The name of a group of auxiliary works that supplement the Vedas, usually numerated as six different works on the six subjects of 1. śikṣa (pronunciation and phonetics); 2. chandas (meter); 3. vyākaraṇa (grammar and linguistic analysis); 4. nirukta (explanation of difficult terms); 5. jyotiṣa (astronomy); and 6. kalpa (ceremony) (Monier-Williams 1016.3).