Samhita (संहिता)

Samhita (Sanskrit: सम्हिता, saṁhitā) literally means "put together, joined" and "a methodically, rule-based combination of text or verses".

परिचय || Introduction

The Vedas have been divided into four styles of texts – the Samhitas, the Aranyakas, the Brahmanas and the Upanishads The Samhitas are sometimes identified as karma-kanda (कर्म खण्ड, action/ritual-related section), while the Upanishads are identified as jnana-kanda (ज्ञान खण्ड, knowledge/spirituality-related section).The Aranyakas and Brahmanas are variously classified, sometimes as the ceremonial karma-kanda, other times (or parts of them) as the jnana-kanda.

Another opinion states: "The Samhitas and the Brahmanas form the Karma-Kanda segment of the Vedas. They are apparently concerned with the ceremonial rites and rituals. The Aranyakas and the Upanishads form the Gyan-Kanda segment of the Vedas. They explicitly focus on the philosophy and spiritualism.

Another learned author says: These are four different modes of expressing the same truths, each as a cross check against others so that misrepresentations are avoided, a method used and valid even today.

Samhita also refers to the most ancient layer of text in the Vedas, consisting of mantras and slokas (a group of mantras or verses).

व्युत्पत्तिः || Etymology

Samhita is a Sanskrit word from the roots, sam (सं) and hita (हित), which mean "correct, proper" and "wholesome, arranged" respectively. The combination word thus means "put together , joined, compose, arrangement, place together, union" and "combination of letters according to euphonic rules, any methodically arranged collection of texts or verses".

Four Samhitas

The Samhitas form the first part of each of the Vedas. A Samhita is a collection of mantras, so the Samhitas are sometimes also referred to as the ‘mantras’. Most of the mantras were concerned with the nature and the deities. Generally, the mantras are addressed to the Gods and Goddesses.

The Samhitas are named after the Vedas they belong to. For example, the Samhita of the Rig Veda is called the Rig-Veda-Samhita or the Rig-Samhita. The Rig-Samhita contains the mantras known as ‘richas’. These hymns are metered verses.

Rig Samhita

The Rigveda Samhita consists of about 10, 170 rks and 1, 028 suktas, broadly. It is divided into ten mandalas revealed to several rishis including some brahmavaadinis like Lopamudra and Vak Ambhrni. It begins with a sukta to Agni and concludes with a sukta to the same deity. For this reason some believe that the Vedas must be described as the scripture of fire worship, a view with which we would be in agreement if Agni were believed to be the light of the Atman (the light of knowledge of the Reality). The concluding sukta of the Rgveda contains should be regarded as having a higher significance than the national anthem of any country: it is a prayer for amity among all nations, a true international anthem.

"May mankind be of one mind, " it goes. "May it have a common goal. May all hearts be united in love. And with the mind and the goal being one may all of us live in happiness. "

Sama samhita

The SamaSamhita contains mantras in the form of songs meant for liturgy or public worship. The Yajur-Samhita  contains verities of mantras composed in the poetical and the prose forms. The Atharva-Samhita contains mantras meant for routine rites and rituals.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati made extraordinary efforts to bring out the significance of the mantras of the Vedas. Shri Aurobindo also challenged the Western philosophers and opined that the mantras are found to express esoteric truths which the Westerners can not grasp. He strove hard to elucidate the cryptic meanings of the Vedic words and the hymns.

The Samhitas are considered to be basic revealed texts. These are recited in chain like arrangements of words, with no break, no punctuation, and order not be disturbed by arbitrary human meddling.

A collective study of Vedas and later text suggests that the compendium of Samhitas and associated Vedic texts were far larger than currently available. However, most have been lost at some point or over a period of Indian history.

Examples

Rig veda

The Gayatri mantra is among the famous Hindu mantras. It is found in Rig Veda Samhita.

ॐ भूर्भुवस्व: | तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यम् | भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि | धियो यो न: प्रचोदयात्

Oṁ Bhūr Bhuva~Swah', Tat savitur varenyam, Bhargo devasya dhīmahi, Dhiyo yo nah prachodayāt

Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the divine Light (Sun). May he inspire our thoughts, stimulate our understandings.

– Rig Veda 3.62.10

Sama veda

Weber noted that the Samhita of Samaveda is an anthology taken from the Rigveda-Samhita. The difference is in the refinement and application of arts such as melody, meters of music and literary composition. Thus, the root hymn that later became the Rathantara (Excellent Chariot) mantra chant is found in both Rigveda and Samaveda Samhitas, as follows

Rigveda form: Abhi tva sura nonumo 'dugdha iva dhenavah | isanam asya jagatah svardrsam isanam indra tasthusah

Samaveda form: obhitvasuranonumova | adugdha iva dhenava isanamasya jagatassuvardrsam | isanama indra | ta sthu sa o va ha u va | as |

Translation (same for both):

We cry out for you, hero, like unmilked cows to the lord of the living world !

To the lord of the unmoving world who eye is the sun, O Indra !

Yajur veda

The hymns in Section 4.1.5 of the Yajurveda Samhita, dedicated to several ancient deities, state:

May the Vasus prepare you, with the gayatri meter, you are the earth,
May the Rudras prepare you, with the tristubh meter, you are the sky.
May the Adityas prepare you, with the jagati meter, you are the heaven.
May the Visvedevas, common to all men, prepare you, with the anustubh meter, you are the directions.
You are the unchanging direction, make unchanging in me children, abundance of wealth, abundance of cattle, abundance of heroism.

— Taittiriya Samhita, 4.1.5

Atharva veda

A hymn in the Atharva Veda Samhita, for example, is a woman's petition to deity Agni, to attract suitors and a good husband.

May O Agni!, a suitor after this girl's heart come to her,
May he come to this maiden with fortune!
May she be agreeable to suitors, charming at festivals, promptly obtain happiness through a husband!

— Atharva Veda, 2.36

Post-Vedic Samhitas

There are many well known books written in the post-vedic period, also known as Samhitas or Sanhitas, because the word “Samhita” also means “systematic compilation of knowledge”. Vedic samhitas should not be confused with these samhitas of post-vedic period.

Some post-vedic Samhitas are: Ashtavakra Gita, Bhrigu Samhita, Brahma Samhita, Charaka Samhita, Deva Samhita, Garga Samhita, Gheranda Samhita, Kashyap Samhita, Shiva Samhita, Sushruta Samhita (a treatise on food and medicine), Yogayajnavalkya Samhita.

External links keep this in reference

• Rigveda Samhita First Mandala, (in Sanskrit)
• http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part5/chap27.htm