Shaunaka (, ) is the name applied to teachers, and to a

Shakha A shakha () is a Hindu theological school that specializes in learning certain Vedic texts, or else the traditional texts followed by such a school.V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 913, left column.Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-Engli ...

of the

Atharvaveda The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ...

. It is especially the name of a celebrated

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

grammarian, author of the , the , the , six

Anukramaṇī The ''Anukramaṇī'' (, ) (also ') are the systematic indices of Vedic hymnsMax Müller, F. (1860) ''A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature So Far As It Illustrates the Primitive Religion of the Brahmans'', London:Williams and Norgate, pp.215-2 ...

s (indices) to the

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

, and the

Vidhāna ''Vidhāna'' is a genre of texts dealing with the use of Vedic mantras outside of Vedic sacrifices to attain various ends. Texts Except for the Atharva Veda,: "There is no corresponding work to the ''Atharvaveda''. The ''Kauśiksūtra'', which ...

of the Rigveda. He is the teacher of Katyayana and

Ashvalayana A shakha () is a Hindu theological school that specializes in learning certain Vedic texts, or else the traditional texts followed by such a school.V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 913, left column.Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-Engl ...

and is said to have combined the Bashkala and Shakala Shakhas of the Rigveda. In the Mahabarata, he is identified as the son of Ruru and Pramadvara, and in the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...

, he is identified as the grandson of Gritsamada and son of Sunaka, who belongs to the

Bhrigu Bhrigu (, ) is a rishi in Hindu tradition. He is one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, and one of the many Prajapatis (the facilitators of creation) created by Brahma. He was the first compiler of predictive astrology and also the aut ...

dynasty.

Literature

According to the

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...

, Shaunaka was the son of Gritsamada and invented the system of the four levels of human life. Sūta mahamuni narrated mythological stories to a group of sages headed by Shaunaka maha muni. According to Vishnumitra of Champa town, the commentator of 's commentary of , is attributed to Shaunaka who taught it to others in a satra-yajna (a 12-day very large scale collective

yajna In Hinduism, ''Yajna'' or ''Yagna'' (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐd͡ʒɲə ) also known as Hawan, is a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedas, Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature ...

) held in Naimisha. The Ṛgvidhāna, a

text on the use of Rigvedic mantras, is also attributed to Shaunaka. The Vidhana which he wrote helped simplify the rites and rituals written in the Shrauta and Gruhya

shastras ''Śāstra'' ( ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The word is ge ...

(scriptures). Shaunaka had a prominent role in the epic

Mahābhārata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succe ...

. The epic Mahābhārata was narrated to Shaunaka by a storyteller named

Ugrasrava Sauti Ugrashravas Sauti (Sanskrit: उग्रश्रवस् सौती, also Ugraśravas, Sauti, Sūta, Śri Sūta, Suta Gosvāmī) is a character in Hindu literature, featured as the narrator of the ''Mahābhārata'' and several Puranas inclu ...

during a conclave of sages headed by Shaunaka in a forest named Naimisha. Shaunaka also consoled

Yudhishthira Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, ud̪ʱiʂʈʰiɾᵊ IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira''), also known as Dharmaputra, is the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Indian epic ''Ma ...

on the nature of suffering after the latter was exiled.

References

External links

* Titles and occupations in Hinduism Ancient Sanskrit grammarians Characters in the Mahabharata Gurus and saints {{Hinduism-stub

Literature

See also

References

External links