The Vedas have six branches — shiksha, vyakaranam, chanda, kalpa, niruktam and jyotish.

The Vedas have six branches — 
shiksha, vyakaranam, chanda, kalpa, niruktam and jyotish. 

Branches Of Vedas 

Shiksha is the knowledge of pronunciation. The Vedas are revealed knowledge and are chanted in a particular way. There are different ways of chanting, such as anudatta, udatta and swarit. When we chant the mantra, we keep it in our minds and whenever we have time, we can reflect on it. We can learn it by heart and contemplate on it at the right time. So shiksha is a very beautiful thing.

Then there is kalpa that tells us how the actions are performed. The whole cosmos is like a train which moves. When you want a particular result, at that time, you do the action. Kalpa is the science of how the rituals are performed.

Vyakarana is also very important; Sanskrit grammar is precise and scientific. If my grammar is poor, I will not understand the Vedas, so grammar is important to understand the Vedas.

Then comes niruktam or etymology.

Then we have the chandas, different metres in which poetry is written.

Jyotish is also a very beautiful limb of the Vedas; but all of these are in the field of Apara Vidya or lower knowledge. They are in the field of ignorance and in the field of bondage.

If we make the right use of them, they can lead us to Para Vidya. If we don’t make the right use of them, then they keep us bound to the world. We can use jyotish to evolve spiritually or we can make use of it to help ourselves and our family members.

Yaya tad aksharam adhigamyate, para vidya is though which the Supreme is directly realised; it’s abidance in the Truth itself. Para knowledge transcends the world and thoughts. Akshara means where there is no defeat and one attains that stage. Akshara is the ultimate reality. Aksharam adhigamyate — “Having realised this Akshara, everything becomes known.” That by which one comprehends this Akshara is para vidya.

Om Namah Shivay