Sama Veda — The Veda of Song and the Roots of Indian Music
The Sama Veda sets Rig Vedic verses to melody for chanting at the soma sacrifice. Its structure, the udgatr priest, the Chandogya and Kena Upanishads, and its place in Indian music.
Songs of the Veda
Saman means melody. The Sama Veda Samhita has about 1,875 verses, nearly all taken from the Rig Veda, arranged to be sung by the udgatr priest at the soma rituals. Its songbooks (ganas) record how each verse is to be sung, with elongated vowels and added syllables (stobhas).
"Among the Vedas I am the Sama Veda"
In the Bhagavad Gita (10.22) Krishna names the Sama Veda among his glories. Tradition regards it as the source of Indian classical music — the Natya Shastra and later musicologists trace the musical notes to Sama chanting.
Recensions
Three recensions survive: the Kauthuma (common in Gujarat and North India), the Ranayaniya (Maharashtra and Karnataka) and the Jaiminiya (Kerala and Tamil Nadu), each with its own singing style kept alive by a few families.
Upanishads
The Chandogya Upanishad, with the teaching of Uddalaka to his son Shvetaketu — tat tvam asi, "you are that" — and the short Kena Upanishad belong to the Sama Veda.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sama Veda?
The Veda of melodies — mostly Rig Vedic verses set to music for chanting in rituals.
Which mahavakya comes from the Sama Veda?
"Tat tvam asi" (you are that), from the Chandogya Upanishad.
More sanatana dharma — hinduism, vedas & upanishads
- What Is Sanatana Dharma? Hinduism Explained Simply
- Core Beliefs of Hinduism — Dharma, Karma, Samsara, Moksha, Atman and Brahman
- The Four Purusharthas and Four Ashramas — Goals and Stages of Life
- Hindu Scriptures — Shruti and Smriti: Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, Epics and Puranas
- The Four Vedas — Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Veda Explained
- Rig Veda — The Oldest Veda: Hymns, Gods and Famous Suktas
- Yajur Veda — The Veda of Ritual: Shukla and Krishna Yajur Veda
- Atharva Veda — Hymns for Everyday Life, Health and Protection
- The Upanishads — Principal Upanishads, Mahavakyas and Their Teaching
- The Six Schools of Hindu Philosophy (Shad Darshana)
- Ramayana, Mahabharata and the 18 Puranas — Hindu Epics Explained
- Hindu Traditions — Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism
- The 16 Samskaras — Hindu Rites of Passage from Birth to Death