Vidyā (विद्या).—[vid-kyap]
1) Knowledge, learning, lore, science; (tāṃ) विद्यामभ्यसनेनेव प्रसादयितुमर्हसि (vidyāmabhyasaneneva prasādayitumarhasi) R.1.88; विद्या नाम नरस्य रूपमधिकं प्रच्छन्नगुप्तं धनम् (vidyā nāma narasya rūpamadhikaṃ pracchannaguptaṃ dhanam) &c. Bhartṛhari 2.2. (According to some Vidyās are four :-ānvīkṣikī trayī vārtā daṇḍanītiśca śīśvatī Kāmandaka); चतसृष्वपि ते विवेकिनी नृप विद्यासु निरूढिमागता (catasṛṣvapi te vivekinī nṛpa vidyāsu nirūḍhimāgatā) Kirātārjunīya 2.6; to these four Manu adds a fifth आत्मविद्या (ātmavidyā); त्रैविद्येभ्यस्त्रयीं विद्यां दण्डनीतिं च शाश्वतीम् । आन्वीक्षिकीं चात्मविद्यां वार्तारम्भांश्च लोकतः (traividyebhyastrayīṃ vidyāṃ daṇḍanītiṃ ca śāśvatīm | ānvīkṣikīṃ cātmavidyāṃ vārtārambhāṃśca lokataḥ) || Manusmṛti 7.43. But the usual number of Vidyās is stated to be fourteen, i. e. the four Vedas, the six Aṅgas, Dharma, Mimāṃsā, Tarka or Nyāya and the Purāṇas; see चतुर्दशविद्या (caturdaśavidyā) under चतुर् (catur); and N.1.4. In N.1.5 the number is spoken of as being eighteen by including Medicine, Military Art, Music and Polity; अगाहताष्टादशतां जिगीषया (agāhatāṣṭādaśatāṃ jigīṣayā).) 2) Right knowledge, spiritual knowledge; विद्याकल्पेन मरुता मेघानां भूयसामपि (vidyākalpena marutā meghānāṃ bhūyasāmapi) (kvāpi pravilayaḥ kṛtaḥ) Uttararāmacarita 6.6; cf. अविद्या (avidyā). 3) A spell, an incantation; गन्धधूपादिभिश्चार्चेद् द्वादशाक्षर- विद्यया (gandhadhūpādibhiścārced dvādaśākṣara- vidyayā) Bhāgavata 8.16.39. 2 Women in the Field of Education Education for women is shown from the Vedic times. But due to child marriages and lack of interest in education among the women, their education remained incomplete. Some references of educated ladies have been found in the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa. In the context of describing creation of the Rudras sage Mārkaṇḍeya mentions the name of two educated ladies, namely, Menā and Dhāriṇī by name who are Brahmavādinīs. Some vidyās are imparted to some women as referred to in the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa. These are: padminīvidyā, sarvabhūtarutavidyā, astragrāmahṛdayavidy and svekchācāravidyā etc. By the power of padminīvidyā one can achieve wealth according to his desire. In the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa this vidyā is found to be imparted by Bhagavatī Parvatī to Kalāvatī. Through this vidyā Kalāvatī became able to be the wife of Svārocis and all the Nidhis gave her welth according to her desire. By the sarvabhūtarutavidyā one can understand the sound of different animals. In the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa vivabhavarī, the daughter of Mandāra has given it to Svārocis. Astragrāmahṛdayavidyā is applied for defeating the enemies. The Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa provids one example of this vidyā incase of Manorama, a vidyādhari who offers this vidyā to Svārocis for her peotection from the Rakṣasas. Next vidyā is svekchācāravidyā. By the power of this vidyā one can assume the desiring form. In this Purāṇa it is stated that after the killing Kaṅka, his brother Kandhara killed Vidyutrūpa. Then his wife, Madanikā, capable of assuming different forms, on reaching the house of Kandhara took a form of Garuḍa stayed at his house. 3 ISOPANISHAD: अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽविद्यामुपासते । ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उविद्यायां रताः ॥ ९ ॥ andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye'vidyāmupāsate | tato bhūya iva te tamo ya uvidyāyāṃ ratāḥ || 9 || andham—blinding; tamaḥ—darkness; praviśanti—enter; 9. They who follow after Avidyā (worship deities other than the Lord) enter into gloomy darkness; into, undoubtedly even greater darkness than that go they who are devoted to Vidyā only (and do not correct the wrong notions of others.) अन्यदेवाहुर्विद्ययान्यदाहुरविद्यया । इति शुश्रुम धीराणां ये नस्तद्विचचक्षिरे ॥ १० ॥ anyadevāhurvidyayānyadāhuravidyayā | iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ ye nastadvicacakṣire || 10 || 10. One thing they say is verily obtained from vidyā, another thing they say from avidyā: thus have we heard from the wise who explained that to us. विद्यां चाविद्यां च यस्तद्वेदोभयं सह । अविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययामृतमश्नुते ॥ ११ ॥ vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ca yastadvedobhayaṃ saha | avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtamaśnute || 11 || vidyām—vidyā, knowledge, wisdom; Theoretical knowlege of religious truths; The meditation on Brahman; The right knowledge of Viṣṇu; ca—and; avidyām—non-knowledge; Correcting and condemning false knowledge; The Karmas which are a necessary part of and lead to knowledge; ca—and; yaḥ—who; tat—that; veda—knows; The correlation of these two; the principal and subordinate nature of these two—the necessity of both; ubhayam—both; saha—at the same time, together; avidyayā—through not-knowledge (by Karmas ordained as auxiliaries of knowledge); mṛtyum—death, mental impurity as result of forgetting one’s true self; The past karmas, like virtuous and evil deeds; the Destiny; Evils like grief, ignorance, etc; tīrtvā—having overcome, crossed over; vidyayā—through knowledge; amṛtam—immortality; one-ness with Devas only; aśnute—enjoys, obtains, reaches. 11. Of these two, Vidyā and Avidyā, by a knowledge of Avidyā alone death is overcome; but knowing, both these together, by a knowledge of Vidyā also, he obtains liberation. K RAJARAM IRS 23325 On Sun, 23 Mar 2025 at 04:59, Jambunathan Iyer <[email protected]> wrote: > “Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. > Education beats the beauty and the youth.”– Chanakya > > N Jambunathan Rengarajapuram-Kodambakkam-Chennai-Mob:9176159004 > > *" What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you > become by achieving your goals. If you want to live a happy life, tie it to > a goal, not to people or things "* > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZordPjghh9u0KBmKCt6p7rV0mN0SUOdBwii%2Bno1hMvUdew%40mail.gmail.com.
