The 4 upavedas

The four upavedas relate to traditional and technical sciences and constitute four of the 14 vidyās. Along way they each were said to have evolved predominantly from one of the four Vedas:

  1. Āyurveda from ṛg veda or atharva veda;  literally, “the science of life,” relates to healing humans, plants, animals and the earth. You can learn more about Ayurveda here.
  2. Dhanurveda from yajur veda; a treatise on weaponry and warfare (gave rise to martial arts like Kallaripayattu, etc).
  3. Gandharvaveda from sāma veda; the study of art forms like dance, music, poetry, etc.
  4. Arthaśāstra from Artharva veda; related to affairs of state and governance. (Or, in some sources, sthāpatyaveda (architecture) or, śilpaśāstra (aesthetic theory and tradition of arts and crafts). Part III of śukranīti–a text that is part of dharmaśāstra–(ancient texts that explore rules for daily conduct within the context of society) lists tantra as the fourth upaveda.

Related Satsangam Offerings:

Vedic Threads
is Satsangam’s twice-monthly live, online membership where guest instructors introduce us to various Indian wisdom traditions. Some sessions that relate specifically to the 4 upavedas:

July 2024

Vāstu Śāstra Introduction with Radha Sharan Das

June 2023

Tāla: Rhythmic Measure in Art, Architecture, Music and Dance with Drdha Vrata Gorrick & Vinay Srinivasan

February 2024

Tabla & The Divine with Thomas Eder

November 2023

Exploring Vāyu (movement of life force), Bhāva (emotion) and Rasa (flavor) Through Performance with Kapila Venu

September 2023

Rāga, Remedies & Constellations with Allison Dennis

April 2023

Kalā, Rasa and Rasika: The Arts & The Lovers with Navneet Raman

February 2023

Rāga Cikitsa: Desire as Cause or Cure of Disease with Dr. Shubham Kulkarni

November 2022

Prāṇa vs Śakti with Dr. Robert Svoboda & Carolina Prada (traditional Odissi dance and Kalaripayattu)

Nava Rasa

Exploring the 9 Flavours of Consciousness with Carolina Prada