Shakha facts for kids

A shakha (pronounced "shaa-khaa") is like a special school or group in ancient Hindu traditions. These groups focused on learning and understanding specific parts of the Vedas, which are very old and important texts. Think of it as different clubs, each studying a different set of books.

Each shakha had its own set of Vedic texts to study. This included a main Veda called a Saṃhita, along with other related writings like Brahmana, Aranyaka, Shrautasutra, Grhyasutra, and Upanishad. People who followed a particular shakha were called śākhin.

In ancient Hindu society, being part of a specific shakha was an important part of a person's identity. It was like being part of a certain family or community group.

Understanding the Vedic Schools

This map shows where different Vedic schools (shakhas) were found in ancient India (1100-500 BCE).

We learn about these different shakhas from old texts called the Caraṇa-vyūha. These texts list how many shakhas were thought to exist long ago and how many were still around when the books were written. Today, only a few of these ancient schools have survived.

The Marathi poem Shri Gurucharitra also talks about the different shakhas for each of the four Vedas.

Let's look at the main shakhas for each Veda.

Rig Veda Schools

The Caraṇa-vyuha mentions five main shakhas for the Rig Veda: the Śākala, Bāṣkala, Aśvalāyana, Śaṅkhāyana, and Māṇḍukāyana. Today, only the Śākala and Bāṣkala schools are mostly still active, with very few followers of the Aśvalāyana.

The Bashkala version of the Rigveda includes some extra texts called Khilani, which are not found in the Shakala version.

The Shakala school uses the Aitareya-Brahmana, while the Bashkala school uses the Kausitaki-Brahmana.

The Shri Gurucharitra lists 12 shakhas for the Rig Veda.

The Śaṅkhāyana shakha was recently found again in Rajasthan, India. Only two very old people are known to still practice its traditions.

Yajur Veda Schools

The Caraṇa-vyuha lists many shakhas for the Yajur Veda, but only five or six of them still exist today. These include the Vajasaneyi Madhandina, Kanva, Taittiriya, Maitrayani, Caraka-Katha, and Kapisthala-Katha.

The Yajurveda shakhas are split into two main groups: Shukla (White) and Krishna (Black) schools. The White schools have separate explanation texts (Brahmanas), while the Black schools mix their explanations directly within the main Veda texts.

• Shukla Yajurveda: Vājasaneyi Samhita Madhyandina (VSM), Vājasaneyi Samhita Kānva (VSK). These are linked to the Shatapatha Brahmana.
• Krishna Yajurveda: Taittirīya Saṃhita (TS), Maitrayani Saṃhita (MS), Caraka-Katha Saṃhita (KS), Kapiṣṭhala-Katha Saṃhita (KapS).

Shukla Yajurveda Schools

Krishna Yajurveda Schools

Sama Veda Schools

The Caraṇa-vyuha lists twelve shakhas for the Sama Veda, though it says a thousand once existed. Today, only one or two are still practiced: the Jaiminiya and Kauthuma.

The Shri Gurucharitra mentions 8 of these shakhas. It also says that the rāṇāyaṇīyā shakha has 10 smaller branches.

The Kauthuma shakha has the PB and SadvB texts. The Jaiminiya shakha has the Jaiminiya Brahmana.

Atharva Veda Schools

Out of nine original shakhas for the Atharvaveda, only one is still active today. The nine original schools were Paippalada, Tauda, Mauda, Shaunakiya, Jajala, Jalada, Brahmavada, Devadarsa, and Chaarana-Vaidya. The Shri Gurucharitra also lists 9 shakhas.

The Shaunaka is the only Atharvaveda shakha that has both printed texts and people who still learn and recite its traditions by heart.

For the Atharvaveda, both the Shaunakiya and Paippalada texts have some errors. Scholars try to figure out the original text by comparing the two versions.

The Paippalada tradition was mostly lost, and its texts are known only from manuscripts found in the 20th century. However, some Brahmins in Odisha still continue the Paippalada tradition.