VEDIC CHANT

Background
The oral preservation of the Vedas has been the right and duty of brāhman adult males since before the beginning of recorded history in South Asia. Women and castes other than brahmans, kshatriyas, and vaisyas (the "twice-born") have only limited access to the Vedas.
Each brāhman belongs to a particular Vedic school (svaśākhā) by birthrite and recites only the verses of that school. Boys begin learning this oral tradition between the ages of 5 and 12 following their induction into Aryan society with the upanāyana ceremony at which special clothing and symbols emphasize the importance of the duty.
Preservation of the Vedas during the first couple of millennia of their existence was apparently strictly an oral tradition (svadhyaya). Preservation has emphasized the actual sound of the Vedas over their meaning and interpretation. Written versions appear towards end of first millennium, C.E. and printed versions appear during 19th century.
In modern times two principal recentions (śākhās) coexist. (1) The Western/Northern tradition (Maharashtra, Saurashtra, and Uttarpradesh) emphasizes the Śukla Yajurveda and some fo the Atharvaveda. (2) The Southern (Madras, Andhra Pradesh, and Mysore) is generally richer and stronger and focuses on Krsna Yajurveda while omitting the Atharvaveda.
Each Veda has four possible parts, but these vary in detail according to the often geographically specific recention. (1) Samhitā-pātha, (2) Brāhmana [an appendage to the original Vedas], (3) Aranyaka, (4) Upanisad.
Ksatriyas and brāhmans probably composed the last two when they formed secret societies to promote henotheistic beliefs over natural personification and monism over ritual-oriented worship. Eventually other dwija accepted these as the Vedānta ("conclusion of the Vedas").

The Vedas
The Vedas, [veda Sanskrit "knowledge," especially "supreme sacred knowledge" or "wisdom"] includes religious verses (mantras), the earliest portions of which date from the end of the 2nd millennium, BCE, (possibly as early as 1500 BCE) composed by various "poets, seers, sages, and ritualists" of the Aryan tribes of central Asia (Staal 1969:1a). Others believe these verses to be of divine origin.
The Vedas represent the oldest texts associated with Hinduism, but not all Hindus recognize all of them, and certainly do not value them all the same.
The three most widely accepted "books" — the Rg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas — are inter-related.
The Rgveda contains the oldest original hymns of praise and sacred songs in this collection and represents the core of theVedas.

The Yajurveda contains of sacrificial formulae (yajumsi) for prayoga ("specific application"). Two versions of the Yajurveda coexist.
The Krsna ["black"] Yajurveda consists of both verses from the Rgveda and ceremonial instructions on how to apply these verses in ritual contexts.
The Śukla ["white"] Yajurveda is a purely poetic form of the Yajurveda, but probably of later origin.

The Sāmaveda is a set of mantras (sāmans) used by priests who act as the cantors or preceptors at sacrifices. These three Vedas form the core of verses used in Vedic sacrifice and ritual. Sāmans are unique in that they take verses from the Rgveda and set them to pitch, a process that transforms the text.
The Atharvaveda contains myths, legends, and magical formulae of archaic origin collected after the creation of the Yajurveda and Sāmaveda, but some of which have origins that seem to be as ancient as the Rgveda but not created by Brahmans.

Presentation
The Vedas have had two different forms of presentation.
1. In the samhitā-pātha ["continuous recitation"] [pATha] form, brahmans recite the text without any special morphological changes.
2. In the pada-pātha ["word-for-word recitation"] form the priest recites the text so that each word breaks into its constituent syllables. This approach avoids the loss of syllabic content through euphonic combination (sandhi), sometimes through special formulae or vikrti. The oldest of these, the kramapātha is about 2500 years old. The mnemonic device "as a means of preserving the sacred text gradually became an end in itself" (Staal 1969:5b). Four of the best-known vikriti are:
 
samhitā (a b c d e . . . . )
pada (a / b / c / d / e / . . . )
krama (ab / bc / cd / de / . . . )
jatā (abbaab / bccbbc / cddccd / deedde / . . . )
ghana (abbaabccbaabc / bccbbcddcbbcd / cddccdeedccde / . . . )

Vedic Sanskrit and Accent
Vedic Sanskrit (the language of the Vedas) employs accented syllables, udātta ("raised"). In written Tamil Brahman presentation, a lower pitch, the anudātta (marked by a line under the syllable), precedes the udatta, which in turn precedes a higher pitch, the svarita (marked by a vertical line over the syllable).
          |    
Example: purohitam = pu ro hi tam  

References
Howard, Wayne. 1988. Samavedic Chant. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Staal, J. F. 1969. Notes to The Four Vedas; Folkways FE 4126.

Selected Performances
Rgveda, Opening Hymn
Vikrti Recitation
Sāmaveda, Opening Hymn
Teaching of Rgveda

YouTube clip on Vedic Chant by UNESCO

History/Culture

Index

Ancient India

 
30 January, 2017