Vamsa Brahmana
Commenting on the Vamsa Brahmana list of Vedic teachers, Albrecht Weber writes: "One fact deserves to be especially noticed here, namely, that several of the teachers mentioned in the Vamsa Brahmana, by their very names, points us directly to the north-west of India, e.g. Kamboja Aupamanyava, Madaragara Saungayani, Sati Aushtrakshi, Salamkayana and Kauhala". [14] And commenting on the same list, R Morton Smith also writes: “The names Kamboja Aupamanyava, Sati Austraksi and Madragara Saungayani suggest a North-west connection for the main branch of the Vamsa Brahmana ." [15]
In all the lists of ancient Vedic teachers in the Satapatha Brahmana as well as the Vamsa Brahmana, [16] Kamboja Aupamanyava appears as the first "Aupamanyava"' (i.e. son or descendant of Upamanyu ). This Kamboja Aupamanyava was the guru of Anadaja Chandhanayana who in turn was the guru of Bhanumant Aupamanyava. [17] Bhanumant Aupamanyava had instructed Urjayant Aupamanyava. [18] Vedic teachers Bhanumanta Aupamanyava and Urjayant Aupamanyava of the Vamsa Brahmana list were probably the son and grandson of Kamboja Aupamanyava.
In Indian religions, a rishi is an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mentions in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or "sages" who after intense meditation (tapas) realized the supreme truth and eternal knowledge, which they composed into hymns. The term appears in Pali literature as Ishi; in Buddhism they can be either Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, Arahats or a monk of high rank.
Bharadvaja was one of the revered Vedic sages (maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarishis.
Kshatriya is one of the four varnas of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term kṣatriyaḥ is used in the context of later Vedic society wherein members were organised into four classes: brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra.
Om is a symbol representing a sacred sound, syllable, mantra, and an invocation in Hinduism. Its written representation is the most important symbol of Hinduism. It is the essence of the supreme Absolute, consciousness, Ātman,Brahman, or the cosmic world. In Indic traditions, Om serves as a sonic representation of the divine, a standard of Vedic authority and a central aspect of soteriological doctrines and practices. It is the basic tool for meditation in the yogic path to liberation. The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts.
The Brahmanas are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within each Veda, which explain and instruct on the performance of Vedic rituals. In addition to explaining the symbolism and meaning of the Samhitas, Brahmana literature also expounds scientific knowledge of the Vedic Period, including observational astronomy and, particularly in relation to altar construction, geometry. Divergent in nature, some Brahmanas also contain mystical and philosophical material that constitutes Aranyakas and Upanishads.
Brahmacharya is a concept within Indian religions that literally means "conduct consistent with Brahma" or "on the path of Brahma". Brahmacharya, a discipline of controlling the senses, is seen as a way to liberation. Though sexual restraint is a part of brahmacharya, brahmacharya encompasses all striving toward a passionless state.
The Vedas are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
The Vedanga are six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism that developed in ancient times and have been connected with the study of the Vedas:
Arthur Coke Burnell was an English civil servant who served in the Madras Presidency who was also a scholar in Sanskrit and Dravidian languages. He catalogued the Sanskrit manuscripts in southern India, particularly those in the collections of the Tanjore court collections. He was, with Henry Yule, a co-compiler of the Hobson-Jobson, a compendium of Anglo-Indian terms.
Nirukta is one of the six ancient Vedangas, or ancillary science connected with the Vedas – the scriptures of Hinduism. Nirukta covers etymology, and is the study concerned with correct interpretation of Sanskrit words in the Vedas.
Yāska was an ancient Indian grammarian and linguist. Preceding Pāṇini, he is traditionally identified as the author of Nirukta, the discipline of "etymology" within Sanskrit grammatical tradition and the Nighantu, the oldest proto-thesaurus in India. Yaska is widely regarded as the precursive founder of the discipline of what would become etymology in both the East and the West.
Shivi is mentioned as a kingdom and as the name of a king in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. There was a king named Shivi who became famous as Shivi or the kingdom itself may be named after him. Shivi king was famous for his truthfulness. The legend about his truthfulness and compassion goes as follows: King Shivi protected a dove who was chased by a hawk, and gave flesh from his thigh, as a substitute meal to the hawk.
Nishada is a tribe mentioned in ancient Indian literature. The ancient texts mention several kingdoms ruled by this tribe. In the Mahabharata, the Nishadas are described as hunters, fishermen, mountaineers or raiders that have the hills and the forests as their abode. Their origin is associated with a king called Vena who became a slave to wrath and malice, and became unrighteous. Sages killed him for his malice and wrongdoings. Ekalavya is stated to be an archer of a Nishada tribe in the text.
The Bahlikas were the inhabitants of Bahlika, mentioned in Atharvaveda, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, Vartikka of Katyayana, Brhatsamhita, Amarkosha etc. and in the ancient Inscriptions. The other variations of Bahlika are Bahli, Balhika, Vahlika, Valhika, Bahlava, Bahlam/Bahlim, Bahlayana and Bahluva.
The Taittirīya Shakha, is a shakha of the Krishna (black) Yajurveda. Most prevalent in South India, it consists of the Taittirīya Samhita ('TS'), Taittirīya Brahmana ('TB'), Taittirīya Aranyaka ('TA'), and Taittirīya Pratisakhya ('TP').
In Hindu culture, a Pravara refers to a system of identity, particularly a family line. The Pravar system is based on the descendants of a rishi (sage) after whom a "gotra" (clan) is named, and these descendants are considered eponyms by the members of the "gotra." It represents a secondary level of segmentation within the gotra system. The Pravara is a significant aspect of the exogamous system in ancient Brahmanical families.
Central Asia and Ancient India have long traditions of social-cultural, religious, political and economic contact since remote antiquity. The two regions have common and contiguous borders, climatic continuity, similar geographical features and geo-cultural affinity. For millennia, there has been a flow of people, material and ideas between the two.
The Samaveda, is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, and is one of the sacred scriptures in Hinduism. One of the four Vedas, it is a liturgical text which consists of 1,875 verses. All but 75 verses have been taken from the Rigveda. Three recensions of the Samaveda have survived, and variant manuscripts of the Veda have been found in various parts of India.
Dhī is a Sanskrit word meaning 'understanding', 'reflection', 'religious thought', 'mind', 'design', 'intelligence', 'opinion', 'meditation', 'imagination', 'notion', and 'intellect'. This word is directly connected with the word Vāc, meaning Speech, derived from Vac meaning, 'to speak'. Dhi is the voiced Vāc or 'Speech', it is the thought-mind or intellect. Dhi also means 'to hold' or 'to place', and indicates the activity of the intellect.
Upamanyu is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism, best known for being a devotee of the deity Shiva, and being the leader of the ganas (Gāṇamtya).
