Six Vedangas

1. The Nirukta Vedanga is one of the six most important Vedic sciences explaining the meanings of Vedic astronomical terms in different contexts. As such it is the earliest veda-bhashya (commentary on the Vedas) containing the explanation of the Nighantu, a small lexicon of the most important Vedic terms with synonyms.

Нирукта (санскр. निरुक्त, «объяснение высказываний или слов, этимология») — грамматическая работа символического автора Яски (ср. русск. "яска" - звезда), представляющая собой комментарий к словарю важных ведийских терминов, называемый нигханту. Нирукта разделяет слова на 4 грамматические категории (имя, глагол, предлог, союз) и даёт объяснение отдельных слов глоссария. Нирукта - это одна из шести веда-анг, т. е. "жизненноважных научных дисциплин", необходимых для правильного понимания и применения Вед как Вечного календаря.

2. Vyakarana Vedanga is codified in the Panini's Ashta-adhyayi, "Eight Chapters" of Vedic Grammar written in a special meta-language called Upadesha in algebraic code.

3. Shiksha Vedanga also attributed to Panini describes most important rules of Vedic phonetics, specific modes and speed of recitation, the pronunciation of certain letters and accents in different contexts.

Every shakhas or redaction of the four Vedas has its own phonetic pecularities. Shiksha attributed to Vasishtha has a detailed account of the differences between the mantras of the Rig-Veda and the Yajur-Veda.

4. Chandas Vedanga explained in the Pingala's Chandah-Shastra (The Science of Encoding) presents the science of binary encoding through syllabic metres. Syllables are classified into two categories, Guru (long) and Laghu (short) with the meaning 0 and 1. A string of Guru-Laghu sequence of a particular length contains a binary number which can be transformed into a decimal number according to special Vedic rule.

5. Jyotisha Vedanga as described in such texts as Lagadha's Vedanga Jyotisha contains rules for the Vedic Solar-Lunar Calendar based on the science of astronomy.

6. Kalpa Vedanga describes the Vedic calendar rituals and their astronomical meaning. Kalpa Sutras consist of Shulva Sutras and Shrauta Sutras describing the geometry of Vedic Calendar altars along with the guidelines for conducting Vedic calendar festivals.

अथ निघण्टु: - Vocabulary

The division of the Nighantu

The Nighantu contains five chapters, the first three are called the Naighantuka Kanda, the fourth the Naigama Kanda, and the fifth the Daivata Kanda. In other words it may be said that

the Naighantuka Kanda deals with synonyms;
the Naigama Kanda deals with homonyms;
the Daivata Kanda deals with deities.

There is some sort of a principle discernible in the arrangement of the synonyms in the first three chapters. The arrangement, of course, is not scientific, nor, in many cases, even systematic, but it shows at least an attempt to group the words methodically.

Content

Part I.

Naighantuka Kanda dealing with synonyms

1. प्रथमोऽध्याय:

The first chapter deals with physical things like earth, air, water, and objects of nature like cloud, dawn, day and night, &c.

1. गौ:
2. हेम
3. अम्बरम्
4. स्व:
5. खेदय:
6. आता:
7. श्यावी
8. विभावरी
9. वस्तो:
10. अद्रि:
11. श्लोक:
12. अर्ण:
13. अवनय:
14. अत्य:
15. हरी इन्द्रस्य
16. भ्राजते
17. जमत्

2. द्वितीयोऽध्याय:

The second chapter deals with man, his limbs, like arm, finger, objects and qualities associated with man, such as wealth, prosperity, anger, battle, &c.

1. अप:
2. तुक्
3. मनुष्या:
4. आयती
5. अग्रुव:
6. वश्मि
7. अन्ध:
8. आ वयति
9. ओज:
10. मघम्
11. अघ्न्या
12. रेळते
13. हेळ:
14. वर्तते
15. नु
16. तळित्
17. रण:
18. इन्वति
19. दभ्नोति
20. दिद्युत्
21. इरज्यति
22. राष्ट्री