Aranyakas Aranyakas are generally the concluding portions of the several Brahmanas but on account of their distinct character contents and language deserve to be reckoned as a distinct category of literature They are partly included in the Brahmanas themselves but partly they are recognized as independent works Aranyaka literature is rather small as compared to the Brahmanas Whereas the Brahmanas deal with the huge bulk of sacrificial paraphernalia which represents KarmaKanda the Aranyakas and Upanishads on the other hand chiefly deal with the philosophical and theosophical speculations which represent JnanaKanda 1 Meaning of the Term 8216Aranyaka8217 The term Aranyaka is derived from the word 8216Aranya8216 meaning 8216forest8217 The Aranyaka texts are socalled because 8216they were works to be read in the forest8217 in contradistinction to the regular Brahmanas which were to be read in the village Sayana in the Taittiriya Aranyaka explains Aranyadhyayanadetad aranyakamitiryate Yajna and other rituals are prescribed only for those who live in homes and lead the life of householders But it has to be understood that Vedic rituals are intended to confer not only material benefits but also mental purity by constant discipline Having obtained purity one must seek the solitude of forests for further concentration and meditation The Brahmanas advocating the actual observances of the sacrifices are meant for Grihastha and the Aranyakas containing explanations of the rituals and allegorical speculations thereon are meant for Vanprasthas who renounce family life residing in the forests for tapas and other religious activities Winternitz calls them as 8217forest texts8217 to be studied by foresthermits Or the reason might be that these texts were propounded by the Rishis who resided in the forests and thought upon the secrets of the Yajnas Aranyakas describe the actions of life and also acquisition of knowledge These works form the basis of the Rahasya or secrets discussed in the Upanishads therefore another name of the Aranyakas was 8216Rahasya8216 as well This name is mentioned in the Gopatha Brahmana and Manusmriti 2 Contents of the Aranyakas The major contents of the Aranyakas are theosophy Brahmavidya meditation Upasana and knowledge of breath Pranavidya They describe the secret meaning of the sacrifice and the concept of Brahma as well The creation of the universe the power of the Almighty Om the soul and the cycle of birth and death are explained in Brihadaranyaka in a simple manner No nation no country no culture in this age of science has been able to produce such great truths related to the knowledge of the Self and the Almighty as are mentioned in this Aranyaka In this reference dialogue between Maitreyi and Yajnavalkya is often quoted Aranyakas are generally regarded as a link between the Brahmanas and the Upanishads The oldest Upanishads are in part included in these texts Taittiriya Aranyaka is only a continuation of the Taittiriya Brahmana Brihadaranyaka found in the Shatapatha Brahmana is the greatest of all Upanishads it is regarded the BrihadaranyakaUpanishad also Aranyakas play the role of the middle path and help to bridge the gulf between the Karma kanda and Jnanakanda In the Aranyakas we find certain important geographical historical social and cultural points also All this makes their study more significant 3 Classification of the Aranyakas Today only seven Aranyakas are available There is no Aranyaka which belongs to the Atharvaveda A Aranyakas of the Rigveda Aitareya Aranyaka Kaushitaki Shankhayana Aranyaka B Aranyakas of the Samaveda Talavakara or JaiminiyaUpanshad Aranyaka Chandogya Aranyaka C Aranyaka of Shukla Yajurveda Brihadaranyaka D Aranyakas of Krishna Yajurveda Taittiriya Aranyaka Maitrayaniya Aranyaka Among them Aitareya Aranyaka Shatapatha Aranyaka and Taittiriya Aranyaka are most important for study By DrShashi Tiwari Retd Sanskrit Department Delhi University Links