Gāndharvaveda
Gāndharvaveda · gāndharva-veda, “the Veda of the gandharvas”
Grammar: masculine noun; a compound of gāndharva (belonging to the gandharvas, the celestial singers) and veda (knowledge): “the Veda of the gandharvas”.
Meaning: the science of music, song and dance, one of the four upavedas (the Vedas subordinate to the four Vedas).
In the scriptures: Maitreya tells Vidura that from the four faces of Brahmā came the four Vedas, the Ṛgveda from the eastern, the Yajurveda from the southern, the Sāmaveda from the western and the Atharvaveda from the northern; and in the same order the four upavedas: from the eastern face Āyurveda, the science of healing; from the southern face Dhanurveda, the science of war; from the western face Gāndharvaveda, the science of music; and from the northern face Sthāpatyaveda, the science of building and sculpture. From all his faces together Brahmā created the fifth Veda, the Itihāsas and Purāṇas (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapter 12).
Related terms: Upaveda · Gandharva · Sāmaveda · Saṅgīta · Āyurveda · Dhanurveda
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapter 12