sacred texts
What are the Upaveda texts and what subjects do they cover?
What the Upavedas are
The word Upaveda means something close to "secondary Veda" or "knowledge that follows from the Vedas." There are four of them, each tied to one of the four main Vedas. They are not scripture in the same way the Vedas are, but they carry the status of traditional sacred knowledge passed down through the generations.
The four texts and their subjects
Ayurveda is the most widely known. It is linked to the Rigveda and covers medicine, the body, and health. It treats the human being as a whole, looking at how food, seasons, and daily habits affect wellbeing. Dhanurveda is linked to the Yajurveda and covers archery, combat, and the arts of warfare. It was the knowledge of warriors and kings. Gandharvaveda is linked to the Samaveda, the Veda most closely tied to song and chant. It covers music, rhythm, and the performing arts. Some traditions extend it to dance and drama as well. Sthapatyaveda, sometimes called Arthaveda, is linked to the Atharvaveda. It covers architecture, town planning, and in some accounts statecraft and governance.
Where they fit in the tradition
The Upavedas are described as secondary or applied knowledge, practical disciplines that grew out of the broader Vedic world. Exactly how and when each one took its current form is not always clear, and scholars note that the grouping of these four together is itself a later way of organizing older knowledge. Different traditions and regions have sometimes counted or described the Upavedas differently. Of the four, Ayurveda has the longest living tradition and is still practiced today.
Today
Ayurveda is the Upaveda most people encounter in everyday life, both in India and in the Hindu diaspora. Gandharvaveda is sometimes referenced in discussions of classical Indian music and its spiritual roots. Dhanurveda and Sthapatyaveda are mostly studied as historical traditions today, though Vastu Shastra, the practice of aligning buildings and spaces with traditional principles, draws from the architectural ideas in Sthapatyaveda and is still widely followed.