The
Samaveda (
Sanskrit: सामवेद,
sāmaveda, from
"melody" +
"knowledge" ), is second (in the usual order) of the four
Vedas, the ancient core
Hindu scriptures. Its earliest parts are believed to date from 1000 BC and it ranks next in sanctity and liturgical importance to the
Rigveda. It consists of a collection (
samhita) of hymns, portions of hymns, and detached verses, all but 75 taken from the
Rigveda, to be sung, using specifically indicated melodies called
Samagana, by
Udgatar priests at sacrifices in which the juice of the
Soma plant, clarified and mixed with milk and other ingredients, is offered in libation to various deities.
The verses have been transposed and re-arranged, without reference to their original order, to suit the rituals in which they were to be employed. There are frequent variations from the text of the Rigveda that are in some cases glosses but in others offer an older pronunciation than that of the
Rigveda (such as [ai] for common [e]). When sung the verses are further altered by prolongation, repetition and insertion of stray syllables (stobha), as well as various modulations, rests and other modifications prescribed in the song-books (Ganas).
Recensions
R. T. H. Griffith says that there are three recensions of the text of the Samaveda Samhita:
- the Kauthuma recension is current in Gujarat, and since a few decades in Darbhanga, Bihar,
While the Kauthuma recension has been published (Samhita, Brahmana, Shrautasutra and ancillary Sutras, mainly by the late B.R. Sharma), parts of the Jaiminiya tradition remain unpublished . There is an edition of the first part of the Samhita by W. Caland and of the Brahmana by Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra , as well as the neglected Upanishad , but only parts of the Shrautasutra. The song books remain unpublished and the tradition is rapidly fading. However, an edition is now being prepared by some well-known Samaveda specialists.
