Nirukta of Yaska
Also called: Nirukta · Topic: The Vedic Age · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Nirukta is a work by Yāska on etymology, which means explaining where words come from. It explains hard and old words of the Vedas that people no longer understood easily. It is the main surviving text of nirukta, one of the six Vedāngas (supporting subjects for Vedic study). Yāska is generally placed before the grammarian Pāṇini, so the Nirukta is one of the oldest works on language in India.
Example
The Nirukta is a commentary on the Nighaṇṭu, an old list of Vedic words. In it, Yāska explains the meanings of the names of Vedic gods. He sorts the gods into three groups: gods of the earth (such as Agni), of the middle air (such as Indra) and of the sky (such as Sūrya).
Don't confuse with
- Aṣhṭādhyāyī of Pāṇini: a work of grammar that gives the rules for how Sanskrit words and sentences are formed. The Nirukta explains the origin and meaning of particular Vedic words.
Related concepts
- Vedas
- Rigveda
- Rig Veda family books
- Yajurveda
- Samaveda
- Atharvaveda
- Brahmana texts
- Aranyakas
- Upavedas
- Vedangas