The surnames Dwivedi, Trivedi and Chaturvedi are open to different interpretations.
One interpretation:
Dwivedi: DAIV + VEDI
Daiv: Spiritual, related to the GOD
Vedi: One who knows about.
Thus DWIVEDI means a person who knows about GOD.
Similarly: Trivedi never means one who has learnt three Vedas. According to Hinduism, a Brahmin must read all the four Vedas.
Tri: All the three
Vedi: Who knows
Thus Trivedi means one who knows about all the three (Past, Present & Future). In that time a "Jyotishi" was called Trivedi.
Another interpretation:
Dwivedi (dwi = two (also second), vedi = one who has learned the Vedas), is an Indian Brahmin surname, indicating that the holder's forbears were proficient in the second out of the four Vedas (including the vedic branch one is born into).
Another commonly used surname, Dubey is also used for dwivedi.
Another interpretation:
Dwivedi may also mean a person who has the knowledge of two Vedas. For example, a person might have the knowledge of Rigveda and Yajurveda, and hence called a Dwivedi. Similarly for three Vedas Trivedi and all four: Chaturvedi. Also, Samvedi surname exists, where the person is said to have the knowledge of one Veda. Dwivedi is a surname of sarswat, kanyakubj , saryupari or sanadhya Brahmins of north India mostly found in U P, Bihar and punjab. In district Gorakhpur, hoshiarpur of punjab there are some villages eg(Budhi Pind) where brahmins are predominantly of surname Dwivedi/Dubey .
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