Samaveda From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Part of a series on Vedic scriptures

Vedas[show] Vedangas[show] Upanishads[show] Puranas[show] Hindu Astrology[show] Itihasa[show] Other scriptures[show] Scripture classification[show] Timeline[show] vte The Sama Veda, Samveda, or Samaveda (Sanskrit: , smaveda, from sman "melody" and veda "knowledge"), is the third of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures, along with the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. Its earliest parts are believed to date from 1700 BC,[citation needed] 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 Sakala Sakha of the Rigveda, the other 75 belong to the Bashkala Sakha, 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). Sama

Contents [hide] 1 Recensions 2 Notes 3 See also 4 Books 5 External links [edit]Recensions

R. T. H. Griffith says that there are three recensions of the text of the Samaveda Samhita:[1] the Kauthuma recension is current in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and since a few decades in Darbhanga, Bihar, the Jaiminiya in the Carnatic, Tamilnadu and Kerala, and the Ryanya in the Maharashtra, Karnataka Gokarna,few parts of Orissa. 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Brahmana, Shrautasutra and ancillary Sutras, mainly by the late B.R. Sharma), parts of the Jaiminiya tradition remain unpublished.[2] There is an edition of the first part of the Samhita by W. Caland[3] and of the Brahmana by Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra, [4] as well as the neglected Upanishad,[5] but only parts of the Shrautasutra. The song books remain unpublished[6] and the tradition is rapidly fading. However, an edition is now being prepared by some well-known Samaveda specialists. [edit]Notes

^ Griffith, R. T. H. The Smaveda Sahit. p. vi. op. cit. ^ A. Parpola. The literature and study of the Jaiminya Smaveda. In retrospect and prospect. Studia Orientalia XLIII:6. Helsinki 1973 ^ W. Caland, Die Jaiminya-Sahit mit einer Einleitung ber die Smavedaliteratur. Breslau 1907 ^ Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra. 1954. Jaiminya-Brhmaa of the Smaveda. (Sarasvati-Vihara Series 31.) Nagpur. 2nd revised ed., Delhi 1986

^ H. Oertel. The Jaiminya or Talavakra Upaniad Brhmaa. Text, translation, and notes. JAOS 16,1895, 79260 ^ A. Parpola. The decipherment of the Samavedic notation of the Jaiminyas. Finnish Oriental Society 1988 [edit]See also

Hinduism Historical Vedic religion [edit]Books

The Samaveda has been edited and published by Theodor Benfey (Leipzig, 1848, with a German translation) and by Satyavrata Samashrami in Bibl. Ind. (Calcutta, 1873). An English translation is due to Griffith (Benares, 1893). A translation in Hindi by Mridul Kirti called "Samveda Ka Hindi Padyanuvad" has also been published recently. Griffith, Ralph T. H. The Smaveda Sahit. Text, Translation, Commentary & Notes in English. Translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith. First published 1893; Revised and enlarged edition, enlarged by Nag Sharan Singh and Surendra Pratap, 1991 (Nag Publishers: Delhi, 1991) ISBN 81-7081-244-5. This edition provides the text in Devanagari with full metrical marks needed for chanting. Sanskrit Wikisource has original text related to this article: Samaveda original Samskrit text [edit]External links

Ralph Griffith, Hymns of the Samaveda 1895, full text, (online at sacred-texts.com) Veda Prasar Samiti (MP3 examples of vedic chants) Samaveda Song Books in Devanagari with svara marks and musical notes file for download