Samaveda (सामवेदः)
 |
This article needs editing.
Add and improvise the content from reliable sources. |
Samaveda (Samskrit:सामवेदः) is the third of the Four Vedas, and is the third of Vedatrayi. Samaveda is made up of mantras called as "Saman" or "Sama" meaning lyrical mantra. The union of Rik mantras and Swara alone is Sama. Hence the text of the Sama Veda is a reduced version of the Rig Veda. It is mandatory for Sama to be lyrical and its secret is in its musical annotation and rendering.
Introduction
Meaning of Saman
Saman or Sama means lyrical mantra as mentioned in the previous section. When the mantras (Rik or Richa) of Rigveda are sung in a specific musical system, then they are called Samaan (Saam). Therefore, in Purvamimamsa, गीति (geeti) or गान (song) has been called Sama - 'गीतिषु सामाख्या' (Purv. Mima. 2.1.36). In Rigveda, Stotrarupa or Geetirupa mantra has been called 'आंगूष्यं साम' (Rig 1.62.2). Angushya means a form of stotra or geeti rendering. It is known that when Mantra or Richas are presented in the form of Geeti then it is called the Saman.
Rigveda and Samaveda have an interdependent relationship. Richa (ऋचा) when rendered in lyrical form becomes Saman. This aspect has been expressed in many ways in Atharvaveda, Aitareya Brahmana, Chandogya and Brihadaranyaka Upanishads in expressively or figuratively. This has been elucidated as follows.
(1) सा + अम = साम। स/सा (ऋचा) + अम ( गीति) = सामन् ।
What it means is that स/सा (Sa or Saa) is Rigveda and अम (Am) is music when put together we get Saman. The mixture of both forms Sam (Samveda).
(2) सा।Sa (i.e., ऋचा is female or wife) + Am (गान is male or man) = सामन् (saman). 'The relationship between Rigveda and Samaveda is like that of husband and wife.'[1]
References of Saman in Brahmanas and Upanishads are as follows.[2]
- या ऋक् तत् साम । छान्दो १.३.४ That which is Rik is Sama.
- ऋयि अध्यूढं साम । छान्दो १.६.१
अमोऽहमस्मि सा त्वम् , सामाहमस्मि-ऋक् त्वम् , द्यौरहं पृथिवी त्वम् । ताविह सं भवाव प्र॒जामा जनयावहै । अथर्व० १४.२.७१ । एत० ब्रा° ८.२७ । बृहदा०उप० ६.४.२०
- सा च अमश्चेति तत् साम्नः सामत्वम् । बृहदा०उप० १.३.२२
It is clearly stated in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad that Gana (music) is the essence of Samveda.
- तस्य हैतस्य साम्नो यः स्वं वेद, .... तस्य स्वर एव स्वम् । बृहदा० उप० १.३.२५
In the explanation of Mimamsa Sutras, Shabaraswami has also expresses that singing of richas in a special way is called Sama.
विशिष्टा काचिद् गीतिः सामेत्युच्यते । मी०सूत्र २.१.३७
Philosophical and Spiritual Nature of Samaveda
The philosophical and spiritual form of Samaveda has been described in Brahmana texts. Samaveda is pertinent to Upasana. It mainly contains a collection of mantras of spiritual nature.
साम प्राणं प्र पद्ये | यजु० ३६.१ - Yajurveda says that Samaveda is vital element, that is, life force increases from Samaveda.
प्राणो वै साम । शत० १४.८.१४.३ स यः प्राणस्तत् साम । जैमि० उप० व्रा० १,२५.१०
As mentioned in Shatapatha and Jaiminiya Brahmana, Samaveda includes a vital and life force. It is the coordination of Rik and Geeti as per Jaiminiya Brahmana says that it is the coordination of speech principle (सा Sa) and vital principle (अम Am).
Speech is the word Brahman and life is the power in it. Samveda is representative of Sun, hence it has solar energy. Sun exists everywhere with equality, hence due to equality Sun is Samaveda. Sama is the meaningful form of Sama. Samaveda is the sun and of Samaveda
The root of music with seven Swaras is Samaveda. Sastras convey that the divine blessed in the form of Sama Gana many mantras of eulogy from Rigveda. Maharishis listened to these ganas with their divine ears and sang them.
The Sama Veda represents the ecstasy of adhyatmik knowledge and the power of devotion. The Rig Veda is the word, the Sama Veda is the song or the meaning. The Rig Veda is the knowledge, the Sama Veda its realization. Hence the two always go together like husband and wife. The Rig Veda is the wife and the Sama is the husband.
The Samaveda is shortest of all the four Vedas. It is closely connected with the Rigveda. It is important to note that the Samhita of the Samaveda is an independent collection (Samhita), yet it has taken many verses, a large number indeed, from the Samhita of Rigveda. These verses are chiefly derived from the eighth and the ninth Mandalas of the Rigveda. The Samaveda is compiled exclusively for ritual application, for its verses are all meant to be chanted at the ceremonies of the Soma-yajna. In the ritualistic tradition, these verses are sung at those yajnas in which Soma- juice with other ingredients is offered to various deities. The Samaveda is, therefore, specially intended for the Udagata priest, who chants psalms at the yajnika ritual. Its stanzas assume their proper character of musical samans or chants only in the various song-books called Ganas.
References
- http://ignca.nic.in/vedic_heritage_intro_samveda.htm Posted by Dr. Shashi Tiwari | Vedic Heritage Portal.
- https://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/prkannan/Sama%20Veda-%20An%20Introduction.pdf Book by Sri P.R. Kannan found at https://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/prkannan/
- http://www.hindunet.org/vedas/samveda/index.htm