Samaveda (सामवेदः)

सामवेद का परिचय एवं वैशिष्ट्य

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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 Rigveda. It is mandatory for Sama to be lyrical and its secret is in its musical annotation and rendering.

Introduction

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 includes many mantras, a large number indeed, from the Samhita of Rigveda. These mantras are chiefly derived from the eighth and the ninth Mandalas of the Rigveda. The Samaveda is compiled exclusively for ritual application, for Samans are all meant to be chanted during the ceremonies of the Soma-yajna. In the ritualistic tradition, these mantras are recited at those yajnas in which Soma plant is pressed and juice is extracted which with other ingredients is offered to various deities. The Samaveda is, therefore, specially intended for the Udgatr priest, who chants Samans at the yajnika ritual. Its mantras assume their proper character of musical samans or chants only in the various song-books called Ganas. According to Jaimini - Melody is called Saman.

Traditionally the Vedas are spoken of as 'Veda Trayi' as they are composed of three kinds of mantras - Rk mantras set to metres, Yajus mantras in prose form, and Saman mantras set to musical chants.

Samaveda Dhyan Shlok

नीलोत्पलदलाभासः सामवेदो हायाननः । अक्षमालान्वितो दक्षे वामे कम्बु धारः स्मृतः॥

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.'

References of Saman in Brahmanas and Upanishads are as follows.

- 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

विशिष्टा काचिद् गीतिः सामेत्युच्यते । मी०सूत्र २.१.३७ In the explanation of Mimamsa Sutras, Shabaraswami has also expresses that singing of richas in a special way is called Sama.

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. The same thing has been said in Shatapatha Brahmin and Jaiminiya Brahmana.

प्राणो वै साम । शत० १४.८.१४.३ स यः प्राणस्तत् साम । जैमि० उप० ब्रा० १,२५.१०

It is the coordination of Rik and Geeti, and Jaiminiya Brahmana expresses that it is the coordination of speech principle (सा Sa) and vital principle (अम Am).

प्राणो वावामो वाक् सा, तत् साम । जै० ब्रा० ४.२३.३

Speech is the word form of Brahman and lifeforce is the power behind it. Samveda is representative of Sun, hence it imbibes the solar energy. Sun exists everywhere with equality, hence Sun is equated to Samaveda. Sama is the meaningful form of Sama. Samaveda is the

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 Samaveda represents the ecstasy of adhyatmik knowledge and the power of devotion. The Rigveda is the word, the Sama Veda is the song or the meaning. The Rigveda is the knowledge, the Sama Veda its realization. Hence the two always go together like husband and wife where Rig Veda is the wife and the Sama is the husband.

One interpretationof Saman is that they are Mantras representing the rays of the sun, that is, the solar energy from the Samaveda is given to man. In the Samaveda, Sama (song) is Svarga, and Rik (Richa or mantra) is the Prthvi (Earth), so the Samaveda is a combination of Svarga and Prthvi.

Thus it is known that the Samaveda gives three major teachings:

• To awaken a sense of Samatvabhava or equality.
• A sense of coordination. The combination of Rig and Sama is the combination of heaven and earth. It is the unification of husband and wife. To awaken the sense of harmony in life is an important teaching of Samaveda.
• Saman is the Prana or life force. The goal of man is to awaken the life force or self-power in life.

Greatness of Samaveda

Samaveda has been acclaimed as the important one among the Vedas as mentioned in the following texts:

1. Samaveda is the essence of the Vedas. According to Shatapatha and Gopatha Brahmanas the essence of all the Vedas is Samaveda (सर्वेषां वा एष वेदानां रसो यत् साम । शत० १२.८.३.२३ । गोण २.५.७)

2. Yajnas are incomplete without Saman mantras as mentioned in Shatapatha Brahmana (नासामा यज्ञोऽस्ति । शत० १.४.१.१)

3. There is solar energy in Samveda. Shatapatha says that Samaveda originated from and has the power of the Surya. (सूर्यात् सामवेदः (अजायत) । शत० ११.५.८.३)

4. The essence (rasa) of Samveda is Dyulok (heavenly lokas). Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmin says that Prajapati created the world by taking the essence of Samveda. The same juice took the form of the Sun. (स्वरित्येव सामवेदस्य रसमादत्त । सोऽसौ द्यौरभवत् । तस्य रसः ... आदित्यः । जैमि० १.१.५)

5. 'Brihaddevta' says that only the one who knows the Samveda can know the secret of the Veda. (सामानि यो वेत्ति स वेद तत्त्वम् । बृहद्देवता ।)

6. In Bhagavadgita, Shri Krishna has given the highest place to Samveda and considered it to be highest divine form. (वेदानां सामवेदोऽस्मि । गीता १०.२२)

7. In Chandogya Upanishad, the essence of the Rik mantras has been described as Samaveda and the essence of Samaveda is Udgeetha (Pranav, Omkar, Om). Udgeetha has been described as the most precious juice in the world. In this way Samaveda propounds Om or Paramatma. (ऋचः साम रसः, साम्न उद्गीथो रसः । रसतमः परमः परार्ध्यः .. उदमीथः । छा० १,१.२ ओर ३)

8. Samveda is composed of geeti and is termed as the Veda of music. Music is the best knowledge in the world, hence Samaveda is praised among the four Vedas. The one who sings Samveda has been praised by calling him 'Samaga'. (सामगेभिः अ० २,१२.४)

9. Samveda is a symbol of awareness. Therefore, it is said in Rigveda that the one who is aware, likes Rigveda and Samaveda. (यो जागार तमृचः .... तमु सामानि यन्ति । ऋग् ० ५.४.१४)

10. Samagaan is the best way to praise and please deities. Music sung with a pure heart attracts all divine entities. That is why it is said in Rigveda that one should sing with a pure heart.

Characteristics of Samaveda

Samveda has two main parts: (1) पूर्वार्चिक । Purvarchika, (2) उत्तरार्चिक । Uttararchika. The literal meaning of 'आर्चिक ।Archika' is - a group or collection of Richas.

(1) पूर्वार्चिक ॥ Purvarchika

It has four sections: (a) आग्नेय । Agneya, (b) ऐन्द्र । Aindra, (c) पवमान । Pavamana. (d) आरण्य । Aranya and महानाम्नी आर्चिक ।Mahanamni Archik as Parishista (appendix). There are 6 Adhyayas/Prapathakas in Purvarchika. Adhyayas are divided into Kanda and named as 'Dashati'. Dashati means ten Richas, but there appears no restriction on the number of ten in each Dashati, at some places they are less and at other places they are more. Adhyaya 1 is Agneya Kand having mantras related to Agni devata. Adhyayas 2 to 4 constitute Aindra Kand having mantras related to Indra. Adhyaya 5 is the Pavamana khand containing mantras related to Pavamana or Soma. Adhyaya 6 is Aranya kand . Its appendix is Mahanamni Archik (10 mantras).

The details of Purvarchika in terms of subject and mantra number etc. are as follows:

Kand	Subject	Adhyaya	Section	Mantras	Description
Agneya	Agni devata	1	12	114	(1-114)
Aindra	Indra Devata	2 to 4	12	352	(115 - 466)
Pavamana	Soma Devata	5	11	119	(467 - 585)
Aaranya	Indra, Agni and Soma	6	5	55	(586 -640)
Mahanamni Archika		Parishishta	---	10	(641 - 640)
Total number of Mantras					640

The mantras from adhyayas 1 to 5 are called 'Grama-gaana'. where their songs were sung in villages. Adhyaya 6 is Aranya Kand. Its mantras were sung in the forest.

(2) उत्तरार्चिक॥ Uttararchika

It has 21 Adhyayas (or 9 prapathakas) and the number of mantras is 1225. There are a total of 400 Suktas in Uttararchika. The basis of singing the mantras of Uttararchika is the mantras of Purvarchika. Therefore, the mantras of Purvarchika are called 'Samayonimantra' or 'Samayoni'.

Number of Mantras

Total number of mantras in Purvarchika (640) and Uttararchika (1225) put together are 1875. Of these 1771 mantras are from Rigveda, thus Samaveda is said to have only 104 mantras that are unique to it. Most of the mantras in the Samaveda taken from the Rigveda are from mandalas 8 and 9. Apart from them, 237 mantras are taken from the first mandala and 110 mantras from the tenth mandala.

Samaveda as an Independent Veda

Samaveda is the Veda predominantly of chanting. Therefore, the Saman must be lyrical 'gitishu samakhya' (Mimansa Sutra 2.1.36).

Sama includes lyrical mantras, that is, the singing of the Richas in some specific way. Rigveda and Samaveda are interdependent but not exactly the same Veda. On the occasion of Shrauta Yajnas, the Sama mantras were sung by the Udgaata. The same Ganaparaka mantras are compiled in the Samhita. It is called "Samveda Samhita" or "Samveda" It became very popular as it was useful for chanting the Vedas.

Some Indian and Western scholars believe that Samveda does not have an independent existence, rather it is merely a compilation of Richas collected for singing. Some reasons against this argument are:

(1) If Samaveda were a collection of mantras compiled only for singing or singing, then it would have contained only those mantras which were required for singing. However, this is not the case. There is a collection of 450 mantras in Samveda, which are not sung.

(2) Most of the Rigveda Richas found in the Samaveda have partial similarities. Had the Rigveda samhita been the same in Samaveda there should not have been any textual and spelling differences.

(3) The order of Samans of Samaveda and Richas in Rigveda are significantly different. Had the Richas been copied they would have remained same in at least large segment of Rigveda.

(4) There is a complete difference in the method of vocalization in Rigveda and Samaveda. In Rig Veda there are Udatt, Anudatt and Swarit. Samveda has numbers 1,2,3. According to 'Naradiya Shiksha', these represent Madhyam (M), Gandhar (Ga) and Rishabh (Re) notes respectively. There is complete difference in the pronunciation of mantras of Rigveda and Samaveda. The mantras of Rigveda are chanted at a fast pace and those of Samaveda at a slow (very slow) pace.

(5) The words related to Samaveda themselves have appeared 37 times in Rigveda. Such as - Sama (13 times), Samaga Iva (1), Samagam (1), Samna (3), Samnam (1), Samanau (1), Samanah Samabhih (4), Samani (4), Samnah (1), Samna (1), Samna (2) etc. The mention of the words Sama, Samani, Samaga etc., in Rigveda proves that the process of Samaveda and Samagana is older than Rigveda.

(6) There is a mention of the 4 Ritvijas or Rtviks or the four priests of the Vedas within the Rigveda. The singer of the songs is mentioned as Udgata, due to this Samaveda is known to have a separate existence from Rigveda.

(7) The Rig Veda itself acknowledges the simultaneous existence of Rig, Sama and Yajur.

Based on these observations, Samaveda is said to be an independent ancient text and not the same as Rigveda.

Shakas of Samaveda

It is said that many branches of Samaveda existed in ancient times. Maharishi Patanjali has mentioned 1000 branches of Samaveda ''सहस्रवर्त्मा सामवेदः । Sahasravarma Samavedah "(Mahabhashya Paspashahnika).

At present only three branches of Samaveda are available

1. कौथुम । Kauthuma
2. जैमिनी । Jaimini
3. राणायन । Ranayana.

These three branches are prevalent in the states of Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra respectively The Kauthumiya branch is the most popular of these.

The Kauthumiya branch is almost identical to the Ranayaniya branch. The order of the mantras in the Samhitas of these two branches is the same, only the method of calculation differs. Whereas in the Kauthumiya Samhita there is a division in the form of chapters, sections and mantras, in the Ranayana Samhita there is a division in the form of prapathakas, ardhaprapathakas and dashati. The Kauthum and Ranayana Samhitas contain 1875 mantras and the Jaimini Samhita contains 1687 mantras.

Contents of Samaveda Samhita

Being a music-oriented Veda, considerable literature was written on the singing of the mantras of Samveda. This theme is also the root of Indian musicology. Some essential elements related to Samagana have been instructed in Naradiya Shiksha. Due to which the importance of its theory and practical aspects can be easily understood. According to Naradiya Shiksha, the swaramandal of Samagaan i.e. the spectrum of notes consists of

सप्त स्वराः, त्रयो ग्रामाः, मूर्छनास्त्वेकविंशतिः। ताना एकोनपंचाशत् , इत्येतत् स्वरमण्डलम् ।। नारदीय शिक्षा

- 7 स्वर (Swaras or notes)

- 3 ग्राम (Grama)

- 21 मूर्च्छना (Murchana)

- 49 तान (Tana)

स्वरम् । Swara

There are seven swaras in Samveda. According to Naradiya Shiksha, Paniniya Shiksha and Yajnavalkya Shiksha, these cosmic notes have developed from the three basic Svaras - Udatta, Anudatta and Swarita.

उदात्ते निषादगान्धारौ अनुदात्ते ऋषभधैवतौ । स्वरितप्रभाव ह्येते षड्जमध्यमपञ्चमाः ॥

No.	Swaras (Notes)	Vedic Svara Origin
1	षड्ज (स) । Shadja (Sa)	Svarita (3)
2	ऋषभ (रे)। Rishabha (Re)	Anudatta (2)
3	गान्धार (ग)। Gandhara (Ga)	Udatta (1)
4	मध्यम (म)। Madhyama (Ma)	Svarita (3)
5	पंचम (प)। Panchama (Pa)	Svarita (3)
6	धैवत (ध)। Dhaivata (Dha)	Anudatta (2)
7	निषाद (नि)। Nishad (Ni)	Udatta (1)

To represent these notes, numbers 1,2,3 are given on the Samavedic mantras. Their meaning is 1 = उदात्त - Sublime, 2 स्वरित - Swarit 3 अनुदात्त - Anudatta. Similarly, numbers like 1, 2, 3 etc. respectively represent the seven notes like Madhyam, Gandhar, Rishabh etc. (in the order of Ma Ga Re..).

The fundamental difference between the seven notes of Samagana and the seven notes of secular classical music is that the notes of Sama are in the 'अवरोहारोह'- Avaroharoh' descending-ascending order and the notes of the secular song are in the 'आरोहावरोह '- Aarohavaroh' order or ascending-descending order.

ग्राम । Grama

There are three grama or त्रिसप्तक । trisaptaka in Samaveda. It refers to the pitch of the singer.

1. मन्द्र (निम्न) - low
2. मध्य (मध्यम) - medium
3. तीव्र (उच्च) - high

मूर्छना। Murchana

The sound emanating from one note of each of the svaras is called Murchanas. They are formed by the mutual combination of Svaras and Grama (7 times 3) and are 21 in number.

तान । Taana

The combination of seven notes (7 times 7) is called Taana. By generating a combination with each other the number of threads becomes 49.

Rtvik (Priest) of Samaveda

The rtvik of Samaveda is called Udgaata. He has three assistants: the presenter, the counterpart and the subramanya. The group of these four priests was called 'Udgatrimandal' or 'Udgatrivarga'.

Their function is to chant the Sama in auspicious rituals such as yajnas. The Samaveda is also called 'Udgaatriveda' because it is associated with a priest named Udgaata.

References

1. https://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/prkannan/Sama%20Veda-%20An%20Introduction.pdf Book by Sri P.R. Kannan found at https://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/prkannan/
2. http://www.hindunet.org/vedas/samveda/index.htm