Upaveda
उपवेद
Four subsidiary knowledge systems, each linked to a Veda.
Definition
The Upavedas ('subsidiary Vedas') are four applied disciplines traditionally attached to the four Vedas: Āyurveda (medicine) to the Ṛgveda, Dhanurveda (archery and warfare) to the Yajurveda, Gāndharvaveda (music and performance) to the Sāmaveda, and Sthāpatyaveda or Arthaśāstra to the Atharvaveda. The assignments come from later lists such as the Caraṇavyūha and differ between sources; Suśruta, for instance, links Āyurveda to the Atharvaveda.
Articles that use this term
- VedaExplainer
What the Vedic sciences are, and how they connect
A map of India's classical knowledge traditions, from the Vedas through the six Vedangas to the applied sciences, and where Jyotish sits among them.
7 min read · 17 October 2026