Yaaska’s Nirukta, the oldest suviving Indian treatise on Etymology

After the composition of Vedic hymns, it was transmitted orally from one generation to another. But over a period of time the meaning of numerous Vedic words and passages had become so obscure that some people began to seriously doubt whether the Vedic verses convey any sense at all. Had there been no difficulty in the interpretation of such Vedic words and passages; their interpretation would have been unanimous. But it was not so as we come across different schools of Vedic interpretators like Aitihasikas (historians), Yajnikahs (ritualistic), Vyakarnah (grammarians), Parivrajakah (ascetics or theologians) and Nairuktas (etymologists). Also, due to the difficulty of interpretation, the Nighantu, a Vedic lexicon was compiled. Nirukta, a commentary on the Nighantu is the oldest surviving Indian treatise on etymology, philology and Semantics and its author is Yaaska.

A man of comprehensive knowledge

Most scholars are in agreement that Yaaska lived around 700 B.C. and according to Lakshman Sarup he lived at least about a century earlier than Plato (427–347B.C.), the Greek philosopher. Yaaska was well versed in the four Vedas and the numerous Brahmanas and some of the Upanishads. He was a man of comprehensive knowledge and vast reading. He refers and quotes the opinions of the various schools of thought which existed in his time and also the names of other etymologists, some of them were his contemporaries and others his predecessors like Aupamanyava, Agrayana, Kautsa, Gargya, Galava, Yaitiki, Shatabalaksha, Shakapuni and others. The Nirukta of Yaaska was probably the last and latest work on the etymology which superseded all earlier work on the same subject.

The Nighantu

The compilation of the Nighantu is the earliest known attempt in lexicography. The Nighantu contains only a small number of words of the Rig Veda and as it does not contain any explanations of the words collected in Sanskrit or any other language, the modern term dictionary cannot be applied to it. The Nighantu is a work of three Kandas (section) in five adhyayas (chapters). The first three chapters contain a list of 1280 words, the fourth a list of 278 words and the fifth a list of 151 names of deities. Nothing definite is known of the author of Nighantu. It was probably not the production of a single individual but the result of the united efforts of a whole generation or perhaps of several generations.

The Nirukta

Yaaska’s work Nirukta is a commentary on the words in the Nighantu. Although Yaaska’s main aim is to explain the meaning of words in the Nighantu, quite frequently he cites Vedic passages and interprets them. His commentary is thus not restricted to Vedic words but covers much more.

The Nirukta has three divisions and 12 chapters. The first three chapters known as Naighantaka Kanda are devoted to the etymologies of words of the first three chapters of Nighantu words in the proper places. In addition to the Nighantu words, Yaaska also includes the etymologies of a large number of Nigama words, that is words extracted from Vedic passages and in total it contains 1310 words.

The second part of Nirukta called Naigama Kanda (chapters fourth to sixth) contains words of the fourth adhyaya of the Nighantu. The third part known as Daivata Kanda consists of chapters seventh to twelfth and is based on the fifth adhyaya of the Nighantu of which most of the 151 names of deities have been explained. Thus the frame-work of the Nirukta follows that of the Nighantu and deals with groups of Synonyms (1-3rd chapters), Homonyms (4-6^th chapters) and deities (7-12^th chapters).

Nirukta, indispensable for comprehending Vedas

The importance of Yaaska’s Nirukta is such that it became indispensable for a deep, full and proper knowledge of Vedic stanzas. The Nirukta became a part of the curriculum for the study of Vedas and is one of the six limbs (Vedangas) i.e. auxiliary or preparatory disciplines for the successful study of the Vedas, the other being- Shiksa (rules and guidelines for pronunciation), Kalpa (describes the rituals), Vyakarna (grammar), Chandas (prosody) and Jyotishya (astronomy).

Pre-eminent authority on etymology

Endowed with rational spirit, Yaaska was a remarkable etymologist far advanced of his times. Acknowledged as a pre-eminent authority on etymology his work is commented by Ugra, Skandasvami and Durga. Composed on a sound scientific basis, Nirukta is important for the history of philology and etymology.

Reference

• Ram Gopal – The History and Principles of Vedic Interpretations, Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1983

• Lakshman Sarup – The Nighantu and the Nirukta, Oxford University Press, 1920

• Saroja Bhate – Panini and Yaska: Principles of Derivation, AOBORI, vol-62, No.1/4, 1981.

• Siddheshwar Varma – The Etymologies of Yaska, Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute, Hoshiapur, 1953

• Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala – Yaska, Bharati- Bulletin of the College of Indology, Banaras Hindu Univeristy, 1957-58, No.2

• Lakshman Sarup – Is Yaska an infallible guide in the interpretation of the Rigveda, Woolner Commemoration volume, 1940