Though Sanskrit is called devabhāsha, daivēvāk, and Devanāgari bhāsha-the language of the gods in heaven; in practice, it is divided into two categories:- Vaidika (Vedic) and Laukika (secular). The Vedas, the Vedāngās, the Upavedas, and allied literature belong to the first group. All the other literature from the itihāsās, and purāṇās, right up to the modern Sanskrit literature fall under the second group. The earliest form of Sanskrit is that of the Ṛigveda. Since the language of the Vedas was archaic and the concepts were slowly becoming obsolescent, explanatory works became necessary. This resulted in the production of the six Vedāngās (limbs or subsidiary works). There was a gradual evolution of the Sanskrit language from the archaic form of the Saṃhitās to the classical form, first through the Brāhmaṇās and then through the epics.
