"Ekayana Veda"

Contrary to the common understanding that the Vedas are three (Rk, Sman, and Yajus) or four including the Atharva Veda, there is "Ekayana Veda" taught by Lord Narayana to Sankarshana, who in turn taught it to the sages. The Lord has taken repeated incarnations epoch after epoch, and, as such, there is no wonder there came the Rishis, the Devatas and Chandas and the Veda Samhita, time and again. This ekayana veda taught by Lord Narayana is sattva shastra and must be of Satya yuga / Kruta yuga, 4320000 years ago!  What the sages taught came to be known as the Rajas shastra and the common people's renderings came to be known as tamas shastra.  The Veda contained all the details of methods of japa tapah, yajnya, yaga, havana, homa, dhyana, and rituals regarding worship of the Gods. The Rishi is called a Rishi only when he realized at least one mantra! The mantra is broadcast in the Highest Heavens Param pada or Vaikuntha. These are to be heard in samadhi, transcendental state of deep meditation. The Mantra, thus obtained from parame vyoman is of great strength, power and force that anything can be created, cured or sustained or destroyed! 

   The seeker of Knowledge first takes to yoga sadhana under a good teacher and practices diligently the vedic rituals. The mantra comes to him with divine intervention and thus becomes a well established jnyani, Rishi. Vishvamitra was a king who came to know the pooers of Sage Vasishtha and gave up his kingdom to become a sage. His greed took him to the highest, only to throw him back to the lowest pit. Finally, he succeeded becoming a Brahma Rishi and created Trishank Svarga for his pupil! This is how the yoga helps.

  Now, the veda we talk about in kaliyuga is of Atharvan. It consists of 40 branches- Veda- Rk, saman, yajus, and atharvan; Vedanga-shiksha, kalpa, vyakarana,nirukta, chhand, jyotish; Veda upanga- nyaya, vaisheshika, samkhya, yoga,purva/karma mimamsa, uttara mimamsa/vedanta; gandharva veda, dhanurveda, sthapatya veda, harita samhita, bhel samhita,kashyap samhita, charaka samhita, sushruta samhita, vagbhata samhita, madhavnidhan samhita, sharangadhara samhita, bhava-prakasha samhita, upanishad, aranyaka, brahmana, purana,smruti, itihasa; and Veda pratisakhya- atharava veda pratshakhya, shukla yajurveda pratshakhya, rkveda pratshakhya, atharva pratishakhya (chaturadhyayi), krishna yajurveda pratishakhya (taittiriya), and samaveda pratishakhya (pushpa sutram); each (set of three or six branches) is a step towards higher and higher consciousness, culminating in the "Unity Consciousness". Ultimately the student of Veda attains to samyak prajnya and realizes the fact that "Knowledge is Everything, Self included". Thus there is no separate Knowledge, vid or Veda apart from the person who acquires it. This is how a jiva (person) is  considered a mass of Knowledge. So where is the Veda apart from the Veda vidu? The Veda says, the atman is the Brahman; ayam atmaa brahma | atmavaivedgm sarvam | 

  When the students prays: asato ma sadgamaya | tamaso ma jyotirgamaya \ mrutyorma amrutam gamaya | the Lord answers his prayers and says, Thou art that, tatvamasi. Then, the student declares in joy, aham brahmasmi || meaning, "I am not the body, i am not the antahkarana and the senses; I am that supreme self only! 

Thus everything is 'Vid','chit, or prajnya; prajnyaanan brahmaa|