Shakala Shaka (
Sanskrit: शाकल शाखा;
IAST: Śākala Śākhā), is the oldest
shakha (from skt. śākhā f. "branch" or "recension") of the
Rigveda. The Śākala tradition is mainly followed in
Maharashtra,
Karnataka,
Kerala,
Odisha,
Tamil Nadu and
Uttar Pradesh. The
Mahābhāṣya of
Patanjali refers to 21 śākhās of the
rigveda; however, according to
Śaunaka's Caraṇa-vyuha there are five śākhās for the
Rigveda, the Śākala, Bāṣkala, Aśvalayana, Śaṅkhāyana, and Māṇḍukāyana of which only the Śākala and Bāṣkala and very few of the Aśvalayana are now extent. The only complete recension of this text known today is of the Śākala School.[1] As far as the Rigveda is concerned only Śākala Śākhā is preserved out of 21 which existed at one time. There is a claim that Śaṅkhāyana Śākhā is still known to a few Vedapathis in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat but this is not certain.[2]
Śikṣā as a term for phonetics, is first used in
Taittirīya Upaniṣad, which gives its various components which include Varna (individual sounds) and Svara (accent). The Pratishakhyas are among the earlier texts of Shiksha. Pratiśākhya literally means " belonging to each śākhā". In the Rigveda the Pratishakhya available today is ascribed to
Shaunaka. This is also known as Śākala Pratiśākhya and belongs to Śaiśirīya Śākhā, a branch of "Śākala Śākhā".[7]
Prominent people
The major āchāryas who belonged to the Śākala Śākhā included:
Hebbar, B.N (2005). The Sri-Krsna Temple at Udupi: The History and Spiritual Center of the Madhvite Sect of Hinduism. Bharatiya Granth Nikethan.
ISBN81-89211-04-8.
Sharma, B. N. Krishnamurti (2000). A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Vol 1. 3rd Edition. Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint).
ISBN978-8120815759.