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  • I would like to understand what exactly is 'Nirukta'?
  • What is it's origin?
  • Does it have any association with Sanskrit language?

Please do cite authentic references.

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  • simple meaning - dictionary of vedas.
    – ram
    Commented May 28, 2021 at 23:05

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Nirukta (Sanskrit: निरुक्त) means "explained, interpreted" and refers to one of the six ancient Vedangas, or ancillary science connected with the Vedas – the scriptures of Hinduism. Nirukta covers etymology, and is the study concerned with correct interpretation of Sanskrit words in the Vedas.

Nirukta is the systematic creation of a glossary and it discusses how to understand archaic, uncommon words. The field grew probably because almost a quarter of words in the Vedic texts composed in the 2nd-millennium BCE appear just once.

The study of Nirukta can be traced to the last centuries of the 2nd-millennium BCE Brahmanas layer of the Vedic texts. The most celebrated scholar of this field is Yāska, who probably lived about the 5th century BCE, and wrote the Nighantu, the first book on this field.

His text is also referred simply as Nirukta.

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