Sayana
Encyclopedia
was an important commentator on the Vedas. He flourished under King Bukka I and his successor Harihara II
, in the Vijayanagar Empire of South India
. He was the son of , and the pupil of Vishnu Sarvajna and of Samkarananda.
More than a hundred works are attributed to him, among which are commentaries on nearly all parts of the Veda; some were carried out by his pupils, and some were written in conjunction with his brother Mādhava
or .
Vapsabu from Neyyattinkara is famous sayana techenitions.
. His commentary on the Rigveda
was edited by Max Müller
, 1849-1875. The core portion of the commentary was likely written by Sayana himself, but it also includes contributions of his brother Mādhava, and additions by his students and later authors who wrote under Sayana's name. "Sayana" (or also ) by convention refers to the collective authorship of the commentary as a whole without separating such layers. In his commentary on Rigveda he has written the following
"tatha ca smaryate yojananam. sahasre dve dve sate dve ca yojane ekena nimishardhena kramaman"
तथा च स्मर्यते योजनानां सहस्त्रं द्वे द्वे शते द्वे च योजने एकेन निमिषार्धेन क्रममाण नमोऽस्तुते॥
The translation is "[O Sun,] bow to you, you who traverse 2,202 yojanas in half a nimesha.". As per Prof Kak the velocity comes to "186,413.22 miles per second"
He has also written many lesser manuals called Sudhanidhis treating Prayaschitta (expiation), Yajnatantra (ritual
), Purushartha (aims of human endeavour), Ayurveda
(Indian traditional medicine), Sangit Sara (The essence of music), Prayaschitra, Alankara, Sarvadarshanasangraha (philosophy
) and Dhatuvrddhi (grammar
)
Harihara II
Harihara II was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty. He patronised Kannada poet Madhura, a Jaina. An important work on Vedas was completed during his time...
, in the Vijayanagar Empire of South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. He was the son of , and the pupil of Vishnu Sarvajna and of Samkarananda.
More than a hundred works are attributed to him, among which are commentaries on nearly all parts of the Veda; some were carried out by his pupils, and some were written in conjunction with his brother Mādhava
Vidyaranya
' is variously known as being a kingmaker, patron saint and high priest to Harihara Raya I and Bukka Raya I, the founders of the Vijayanagar Empire. He was the 12th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham from 1380 to 1386 A.D. He was born to and in in 1268 CE. Another account has it that he...
or .
Vapsabu from Neyyattinkara is famous sayana techenitions.
Works
Sayana's major work is his Vedartha Prakasha (literally, "the meaning of the Vedas made manifest"), or commentary on the VedasVedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
. His commentary on the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
was edited by Max Müller
Max Müller
Friedrich Max Müller , more regularly known as Max Müller, was a German philologist and Orientalist, one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of comparative religion...
, 1849-1875. The core portion of the commentary was likely written by Sayana himself, but it also includes contributions of his brother Mādhava, and additions by his students and later authors who wrote under Sayana's name. "Sayana" (or also ) by convention refers to the collective authorship of the commentary as a whole without separating such layers. In his commentary on Rigveda he has written the following
"tatha ca smaryate yojananam. sahasre dve dve sate dve ca yojane ekena nimishardhena kramaman"
तथा च स्मर्यते योजनानां सहस्त्रं द्वे द्वे शते द्वे च योजने एकेन निमिषार्धेन क्रममाण नमोऽस्तुते॥
The translation is "[O Sun,] bow to you, you who traverse 2,202 yojanas in half a nimesha.". As per Prof Kak the velocity comes to "186,413.22 miles per second"
He has also written many lesser manuals called Sudhanidhis treating Prayaschitta (expiation), Yajnatantra (ritual
Yajna
In Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes...
), Purushartha (aims of human endeavour), Ayurveda
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
(Indian traditional medicine), Sangit Sara (The essence of music), Prayaschitra, Alankara, Sarvadarshanasangraha (philosophy
Indian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
) and Dhatuvrddhi (grammar
Sanskrit grammar
The grammar of the Sanskrit language has a complex verbal system, rich nominal declension, and extensive use of compound nouns. It was studied and codified by Sanskrit grammarians from the later Vedic period , culminating in the Pāṇinian grammar of the 4th century BC.-Grammatical tradition:The...
)
Editions
- Max Müller, Rig-Veda Sanskrit-Ausgabe mit Kommentar des Sayana (aus dem 14. Jh. n. Chr.), 6 vols., London 1849-75, 2nd ed. in 4 vols. London 1890 ff., Vaidika Samśodhana Mandala, Pune-9 (2nd ed. 1972)
Literature
- B R Modak , Sayana, Sahitya Akademi (1995), ISBN 8172019408.
- Siddhanatha Sukla The Rgveda Mandala III: A critical study of the Sayana bhasya and other interpretations of the Rgveda (3.1.1 to 3.7.3) (2001), ISBN 8185616736.