Word

Vidyas

Sanskrit

विद्या

IAST

vidyā

In General

Vidya means knowledge or skill in a particular work. Vidyas symbolically means to what is to be known or realized. Sastra is an almost a synonymous word. Sastra is more used for a particular discipline, like dhanur vidya or Ayur veda as a sastra and Vidya to spiritual disciplines.

According to tradition there are Chaturdasa vidya , 14 branches of knowledge for learning. These fourteen branches of vedic lore are the four Vedas: Rik, Sama, Yajur, Atharva, six angas: Siksa, Vyakarana, Chandas, Niruktha, Jyotisa, and Kalpa. Then the Mimamsa, Nyaya, Purana and Dharma sastra. These fourteen dharmashanas along with four Vidyasthanas: Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Arthasastra, Gandharvaveda are called 18 Sastras, the abode of knowledge.

Veda

Upanishad uses the word vidya for the techniques of spiritual sadhana. Chandogya and Brahadaranyaka U. gives lots of hints regarding many vidyas. The commentary by Adi Sankara is very useful in understanding the vidyas said in U. The discourses in U. are inspiring and logical, though it is only a method, it provide a lasting illumined impression in the mind of a spiritual discipline. But none of the U. elaborates the idea or gives various steps in the development. It is a reserved rahasya (secret) only for the deserving.

The teachers often test the integrity and other good qualities a student posses in the preliminary stage. Some of the good qualities are: truthfulness, faith in the teaching, contentment, steadfastness. the major part of the vidya is to be learn from the acharya by listening to his discourse and meditating on the truth he said. And the most import part is god realization is a direct and independent experience. After the realization of the Truth the sadaka (spiritual aspirant) become an authentic teacher of the secret knowledge, and become part of continuous tradition.

There are around 37 vidyas said in U. ; some of them are: Madhu Vidya, Prana Vidya, Vaisvanara Vidya, Bhuma Vidya, Nachiketa Vidya, Madhu Vidya, Sandilya Vidya, Gayatrimantra Vidya, Dahara Vidya, Udgita vidya, Samvarga vidya, Panchagni vidya.