Parā-vidyā & aparā-vidyā

Angiras begins the teaching in the next mantra.

tasmai sa hovāca dve vidye veditavye iti ha sma |

yad brahmavido vadanti parā caivāparā ca ||1.1.4||

Angiras said to Śaunaka: those who know the Veda say that there are indeed two types of knowledge to be gained, which are known as higher and lower.

tasmai sa hovāca - Angiras said to Śaunaka. dve vidye veditavye iti ha sma yad brahmavido vadanti - those who know the Veda say that there are two types of knowledge to be gained. brahmavidaḥ (the knower of brahman) here refers to the knower of entire Veda, including Vedānta, since another meaning of brahma is Veda. There are two types of knowledge that everyone has to know, parā caivāparā ca - one is parā-vidyā (higher knowledge) and the other is aparā-vidyā (lower knowledge). It implies that every human being is born ignorant. Even though there are two vidyās (knowledges) to be gained, aparā-vidyā is later to be negated. Even though aparā-vidyā is to be negated, it is as important in the beginning, because it is helpful for gaining parā-vidyā. Learning aparā-vidyā, like language, rituals, analysis, logic, etc. makes a person fit to receive parā-vidyā. In what way? Without language one can’t understand. Rituals make one’s mind think systematically. Analysis and logic are involved in the study because when there is wrong thinking that needs to be corrected, and to see the fallacies in our thinking, we require analysis and logic. Therefore, aparā-vidyā is necessary.

Next mantra, Angiras listed what the parā-vidyā and aparā-vidyā are.

tatrāparā ṛgvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo'tharvavedaḥ

śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇam niruktam chando jyotiṣamiti |

atha parā yayā tadakṣaramadhigamyate ||1.1.5||

Among the two, the aparā-vidyā is Rgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, Atharvaveda, phonetics, know-how of rituals, grammar, etymology of Vedic words, science of metres, astronomy and astrology. And parā-vidyā is the one by which that imperishable Brahman is known.

Among the two, tatrāparā - the aparā-vidyā is ṛgvedaḥ, yajurvedaḥ, sāmavedaḥ, atharvavedaḥ, all the four Vedas. It is not that one should study all the four Vedas, but one has to study the recension of the Veda to which one belongs. The six-fold secondary disciplines of knowledge that help to understand Vedas are also in the list. They are śikṣā - phonetics, which deals with the pronunciation of the language, including accents and the knowledge of the length of the letters. kalpaḥ - know-how of rituals. Kalpaḥ is connected to one’s religious life. It is a discipline of knowledge that provides the basis for a structured religious life, of what is right and wrong, of what should be done and should not be done.

Such a life makes a person maintaining alertness all the time. It also involves a lot of sacrifice, which makes the person mature in life; thus we do not feel restricted by the structure. Dharma-adharma and proper-improper become the guiding factor in life instead of likes and dislikes. It also teaches a way of performing every ritual by using different mantras in the Vedas that are used for different occasions.

vyākaraṇam - grammar, helps us to understand the meaning properly. niruktam - etymology of Vedic words. It is a kind of dictionary of vedic words showing their evolution from the grammatical roots to know the meaning of specific words. chandaḥ - science of metres, like anustup and tristup as how we chant Bhagavad-Gita verses. jyotiṣamiti - and astrology, like how to read Hindu calendar. The life of a vedic person is very much connected to the cosmic movement. The above six disciplines of knowledge help one understands the Veda and Vedānta.

atha parā yayā tadakṣaramadhigamyate - and parā-vidyā is that by which the imperishable Brahman is known. Since the upaniṣad is the only means to know brahman, how can Vedas be called aparā-vidyā here. Śankarācārya himself raises an objection in his commentary and clarifies what parā-vidyā is. The words of the upaniṣad are not parā-vidyā. For a vedic scholar, he is able to chant the entire upaniṣad, but he may not fully understand what the sentences of the upaniṣad mean. Parā-vidyā refers to the cognitive thought by which the imperishable brahman is understood as oneself. The knowledge, the identity of the self with brahman that takes place in the intellect upon hearing the words of the upaniṣad is called parā-vidyā.