The Vedangas are a set of six sub-disciplines, designed for the purpose of exploration and analysis of the Vedas in a traditional model. The Vedas are the foundational documents of ancient Indian wisdom. The various commentaries and studies of the Vedas employ diverse methods of digesting and explaining the Vedas; the result is a panoply of interpretation each with its own logical conclusions and internal construction. In other words, although we have several explanations about what Vedas are, it is difficult to get a clear and comprehensive understanding of what the Vedas mean.
Traditional schools have been challenged by the multifarious aspects and meanings of the Vedas. The approaches, limitations and relative success of these schools reveals that the Vedas are shrouded in enigma, secrecy, mystery, and symbolism. This makes it difficult to comprehend the hidden meaning of the Vedas. Therefore, it seems to have been considered necessary, by masters of traditional schools to present a study system which could facilitate proper exploration of the Vedas. This system of six traditional disciplines, designed for the purpose of exploring Vedas is called the Vedangas.
In the article that follows Prof. Korada details these six disciplines, covering linguistics and practical applications. Pronunciation, grammar, semantics, and structure are covered in four disciplines. The other two disciplines cover the application of ritualistic practices.
About Prof. S. Korada: Professor Korada is a scholar of the Vedantic tradition. He teaches several disciplines of the Vedangas. Born on 11th August 1954, Professor Korada Subrahmanyam has been at the Center for Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies (CALTS) since October 1988. In 1975, he did a Bhasha Praveena (Telugu & Sanskrit). In 1976 he entered Andhra University to study Sanskrit. He received his MA. In 1982 he received a PhD from Andhra University, and won numerous academic awards, including Best Thesis, in the process. In 1983 he was selected for a five-year Research Associateship. He serves as a national resource person in Vedic and Sanskrit studies. Professor Korada lives in India.
