The Aranyakas (Sanskrit rayaka ) are part of the Hindu ruti, the four Vedas; they were

composed in late Vedic Sanskrit typical of theBrahmanas and early Upanishads; indeed, they
frequently form part of either the Brahmanas or the Upanishads.
"Aranyaka" (rayaka) means "belonging to the wilderness" (araya), that is, as Taittiriya Ar. 2 says,
"from where one cannot see the roofs of the settlement", which does not indicate a forested area.
However, the term still is frequently, but mistakingly, translated as "Forest Books" instead of
"Wilderness Texts" in English.
They contain Brahmana-style discussion of ritual regarded as especially dangerous, such as
the Mahavrata and Pravargya,[1] and therefore had to be learned in the wilderness. They have also
served as receptacles of later additions to the Vedic corpus. They are much closer in content to the
Brahmanas than the esoteric Upanishads.
Contents
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1 The Wilderness Books

o 1.1 Aitareya Aranyaka
o 1.2 Taittiriya Aranyaka
o 1.3 Katha Aranyaka
o 1.4 Shankhayana Aranyaka
o 1.5 Brihad-Aranyaka
2 Rahasya Brahmanas
3 See also
4 Work online
5 Notes
6 References

The Wilderness Books[edit]

The Aranyakas discuss sacrifices, in the style of the Brahmanas, and thus are primarily concerned
with the proper performance of ritual (orthopraxy). The Aranyakas were restricted to a particular
class of rituals that nevertheless were frequently included in the Vedic curriculum.
The Aranyakas are associated with, and named for, individual Vedic shakhas.

Rigveda
Aitareya Aranyaka belongs to the Aitareya Shakha of Rigveda
Kaushitaki Aranyaka belongs to the Kaushitaki and Shankhayana Shakhas of Rigveda

Yajurveda
Taittiriya Aranyaka belongs to the Taittiriya Shakha of the Black Yajurveda
Maitrayaniya Aranyaka belongs to the Maitrayaniya Shakha of the Black Yajurveda
Katha Aranyaka belongs to the (Caraka)Katha Shakha of the Black Yajurveda[2]

Brihad Aranyaka in the Madhyandina and the Kanva versions of the White Yajurveda. The
Madhyandina version has 9 sections, of which the last 6 are the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

Samaveda
Talavakara Aranyaka or Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana belongs to the Talavakara or
Jaiminiya Shakha of the Samaveda
Aranyaka Samhita is not a typical Aranyaka text: rather the Purvarchika of the Samaveda
Samhitas has a section of mantras, called the 'Aranyaka Samhita', on which the Aranyagana
Samans are sung.

The Atharvaveda has no surviving Aranyaka, though the Gopatha Brahmana is regarded as its
Aranyaka, a remnant of a larger, lost Atharva (Paippalada) Brahmana.