Kalpa
The Sanskrit word Kalpa has several distinct meanings in the context of Indian religious tradition: first, it can refer to a measurement of time in the cosmic cycles of creation and dissolution of the universe; or second, it can refer to one of the six disciplines of Vedanga (meaning "limbs of the Veda") in Hinduism that focuses on ritual. The Vedanga are six auxiliary disciplines for the understanding and tradition of the Vedas comprising of the following topics:
- Shiksha (śikṣā): phonetics and phonology
- Vyakarana (vyākaraṇa): grammar
- Nirukta (nirukta): etymology
- Jyotisha (jyotiṣa): astrology and astronomy, dealing particularly with the auspicious days for performing sacrifices.
- Kalpa (kalpa): ritual
The Vedangas are first mentioned in the Mundaka Upanishad as topics to be observed by students of the Vedas. Later, they developed into independent disciplines, each with its own corpus of Sutras.
Finally, the word "Kalpa" can also be used in the religious context of Jainism to refer to the Kalpasutras.
Kalpa as a unit of time
A kalpa is a Sanskrit word meaning an aeon, or a vast period of time in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology.
In Hinduism, a kalpa is equal to 4.32 billion years, a "day (day only) of Brahma" or one thousand mahayugas, measuring the duration of the world. Each kalpa is divided into 14 manvantara (each lasting 306,720,000 years). Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma. A "month of Brahma" is supposed to contain thirty such days (including nights), or 259.2 billion years. According to the Mahabharata, 12 months of Brahma constitute his year, and 100 such years the life cycle of the universe. Fifty years of Brahma are supposed to have elapsed, and we are now in the shvetavaraha-kalpa of the fifty-first; at the end of a Kalpa the world is annihilated.
In Buddhism, there are four different lengths of kalpas. A regular kalpa is approximately 16 million years long, and a small kalpa is 1000 regular kalpas, or 16 billion years. Further, a medium kalpa is 320 billion years, the equivalent of 20 small kalpas. A great kalpa is four medium kalpas, or 1.28 trillion years.[1]
Kalpa as a branch of Vedanga
Hinduism contains a branch of Vedic science (Vedanga) that seeks to elucidate the rituals associated with sacrificial practice (yajna). This brach of study gave rise to a large number of systematic sutras for the several classes of priests. The most important of these works have come down to us, and they occupy by far the most prominent place among the literary productions of the sutra-period. The Kalpa-sutras, or rules of ceremonial, are of two kinds: (1) the Shrautasutra's, which are based on the shruti, and teach the performance of the great sacrifices, requiring three sacrificial fires; and (2) the Smrtasutra's, or rules based on the smrti or tradition. The latter class again includes two kinds of treatises: (1) the Grhyasutra's, or domestic rules, treating of ordinary family rites, such as marriage, birth, namegiving, etc., connected with simple offerings in the domestic fire; and (2) the Dharmasutra's, which treat of customs and temporal duties, and are supposed to have formed the chief sources of the later law-books. Besides, the Shrauta-sutras of the Yajurveda have usually attached to them a set of so-called Shulva-sutras, i.e. rules of the cord, which treat of the measurement by means of cords, and the construction, of different kinds of altars required for sacrifices. These treatises are of special interest as supplying important information regarding the earliest geometrical operations in India. Along with the Sutras may be classed a large number of supplementary treatises, usually called Parishishta, on various subjects connected with the sacred texts and Vedic religion generally.
Shrauta Sutras
The Shrautasutras (śrautasūtra) form a part of the corpus of Sanskrit Sutra literature. Their topic is the interpretation of the shruti corpus and instructions relating to kalpa, the correct performance of ritual sacrifice. The bulk of the Shrautasutras are roughly contemporary to the Grhya corpus of domestic sutras, their language being late Vedic Sanskrit, dating maybe to roughly the sixth century B.C.E. (the century predating Panini).
| Veda | Śrautasûtra[2] |
|---|---|
| R̥gveda | Āśvalāyana Śrautasûtra Sāṅkhāyana Śrautasûtra |
| Sāmaveda | Lātyāyana Śrautasûtra Drāhayana Śrautasûtra Jaiminiya Śrautasûtra |
| Kr̥sna Yajurveda | Baudhāyana Śrautasûtra Mānava Śrautasûtra Bharadvāja Śrautasûtra Āpastamba Śrautasûtra Hiraṅyakeśi Śrautasûtra Vārāha Śrautasûtra Vaikhānasa Śrautasûtra |
| Śukla Yajurveda | Kātyāyana Śrautasûtra |
| Atharvaveda | Vaitāna Śrautasûtra |
Grhya Sutras
The Grhya Sutras "domestic sutras" are a category of Sanskrit texts in the tradition of the Brahmanas, commenting on Vedic ritual. Their language is late Vedic Sanskrit, and they date to around roughly 500 B.C.E., contemporary with the Shrautasutras. They are named after Vedic shakhas.
| Veda | Gr̥hyasûtra |
|---|---|
| R̥gveda | Âśvalâyana-Grhyasûtra Kausîtaki-Grhyasûtra Śāṅkhāyana-Gr̥hyasūtra |
| Sâmaveda | Gobhila-Grhyasûtra Khâdira-Grhyasûtra (Drâhyâyana-Grhyasûtra) Jaiminiya-Grhyasûtra Kauthuma-Grhyasûtra |
| Kr̥sna Yajurveda | Baudhâyana-Grhyasûtra Hiraṇyakeśi-Grhyasūtra (Satyâsâdha-Grhyasûtra) (Laugâksi-Grhyasûtra) Vârâha-Grhyasûtra Vâdhûla-Grhyasûtra Kapisthala-Katha Grhyasûtra (unpublished) |
| Śukla Yajurveda | Kâtyâyana Grhyasûtra (different from Pâraskara-Grhyasûtra) Pâraskara-Grhyasûtra |
| Atharvaveda | Kauśika Grhyasûtra |
Dharma Sutras
The Dharmasutras are Sanskrit texts dealing with law and rituals. They include the four surviving written works of the ancient Indian tradition on the subject of dharma, or the rules of behavior recognized by a community. Unlike the later ‘‘Dharmashastra, the dharmasutras are composed in prose. The oldest Dharmasutra is generally believed to have been that of Apastamba, followed by the dharmasutras of Gautama, Baudhayana, and Vasishtha. It is difficult to determine exact dates for these texts, but the dates between 500-300 B.C.E. have been suggested for the oldest Dharmasutras. Later Dharmasutras include those of Kasyapa, Brhaspati, and Ushanas.
| Veda | Dharmasûtra |
|---|---|
| R̥gveda | Vasishtha Dharmasûtra |
| Sāmaveda | Gautama Dharmasûtra |
| Kr̥sna Yajurveda | Baudhāyana Dharmasûtra Āpastamba Dharmasûtra |
Shulba Sutras
The Shulba Sutras | Śulbasûtra dealing with altar geometry are notably part of the Shrauta Sutras.
| Veda | Śulbasûtra[2] |
|---|---|
| Kr̥sna Yajurveda | Baudhāyana Śulbasûtra Mānava Śulbasûtra Āpastamba Śulbasûtra |
| Śukla Yajurveda | Kātyāyana Śulbasûtra |
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Dhallapiccola, Anna. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. Thames & Hudson, 2004. ISBN 0-500-51088-1
- Epstein, Ronald. Buddhism A to Z. Burlingame, California, 2003. ISBN 0-88139-353-3.
- Dhallapiccola, Anna. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. London: Thames & Hudson, 2004. ISBN 0-500-51088-1
- Klostermaier, Klaus. A Survey of Hinduism. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1989. ISBN 0887068073
- Kochar, Rajesh. Vedic People: Their History and Geography. Orient Longman, New Delhi, 2000. ISBN 8125010807
- Winternitz, Moritz. Geschichte der Indischen Literatur. Leipzig, 1905-1922, Vol. I-III. English translation: History of Indian Literature. Motilal Barnarsidass, Delhi, 1985, Vol I-III.
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