''Vidya'' ( sa, विद्या, ) figures prominently in all texts pertaining to Indian philosophy – meaning science, learning, knowledge, and scholarship. Most importantly, it refers to valid knowledge, which cannot be contradicted, and true knowledge, which is the

intuitively Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; ...

-gained knowledge of the self. ''Vidya'' is not mere intellectual knowledge, for the Vedas demand understanding.

Meaning

''Vidya'' primarily means "correct knowledge" in any field of science, learning, philosophy, or any factual knowledge that cannot be disputed or refuted. Its root is ''vid'' ( Sanskrit: विद्), which means "to reason upon", knower, finding, knowing, acquiring or understanding.

Hinduism

In Hindu philosophy, ''vidyā'' refers to the knowledge of the soul or spiritual knowledge; it refers to the study of the six schools of Hindu philosophy:

Nyaya (Sanskrit: न्याय, ''nyā-yá''), literally meaning "justice", "rules", "method" or "judgment",Yoga, Vaisheshika,

Samkhya ''Samkhya'' or ''Sankya'' (; Sanskrit सांख्य), IAST: ') is a Dualism (Indian philosophy), dualistic Āstika and nāstika, school of Indian philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, ''purusha, puruṣa' ...

, Purvamimamsa and Uttaramimamsa. The process of gaining the knowledge of the

Atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Film * ''Ātman'' (1975 film), a Japanese experimental short film directed by Toshio Matsumoto * ''Atman'' (1997 film), a documentary film directed by Pirjo Honkasalo People * Pavel Atman (born 1987), Russian hand ...

cannot commence unless one has explored the ''Prānavidya'' or ''Agnividya'' to the full in all its numerous phase; through ''vidyā'' or ''

upasana Upasana (Sanskrit: उपासना ') literally means "worship" and "sitting near, attend to". The term also refers to one of three ' (, parts) of Vedas, one that focuses on worship. The other two parts of Vedas are called Aranyakas and Upanish ...

'' to '' jnana '' was always the eternal order indicated by the Upanishads. ''Jnāna'' dawns after the completion and perfection of the being through the ''vidyās''; then, one crosses over beyond birth and death having already destroyed the bonds of death.

Vedas

During the Vedic period, ''vidyādāna'' or the gift for the sake of education was considered to be the best of gifts, possessing a higher religious efficacy than even the gift of land. ''Vidyā'' comes from the root ''vid'' ("to know"); it therefore means knowledge, science, learning, lore, scholarship and philosophy. There are basically four ''Vidyas'': # ''Trayi'' (triple) which is the study of the Vedas and their auxiliary texts; # '' Anviksiki'' which is logic and metaphysics; # ''Dandaniti'' which is the science of governance; # ''Varum'', the practical arts such as agriculture, commerce, medicine etc. ''Vidyā'' gives insight, in the spiritual sphere it leads to salvation, in the mundane sphere it leads to progress and prosperity. ''Vidyā'' illuminates the mind and shatters illusions, increases intelligence, power and efficiency; develops the intellect and makes it more re-fined; it effects a complete transformation as the root of all happiness and as the source of illumination and power. The word, ''Vidyā'', does not occur in the

Rig Veda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...

, it occurs in the

Atharvaveda The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...

and in the

Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...

portions of the Yajurveda and in the Upanishads.

Agni Vidyā

''Agni Vidyā'' or the science of fire is said to be the greatest discovery of the ancient Indians who gained direct experience of divine fire through continuous research, contemplation, observation and experimentation; their experience led them to discover ways of using this knowledge to heal and nurture the outer and the inner worlds. To them fire is sacred, and because of the pervasive nature of fire all things are sacred. Body and mind which are extensions of the fire that the soul spontaneously emits are also sacred. Within the body the most significant centres of fire are more subtle than those of the sense organs. They are called the ''chakras'' which are seven fields of sacred fire. The understanding of the role of fire without and within gives proper self-understanding which understanding is gained through yogic practices. The performance of yajnas is the ''karma-kānda'' aspect of ''agni vidyā''. All rituals follow set rules and conditions. The main function of the fire ritual is to make an offering to nature's finest forces and divinities that fill the space of inner consciousness; fire carries oblations to these forces and divinities. The fire has seven tongues all having unique qualities. The gods, goddesses, divinities and nature's forces are grouped in seven main categories which match with the qualities of the seven tongues of fire.

In Vedanta and the Upanishads

Atmaikatva

''Atmaikatva'' or the absolute oneness of the self is the theme of entire Advaita Vedanta which distinguishes six '' pramanas'' or means of valid knowledge, but this ''vidyā'' or knowledge of Brahman is ''guhahita'', ''gahavareshta'' i.e. set in the secret place and hidden in its depth, unattainable except through ''adhyātma-yoga'', the meditation centering upon the nature of the self. Vedanta literature is only preparatory to it, it dispels ignorance and makes the mind receptive but does not reveal the truth therefore it is an indirect means of knowledge. The oneness of the self, which is self-established and self-shining, is called ''vidyā'' in cosmic reference which reveals the true nature of Brahman, the self-shining pure consciousness which is not a ''visaya'' ('object matter or content') but the one subject, transcendent of all conventional subjects and objects. The Self or the Atman is to be sought, the Self is to be enquired into, known and understood.

Hierarchy of knowledge

The sage of the

Mundaka Upanishad The Mundaka Upanishad ( sa, मुण्डक-उपनिषद्, ) is an ancient Sanskrit Vedic text, embedded inside Atharva Veda. It is a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 5 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads of Hin ...

(Verse I.1.4), more in the context of the ritualistic than of epistemological concerns, states that there are two kinds of knowledge (''vidyā'') to be attained, the higher (''para'') and the lower (''apara''). '' Para vidyā'', the higher knowledge, is knowledge of the Absolute ( Brahman,

); ''Apara'', the lower knowledge, is knowledge of the world – of objects, events, means, ends, virtues and vices. ''Para vidyā'' has Reality as its content; ''Apara vidyā'', the phenomenal world. According to Advaita Vedanta, ''Para vidyā'', by the nature of its content, possesses a unique quality of ultimacy that annuls any supposed ultimacy that might be attached to any other or form of knowledge, and is intuitively gained as self-certifying. Once Brahman is realized all other modes of knowledge are seen to be touched by ''avidyā'', the root of ignorance. In this context, ''Vidyā'' means true knowledge. However, it is argued that the Advaita Vedanta interpretation does not answer the final question: what is the reality or truth-value of ''avidyā'' or what is the substratum that is the basis or cause of ''avidyā''?

Valid knowledge

The Upanishads teach that the knowledge of difference is ''avidyā'' or ignorance, and the knowledge of identity is true knowledge or ''vidyā'' or valid knowledge, which leads to life eternal. For the

Cārvāka Charvaka ( sa, चार्वाक; IAST: ''Cārvāka''), also known as ''Lokāyata'', is an ancient school of Indian materialism. Charvaka holds direct perception, empiricism, and conditional inference as proper sources of knowledge, embrace ...

s, perception is the only means of valid knowledge (''pramana''). Vadi Deva Suri of the Jaina school defines valid knowledge as determinate cognition which apprehends itself and an object and which is capable of prompting activity which attains a desirable object or rejects an undesirable object; the result of valid knowledge is cessation of ignorance. Vaisheshikas recognized four kinds of valid knowledge – Perception, Inference, Recollection and Intuition. The Mimamsa schools introduced the concept of intrinsic validity of knowledge (''svatahpramanya'') and extrinsic validity of knowledge (''parastah-apramana'') but agreed that the validity of knowledge cannot be determined by the knowledge of any special excellence in its cause or the knowledge of its harmony with the real nature of its object or the knowledge of a fruitful action. Sankara accepted perception, inference, scriptural testimony, comparison, presumption and non-apprehension as the six sources of knowledge and concluded that the knowledge which corresponds with the real nature of its object is valid. The Atman is the reality in the empirical self as the ever-present foundational subject-objectless universal consciousness which sustains the empirical self.

Further Significance

In ''upāsanā'' the movement starts from the outer extremities and gradually penetrates into the inmost recesses of the soul, and the whole investigation is conducted in two spheres, in the subject as well as in the object, in the individual as well as in the world, in the ''aham'' as also in the '' idam '', in the ''adhyātma'' and also in ''adhidaiva'' spheres and conducted synthetically as well as analytically, through ''apti'' as well as ''samrddhi'', which the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

calls '' yoga '' and ''

vibhooti In Hinduism, ''vibhuti'' ( sa, विभूति, vibhūti), also called ''bhasma'' or ''thiruneeru'', is sacred ash made of burnt dried wood, burnt cow dung and/or cremated bodies used in Agamic rituals. Hindu devotees apply ''vibhuti'' tradi ...

''. The ''vidyās'' do not rest content in knowing the reality simply as a whole but proceed further to comprehend it in all its infinite details too. The higher includes the lower grades and adds something more to it and never rejects it; the lower has its fulfilment in the higher and finds its consummation there but never faces extinction. All forms of contemplation have only one aim: to lead to the Supreme Knowledge and hence they are termed as ''vidyās''; through ''vidyā'', which is ''amrta'', one attains immortality (

Shvetashvatara Upanishad The ''Shvetashvatara Upanishad'' ( sa, श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद् or or , IAST: ' or ') is an ancient Sanskrit text embedded in the Yajurveda. It is listed as number 14 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads. The Upa ...

Verse V.1). '' Dahara Vidyā'', ''Udgitha Vidyā'' and '' Madhu Vidyā'' are the synthetic way whereas the analytic way is signified by the Sleeping man of the ''Garga-Ajātsatru'' episode and by the Five Sheaths, which ways show that the world and the individual spring from the same eternal source.

In Hindu Tantra

In Hinduism, goddesses are personifications of the deepest level of power and energy. The concept of Shakti, in its most abstract terms, relates to the energetic principle of ultimate reality, the dynamic aspect of the divine. This concept surfaces in the

Kena Upanishad The Kena Upanishad () is a Vedic Sanskrit text classified as one of the primary or Mukhya Upanishads that is embedded inside the last section of the ''Talavakara Brahmanam'' of the Samaveda.Paul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, M ...

as Goddess Umā bestowing ''Brahma-vidya'' on

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

; when linked with ''shakti'' and ''maya'', she embodies the power of illusion (''maya''), encompassing ignorance ('' avidya'') and knowledge (''vidyā'') and thereby presented with a dual personality. According to the Saktas,

Māyā ''Maya'' (; Devanagari: , IAST: ), literally "illusion" or "magic", has multiple meanings in Indian philosophies depending on the context. In later Vedic texts, connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not ...

is basically a positive, creative, magical energy of the Goddess that brings forth the universe. The ten ''Mahāvidyās'' are bestowers or personifications of transcendent and liberating religious knowledge; the term ''Vidyā'' in this context refers to power, essence of reality and the ''mantras''. The gentle and motherly forms of Goddess Sri Vidyā are 'right-handed'. When the awareness of the 'exterior' ( Shiva) combined with the "I" encompasses the entire space as "I" it is called ''sada-siva-tattva''. When later, discarding the abstraction of the Self and the exterior, clear identification with the insentient space takes place, it is called ''isvara-tattva''; the investigation of these two last steps is pure ''vidyā'' (knowledge). ''Māyā'', which has been identified with '' Prakrti'' in the

represents its three '' gunas''; also identified with ''avidyā'', which term primarily means the dark abyss of non-being and secondarily the mysterious darkness of the unmanifest state, ''Māyā'' binds through ''avidyā'' and releases through ''vidyā'' .

Buddhism

In Theravada Buddhism, ''vidyā'' means 'non-dual awareness' of three marks of existence. In Tibetan Buddhism, the word, '' rigpa'' , meaning ''vidyā'', similarly refers to non-dualistic awareness or intrinsic awareness.

''Vidyā'' mantras

In Vajrayana texts, mantras exist in three forms: ''guhyā'' (secret), ''vidyā'' (knowledge) ''dhāraṇī'' (mnemonic). Male Buddhist tantric deities are represented by the grammatically masculine ''vidyā'', while female Buddhist tantric deities are represented by the grammatically feminine ''dhāraṇī''. The ''vidyā'' mantras constitute the knowledge and the mind of all the Buddhas and that which possesses the '' dharma-dhātu'' (essence of ''dhamma''), and it is this knowledge, according to Cabezon, which "pacifies the suffering experienced in the existential world (''

saṃsāra ''Saṃsāra'' (Devanagari: संसार) is a Pali/Sanskrit word that means "world". It is also the concept of rebirth and "cyclicality of all life, matter, existence", a fundamental belief of most Indian religions. Popularly, it is the c ...

'') and the heaps of faults such as desire".

''Pañcavidyā''

In Buddhism, the ' ( Sanskrit; ) or "five sciences" are the five major classes of knowledge (''vidyā'') which bodhisattvas are said to have mastered. A recognised master of all five sciences is afforded the title '' paṇḍita''. The five sciences are: # the "science of language" ('; , ); # the "science of logic" ('; , ); # the "science of medicine" ('; , ); # the "science of fine arts and crafts" ('; , ); # the "inner science" of spirituality ('; , ) which relates to the study of the Tripiṭaka.

References

{{Indian philosophy, state=collapsed Rigveda Hindu philosophical concepts Buddhist philosophical concepts Jain philosophy Vedanta Upanishads Yoga concepts Tantra Advaita Vedanta Nondualism Knowledge Sanskrit words and phrases