ] वेद (veda) ाङ्ग (vedāṅga) m. ( - ङ्गः (-ṅgaḥ) ) A sacred science, considered as subordinate to, and in some sense, a part of the Vedas: six sciences come under this denomination; Śīkṣā, or the science of pronunciation and articulation; Kalpa the detail of religious ceremonies; Vyākaraṇa, or grammar; Candas, prosody; Jyotiṣ, or astronomy; and Nirukti, or the explanation of the difficult or obscure words and phrases that occur in the Vedas. E. वेद (veda) the Vedas, and अङ्ग (aṅga) a member. [ ID=36725 ]
- 1. A sacred science or part of the Vedas. 2. One of the six auxiliary disciplines of the Vedas comprising pronunciation, ceremonies, grammar, prosody, astronomy, and etymological explanation.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) [Printed book page 725-a ] वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) ( ङ्गः ) ((ṅgaḥ)) 1. m. A sacred science; a part of the Vedas. There are reckoned six: Shikshā, pronunciation; Kalpa, ceremonies; Vyākarana, grammar; Chhan- das, prosody; Jyotish, astronomy; and Nirukti, explanation of difficult parts of the Vedas. [ ID=36343 ]
- A sacred science considered a part of the Vedas, comprising six subjects: pronunciation, ritual, grammar, prosody, astronomy, and the explanation of obscure words.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वेद (veda) ाङ्ग (vedāṅga) [Printed book page 688-b ] वेद (veda) ाङ्ग (vedāṅga) m. ( - ङ्गः (-ṅgaḥ) ) A sacred science, considered as subordinate to, and in some sense, a part of the Vedas: six sciences come under this denomination; ŚIKSHĀ, or the science of pronunciation and articulation; KALPA, the detail of religious ceremonies; VYĀKARAṆA, or grammar; CHHANDAS, prosody; JYOTISH, or astronomy; and NIRUKTĪ, or the explanation of the difficult or obscure words and phrases that occur in the Vedas. E. वेद (veda) the Vedas, अङ्ग (aṅga) a member. [ ID=38437 ]
- A sacred science connected with the Vedas, comprising pronunciation, grammar, prosody, explanation of obscure terms, description of religious rites, and astronomy  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) [Printed book page 0901-a ] वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) vedāṅga, i. e. veda-aṅga, m. A sacred science connected with the Vedas; six sciences come under this denomination, viz. pronunciation, gram- mar, prosody, explanation of obscure terms, description of religious rites, and astronomy, Vedāntas. in Chr. 202, 10; Lass. 49, 7. [ ID=13969 ]
- one of the six auxiliary works belonging to the Veda  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) [Printed book page 522 ] वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) n. a limb of the Veda, i.e. one of the 6 auxiliary works belonging to it. [ ID=30970 ]
- the auxiliary literature of the Vedas  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) [Printed book page 724-2 ] Vedāṅga, pl. ( °āni ) (“the limbs of Veda”, said of the literature auxiliary to the Vedas): I, 1013 ( Veda-V°pāragāt ), 1061 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ), †1295 ( °eṣu…gīyase, sc. Indra), 1831 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ), 1910 (do.), 2214 ( Veda-V°pāragaiḥ ), 2777, 4150, 4195 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ), 4356 ( Veda-V°tattva- jñāḥ ), 5106, 5113 ( Veda-V°vidvān ), 6087, 6332, 7777 ( Veda- V°vidvāṃsaḥ ); II, 114 ( Veda-V°pāragāḥ ), 450, 1240 ( Veda- V°pāragāḥ ), 1387 ( Veda-V°vijñānaṃ ); III, 1447 ( Veda- V°pāragān ), 2481 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ), 3071 ( Veda-V°pāragaiḥ ), 11053 (do.), 12489 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ), 14053 ( °ānāñ ca pāragaḥ ), 15148 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ); VI, 551 ( Veda-V°tattva- jñaṃ ); VII, 2153 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ), 2288 (do.), 8731 ( Veda-V°viduṣaḥ ); XII, 904 ( Veda-V°pāragāḥ ), 2220 ( Veda-V°vid ), 2626 (do.), 7661, 11574 ( Veda-V°pāragaiḥ ), 12209 ( Veda-V°bhāsyavid ), 13007 ( Veda-V°vid ), 13041 ( Veda-V°saṃyuktān yajñān ), 13054 ( Veda-V°bhūṣitāṃ ); XIII, 101 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ), 652 ( Veda-V°pāragaiḥ ), 701 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ), 1093 ( śāstra-V°viduṣāṃ ), 1115 ( Veda- V°sambhavaiḥ, sc. nāmabhiḥ ), 2003 ( Veda-V°pāragaḥ ); XIV, 1903 ( Veda-V°pāragaṃ ); XV, 963 ( Veda-V°vedināṃ ). Cf. Aṅga 10. [ ID=11782 ]
- A text subsidiary to the study of the Rigveda  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > वेदाङ्ग (vedāṅga) [Printed book page 2-325 ] Vedāṅga, as the name of a text subsidiary to the study of the Rigveda, is first found in the Nirukta 1 and the Rigveda Prātiśākhya. 2 [ Footnote: 1) i. 20.] [ Footnote: 2) xii. 40. Cf. Roth, Nirukta, xv. et seq.; Weber, Indische Studien, 9, 42.] [ ID=3051 ]

### Epithet for Deities (Sūrya, Viṣṇu) (1 definition)
- 1. Surya. 2. Vishnu.  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > [Printed book page 725-1 ] Vedāṅga 2, sg. = Sūrya: III, 149.—Do. 3 = Viṣṇu (1000 names). [ ID=11783 ]

### Referential Entries (Pointers) (1 definition)
- See below  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 1016,2] वेदा (vedā) ङ्ग (ṅga) a See below. [ ID=205859 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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