Vedangas
what the Brahmans call "members of the Veda." They are six in number, but this name, says Max Müller ("Ancient Sanskrit Literature," p. 109), "does not imply the existence of six books or treatises intimately connected with their sacred writings, but merely the admission of six subjects, the study of which was necessary either for the reading, the understanding, or the proper sacrificial employment of the Veda." The six subjects or doctrines usually comprehended under the name Vedangas are: Siksha (=pronunciation), Chhandas (=meter), Vyâkarana (grammar), Nirukta (explanation of words), Jyotisha (=astronomy), and Kalpa (ceremonial). The first two are considered necessary for reading the Veda, the two next for understanding it, and the last two for employing at sacrifices. The writers of the Vedangas do not claim inspiration. consid