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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 1: ****Sri Paraasharah - ****Aadyo vedah chatushpaadah shata sahasra sammitah | ****Tato dasha gunah krutsno yajnyo ayam sarvakaamadhuk || ***Sri Paraasharar *- Veda which was present as one unit initially, was divided into four; and then hundreds of thousands of branches afterwards. It has dasha guna. It can bestow any desire of anybody. Whatever you desire, you can get from the Vedaas.

**Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Aadya iti | Aadyah sarga aadou chaturmukhena avibhaktah pathitah | ****Chatushpaadah rugaadi roopena | Shata sahara iti ananta shaakhaa samudaaya ****roopah | Tatah tasmaat dasha guno yajnyah praavartata | Dashaguno ****dashavidhah, sa esha yajnyah panchavidho agnihotram darsha-poornamaasou ****chaaturmaasyaani pashubandhah soma iti | Tathaa * Pancha vaa ete ****mahaayajnyaah * iti upakramya * devayajnyah pitruyajnyo bhootayajnyo ****manushyayajnyo brahmayajnyah * iti shrutou vaitaarnikaa gaarhyaah cha dasha ****yajnyaah | * Dravyam deshah phalam kaalo jnyaanam karma cha kaarakam | ****Shraddhaa avasthaa krutih nishthaah traigunyaah sarva eva hi iti bhaagavata ****ukta guna dashakavaan vaa, atra pakshe guna shabdo angavachanah | **During the creation, Chaturmukha Brahma had studied it as one single undivided unit. Then it was divided into four - Rig, Yajus, Saama, Atharva. Then, hundred thousand, not just hundred thousand, but it is ananta, innumerable number of branches. From the Vedaas, which was present as one unit, and divided into four, the yajnya having the ten qualities, or ten types of yajnyaas, were started, promulgated. Dasha guna means ten types, dasha vidha. Five kinds of yajnyaas are told to be the sacrificial ones - *Agnihotra, Darsha-poornamaasa *(done during Amaavaasya and Poornimaa), *Chaaturmaasya, Pashubandha *(where pashu is offered as bali), Soma. Similarly, there are five mahaayajnyaas also - *Devayajnya, *Pitruyajnya, Bhootayajnya, Manushyayajnya, Brahmayajnya. Vaitaarnika are the sacrificial yajnyaas, and Gaarhya are what are done in the house. Ten yajnyaas are told; this is also one meaning for the dasha guna. The yajnyaas of ten types are created out of these yajnyas only. Not only these, there are ten qualities told - for the yajnyaas. Yajnya is offering of a dravya for a devataa; there is a particular place where it can be done (desha) ; specific fruits are mentioned for each one www.sadagopan.org [[35]] of 219

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(phalam) ; yajnyaas can be done at specific times (kaala) only as prescribed in the Shruti; jnyaana; karma or activity; the adhikaari who performs the yajnya; faith; avasthaa. The ten qualities, gunaas are told in the *Bhaagavata. *Guna means anga. Various desires are fulfilled by them.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 2: ****Tato atra mat suto vyaaso ashtaavimshatame antare | **Vedamekam chatushpaadam chaturdhaa vyabhajat prabhuh || Vyaasa who is my son, in the twenty-eighth Dvaapara Yuga, he made one Veda which was present as one unit, divided it into four.
Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: **Tata iti | Chaturdhaa ruk aadi roopena |

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 3: ****Yathaa cha tena te vyastaa vedavyaasena dheemataa | ****Vedaah tathaa samastaih taih vyastaa vayaasaih tathaa mayaa || **Like I had done in the twenty-sixth Dvaapara Yuga, in the same way, every Vyaasa in the Dvaapara, they do the same act. Bhagavaan Himself comes and takes that form and does that.
Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: **Yathaa iti | Tathaa mayaa shadvimshe vyastaah |

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 4: ****Tata anena eva vedaanaam shaakhaa bhedaan dvijottama | ****Chaturyugeshu rachitaan samasteshu avadhaaraya || **Krishna Dvaipaayana Vyaasa, who is none other than the Amsha of Naaraayana, in this current Dvaapara Yuga, in the series of Chaturyugaas, how the *shaakhaa *bhedaas were created, that I will tell you, please do listen to me, very carefully, O Maitreya.
Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Tata iti | Anena vartamaanena naaraayanaamshena dvaipaayanena ****nidarshanabhootena samasteshu chaturyugeshu vedapaaragaih eva shaakhaa **bhedaan rachitaan avadhaaraya iti arthah | This is done by those who are experts in the Vedaas, who have mastered the Vedaas; how they created the various branches, for the various Vedaas; I am going to tell you those details now.

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This is a very famous shloka. **Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 5: ****Krushnadvaipaayanam vyaasam viddhi naaraayanam prabhum | **Ko hi anyo bhuvi maitreya mahaabaaratakrut bhavet || Know Krishna Dvaipaayana as saakshaat Naarayana only. O Maitreya, in this world, who else can create Mahaabhaarata which is such a wonderful work. www.sadagopan.org [[36]] of 219

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 6: ****Tena vyastaa yathaa vedaah mat putrena mahaatmanaa | **Dvaapare hi atra maitreya tat me shrunu yathaatatham || He tells his son as Mahaatman. Paraasharar gives utmost respect to his son Vedavyaasa. In this Dvaapara, my son who is most excellent, who divided the Vedaas into four, I am going to tell you as he did, please do listen to me.

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 7: ****Brahmanaa chotidoo vyaaso vedaan vyastum prachakrame | ****Atha shishyaan sa jagraaha chaturo vedapaaragaan || **Being told by Brahma, Vyaasa started to divide the Vedaas into four. Four shishyaas who were all experts in Vedaas, he took them. Veda was present as one unit, and they had all studied that Veda.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 8: ****Rugveda paathakam pailam jagraaha sa mahaamunih | **Vaishampaayana naamaanam yajurvedasya cha aagraheet || In order to promulgate the Rig Veda, he took Paila as his shishya. For Yajur Veda, he took Vaishampaayana, as the one responsible for promulgation of the *Yajur *Veda.

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 9: ****Jaiminam saamavedasya tathaa eva atharvavedavit | ****Sumantuh tasya shishyo abhoot vedavyaasasya dheematah || **For Saama Veda, he took Jaimini, and for Atharva Veda, he took Sumantu.

Veda Vyaasa took Paila, Vaishampaayana, Jaimini and Sumantu for promulgation of the four Vedaas, Rig, Yajus, Saama, Atharva.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 10: ****Romaharshana naamaanam mahaabuddhim mahaamunih | **Sootam jagraaha shishyam sa itihaasa puraanayoh || Romaharshana who was a soota, was a very brilliant person; great sage Vyaasa took him for Itihaasa and Puraana. In order to teach Itihaasa and Puraana, one needs to have excellent brilliance; they should teach it as it existed. Events have to be narrated as they existed. It is said that the person who is telling and person who is listening, for them, it should create horripilation, romaanchana. That is why he is called Romaharshana himself.

**Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Romaharshana iti | * Aarsham bahuvidhaakhyaanam devarshi charitaashrayam | ****Itihaasa iti proktam bhavishyat bhootakarmagam | **Itihaasa is said as iti ha aasa; what existed previously, in olden times. But here the meaning is that it contains everything which is going to happen in future. These are contained in itihaasa. It is rishi prokta. It is told in many ways, and it is www.sadagopan.org [[37]] of 219

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the aacharanaa of all the Devarshis, what all they did.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 11: ****Eka aaseet yajurvedah tam chaturdhaa vyakalpayat | **Chaaturhotram abhoot tasmin tena yajnyam atha akarot || Yajurveda itself was one, and he made it into four. It is called Chaaturhotra, and there are four ritviks.

**Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Eka iti | Yajurvede hi adhvaryu kriyaa baahulyaat yajana saadhanatvaat cha ****yajuh praachuryaat sarvo api vedo yajuh iti uktam | * Yat shishtam tu ****yajurvede tena yajnyam ayunjata | Yajanaat hi yajurveda iti shaastrasya ****nishchayah iti vaayu ukteh | Adhvaryu udgaatru hotru brahmaakhya ****chaturhotru kartrukam karma chaaturhotram tat chaturdhaa krute vede ****aabhoot | Tena karmanaa yajnyam akarot praavartayat | **Adhvaryu is the expert in Yajurveda, who is responsible for the *Yajurveda *mantraas, the performance of the karma. Whatever the adhvaryu has to do, those mantraas are all in the Yajurveda. This is the main part of the Yaaga. The entire Veda is said to be Yajurveda only here. Yajurveda only was there. This is because Yajur mantraas are abundant, and are the main mantraas for performance of the karmaas. Yajanaat hi yajurvedah. Vaayu Puraana says that. In the four divisions of the Vedaas, the various mantraas, which are recited by four ritviks, called Adhvaryu, Udgaatru, Hotru, Brahma - Adhvaryu is responsible for the Yajurveda mantraas, Hotru is for the Rigveda mantraas, Udgaatru is for *udgaana *- the Saama Veda mantraas, and Brahma is supposed to know all the three and also the Atharvana Veda. These are four, and so it is called Chaaturhotra. With these karmaas, yajnya was promulgated.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 12: ****Aadhvaryavam yajurbhih tam rugbhih houtram tathaa munih | **Oudgaatram saamabhih chakre brahmatvam cha api atharvabhih || In one unit of Veda, all these mantraas are there. Yajurveda mantraas are those with which the Adhvaryu does the performance of the karma, this is called Aadhvaryava. The mantraas which an Adhvaryu says to perform the karma are Aadhvaryava. Whatever hotru says is Houtra. The *Houtra mantraas, *Rig mantraas were all taken out. The Oudgaatru mantraas were collected together, which were having all the Saama mantraas. The Houtra mantraas were collected together, the Rig mantraas. Aadhvaryava mantraas were collected together, which are Yajur mantraas.

The word api means that initially Vedaas were only three. It is told as *Vedaah *trayee, Rig, Yajus and Saama Veda. And Atharva Veda was added later. Brahma is one who knew all the three. Or, Brahma is the one who also knew the *Atharva *Veda.
Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: **www.sadagopan.org [[38]] of 219

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**Etat eva prapanchayati aadhvaryam iti | Brahmatvam cha api atharvabhih iti | ****Atra api shabdena trayee samuccheeyate, brahmatvashabdena ****brahmaartvijyam purohita krutyam cha uchyate, * Namo brahmana iti ****trishkrutvo brahmane namaskaroti * iti shruteh purohitasya brahma shabda ****vaachyatvaat | Ayam arthah, * Atha kena brahmatvam kriyata iti trayyaa ****vidyayaa * iti braahmanaat * yajnyam vyaakhyaasyaamasya tribhih vedaih ****vidheeyate * iti sootraat cha brahmakrutyam tribhih vedaih chakre | Tathaa ****aatharvana uktam raajnyaam shaantika poushtika aabhichaarikaadi pourohita **krutyam atharvabhih chakra iti tam chaturdhaih iti uktam | How the Chaaturhotra is done is explained here. Here, api means *trayee - Rig, *Yajus and Saama. Brahmatva means brahmaartvijya, the Ritvik Brahma, whatever he does. It is generally done in *karmaas - Namo Brahmane, Namo astu Agnaye, **Namah Pruthivye, Nama Oshadhibhyah namo vaache… *– this is repeated three times and thus for Brahma, we do namah three times, therefore the trayee is told. Braahmana says that Brahmatva is done with all the three *Vedaas - Rig, *Yajus and Saama. All the three collected is the function of the Brahma. There is a sootra which says that Brahmatva is told with three Vedaas. For the sovereigns, whatever karmaas are told - the *shaanti *karmaas, poushtika karmaas and aabhichaarika karmaas, all of these karmaas are in the Atharva Veda, and because of this, it became four.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 13: ****Tatah sa rucha uddhrutya rugvedam krutavaan munih | **Yajoomshi yajurvedam saamavedam cha saamabhih || He collected the mantraas which are Hotra mantraas, from Rig Veda, the *Rung *mantraas, and that collection of mantraas, became *Rig *Veda itself. Yajur mantraas were all pulled out, and Yajur Veda was made. *Saama *mantraas which the udgaataa does the gaana, was taken out and Saama Veda was made.
Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: **Chaaturvidyam prapanchayati - tatah sa iti | Tatah - vedasamudaayaat |

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 14: ****Raajnyaama cha atharvavedena sarvakarmaani cha prabhuh | ****Kaarayaamaasa maitreya brahmatvam cha yathaasthiti || **All the karmaas of the sovereigns was taken out as Atharva Veda. Without exceeding what is told in the shaastraas, the Brahmatva was also created with the Atharva Veda mantraas.

**Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Raajnyaam iti | Yathaa sthiti shaastra maryaadaa anatikramena | **

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 15: ****So ayam eko mahaavedataruh tena pruthak krutah | ****Chaturdhaa atha tato jaatam vedapaadapakaananam || **www.sadagopan.org [[39]] of 219

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A huge tree of Veda, was separated into four. The Veda tree got divided into four, and that into multiple branches, it became a huge neverending forest of Vedaas.

**Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****So ayam iti | Tatah prutak krutebhyah, ananta shaakhaatvmaka veda paadapa ****kaananam jaatam | **The innumerable branches, the forest of Veda tree was created from that.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 16: ****Bibheda prathamam vipra pailo rugveda paadapam | **Indrapramitaye praadaat baashkalaaya cha samhite || For Rigveda, he had taken Paila as the shishya, and he divided Rigveda further. The Samhitaas he gave to Indrapramiti and Baashkala, the two shishyaas.

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 17: ****Chaturdhaa sa bibhedaatha baashkalo api cha samhitaam | ****Bodhaadibhyo dadou taah cha shishyebhyah sa mahaamunih || **Then, Baashkala who learnt the Samhitaa, he again divided into four. He gave it to Bodhya and others.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 18: ****Bodhyaagnimaadhakou tadvat yaajnyavalkya paraasharou | **Pratishaakhaah tu shaakhayaah tasyaah aaste jagruhuh mune || These are the four shishyaas to whom Baashkala taught further - *Bodhya, *Agnimaadhaka, Yaajnyavalkya and Paraashara. They mastered all the pratishaakhaas of this Samhitaa shaakhaa.

**Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Bodhyaagnimaadhakou tadvat iti | Tasyaah baashkala samhitaayaah | **This is for the Baashkala Samhitaa.

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 19: ****Indrapramitih ekaam tu samhitaam svasutam tatah | ****Maandukeyam mahaatmaanam maitreyua adhyapayat tadaa || **Indrapramiti, who had also learnt the Samhitaa, taught it to his own son, Maandukeya, who was a great sage, mahaatmaa.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 20: **Tasya shishya prashishyebhyah putrashishyakramaat yayou | From there, from student to student, student to student, and also to sons, shishya and prashishya, and so on, Veda was taught to many people everywhere.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 21: ****Vedamitrah tu shaakalyah samhitaam taam adheetavaan | **Chakaara samhitaah pancha shishyebhyah pradadou cha taah || www.sadagopan.org [[40]] of 219

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Vedamitra who was also called as Shaakalya, also learnt that *Samhitaa *- the Indrapramiti Samhitaa. He further divided it into five parts, and taught it to his students further.

**Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Veda mitrah iti | Taam indrapramiti samhitaam shaakalyah panchadhaa krutvaa ****mudgalaadinyah adaat | **Taught to Mudgala and others whose names will be told now.

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 22: ****Tasya shishyaah tu ye pancha teshaam naamaani me shrunu | ****Mudgalo gomukhah cha eva vaatsyashaaleeya eva cha | ****Shaishirah panchamah cha aaseet maitreya sumahaamatih || **I am going to tell you the names of those five students, *Mudgala, Gomukha, *Vaatsya, Shaaleeya, Shaishira. Shaishira, the fifth one, had great wisdom.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 23: ****Samhitaa tritayam chakre shaakapoornah tathaa itarah | **Niruttamakarot tadvat chaturtham munisattama || Shaakalya’s fellow students, who were also studying with the same master, also studied the Indrapramiti samhitaa. The name is told as Shaakapoorna. He made it into three Samhitaas and also created Nirukta, which has the *Veda shabda *nirvachanaas.
Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Samhitaa iti | Taam eva shaakalya sabrahmachaaree shaakapoornah tridhaa ****krutvaa krounchaadibhyo adaat | Veda shabda nirvachana roopam **niruktaakhyam vedaangam cha krutvaa niruktaakyaaya aadaat | He creates Nirukta, which contains how to understand the derivations of the Vedic words. Nirukta is a Vedaanga.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 24: ****Krouncho vaitaalikah tadvat baalakah cha mahaamunih | **Niruktah cha chaturtho abhoot vedavedaangapaaragah || He took four shishyaas, Krouncha, Vaitaalika, Baalaka, Nirukta. These are great sages who had mastered the Veda and Vedaangaas also. To these four shishyaas, he taught the Indrapramiti Samhitaa, and also Nirukta.

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Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 25: ****Iti etaah pratishaakhaabhyo hi anushaakhaa dvijottama | **Baashkalih cha aparaah tisrah samhitaah krutavaan dvija || This Samhitaa, another fellow student of Shaakalya, who is known as Baashkali, he further divided into three Samhitaas, which are anushaakhaas.

Shaakhaa, Pratishaakhaa, Anushaakhaa, like this, it started to grow, these Vedic branches. This huge tree of Veda, with innumerable number of www.sadagopan.org [[41]] of 219

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branches, became a huge forest.
Sri Engal Aalwaan’s Commentary: ****Iti iti | Taam eva anyah shaakalya sabrahmachaaree baashkalih tisra samhitaah **krutavaan | Tasya shishyaah kaalaayanyaadayah tebhyo adaat iti arthah | Baashkali is a shishya, who was also studying along with *Shaakalya *- he made it into three Samhitaas, and taught it to Kaalayani, Gaargya and Kathaajava. They further promulgated.

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**Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 3, Chapter 4, Shloka 26: ****Iti ete bahvruchaah proktaah samhitaa yaih pravartitaah || **Those who promulgated these Samhitaas and created shaakhaas, pratishaakhaas, were all called as Bahvruchaas.

In this way, to their sons, shishyaas, prashishyaas, the Vedic branches were promulgated, in innumerable ways to all the adhikaaris. They were all called Bahvruchaas.

This completes the Amsha 3, Chapter 4.

|| Iti Sri Vishnu Puraane Truteeye Amshe Chaturtho Adhyaayah ||* **|| Iti Sri Vishnu Chitteeye Vishnu Puraana Vyaakhyaane Truteeye Amshe Chaturtho Adhyaayah || *** **www.sadagopan.org [[42]] of 219

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|| Atha Panchamo Adhyaayah || *Yaajnyavalkya’s Story, Shukla Yajurveda ** *Now, Chapter 5.

Paraasharar is going to tell the story of how the saakshaatkaara of *Shukla *Yajurveda was done by Yaajnyavalkya, and also Vaishmpaayana’s story. How the Shukla Yajurveda was taught by Surya to Yaajnyavalkya, which we will see next. We are studying about how the Vedaas which were existing as one huge unit, were divided into four by Vedavyaasa. He accepted four shishyaas, Paila for *Rigveda, *Vaishampaayana for Yajurveda, Jaimini for Saamaveda, Sumantu for Atharvaveda. How the four Vedaas were formed was also told. Though it is told as Veda trayee, the three Vedaas, one explanation given is that three kinds of *mantraas, *Adhvaryava, Houtra, and Oudgaatru mantraas, were all taken from one big unit of Vedaas separately. Those which are used by the Adhvaryu, for performing the yaagaas, those which are used by the Hotru, and those which are used by the Udgaatru, were all taken out from one single Veda, which existed as one unit, and were named as Yajurveda, Rigveda and Saamaveda. Later on, the fourth Veda was also formed, picking up the other mantraas, which are used for the various karmaas of kings, like Shaantika, Poushtika, Aabhichaarika. Though four ritviks are there in all yaagaas, Adhvaryu, Hotru, Udgaatru, and Brahma, three kinds of mantraas are prominently used by the three *ritviks *- these are the Adhvaryu mantraas, Hotru mantraas and Udgaatru mantraas. This is one explanation given for the trayee. Brahma is the one who has studied the *Atharva *Veda, and he also knows the other three prayogaas, he is supposed to be one of the ritviks for all the yaagaas. How the prachaara and pravartana of Rigveda was done, starting with Paila and all the shishyaas, Indrapramiti, Baashkala and all others, and it grew into innumerable number of branches, through shishyaas, prashishyaas, their sons, and it started getting multiple branches. It grew into a huge tree. This was all seen in Amsha 3, Chapter 4. In the current Chapter 5, Paraasharar continues to talk about how *Yajurveda *prachaara was done. And then the Saamaveda and then Atharva Veda. While telling the Yajurveda shaakhaa, there is a small story which comes, about Yaajnyavalkya and Vaishampaayana which Sri Paraasharar tells.