These are the auxiliary treatises of the Vedas – their supplementary. The word refers to that literature which has been passed on from one generation to the other. Literally ‘Smriti’ means ‘remembrance’. These are regarded as a part of the revelation though not included in the proper Vedic literature.
Vedangas:
The six Vedangas are Siksha, Kalpa, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Chhanda and Jyotisha. Shiksha deals with pronunciation, Kalpa with rituals, Vyakarana with grammar, Nirukta with etymology, Chhanda with metre and Jyotisha with astronomy.
Of the six, Kalpa is the most important, including three groups of Sutras: the Srauta Sutras, which deal with sacrifices, the Grihya Sutras or Smarta Sutras which deal with the ceremonies connected with family life; and the Dharma Sutras,’ which provide rules of conduct for the various classes of people and the various stages of their life. These are written in Sutra (aphoristic) style, which is short and to the point.
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Darshans:
There are six schools of Indian philosophy known as Shad-Darshans. These are Nyaya, Vaishesika, Sankhya, Yoga, Purva and Uttara Mimamsas. They all propagate the virtues of life and are opposed to external rituals.
The Nyaya Darshana was written by Gautama, Vaishesika Darshana by Kanada Rishi, Sankhya Darshan by Kapila, Yoga Darshana by Patanjali, Purva Mimansa by Jaimini and the Uttara Mimansa was composed by Badarayana. Though written much later, they form an important part of the Vedic thought.
Upavedas:
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Both the Vedangas and the Darshanas claim to have derived inspiration from the Vedas and explain the Vedic philosophy; still they are not included in the proper Vedic literature.
In the same manner, four Upavedas, namely Dhanurveda (deals with the art of warfare), the Gandharva Veda (deals with music), Shilpa Veda (deals with architecture) and Ayurveda (deals with the science of life), also do not form an integral part of the Vedic literature though each of these subsidiary Vedas enjoys great sanctity.