Composition of the Sama Veda.
The Sama Veda, like the other three Vedas, is the Word of God revealed in the beginning of creation for the moral, spiritual, economic and physical guidance and uplift of humanity.
God is infinite, the soul is finite in knowledge. The finite soul cannot contain the infinite knowledge of God. God creates, sustains and dissolves the world. Whenever the world is created, God reveals the Vedas. This process is going on since eternity and will go on for ever.
There are 1875 verses in the Sama Veda. It is a Veda primarily of devotion, worship and contemplation, highly essential for the attainment of God, that is why Lord Krishna says in the 10th Chapter of Gita बेदानाम् सामवेदोऽस्मि । of the Vedas I am the Sama Veda. This Veda is divided into three parts, (1) Pürva Archika, (2) Uttar Archika, (3) Mahä Nämni Archika. Pūrva Ärchika is divided into four parts (1) Agneya Kanda, (2) Aindra Kända, (3) Pävmāna Kanda, (4) Aranyaka Kända. These four Kändas are divided further into six Prapāthaks. According to Säyana these Kändas are divided into five Adhyayas. Prapäthaks contain Ardh-Prapäthaks and Dashtis (Collection of ten verses). Adhyayas contain Khandas. In Uttar Archika there are 21 Adhyāyas and 9 Prapathakas which are further sub-divided into Ardhprapathakas. There are no Dashtis in the Uttar Archika, but there are Süktas. In Maha Namni Ärchika there are only ten verses. This division is a bit complicated. Some commentators like Swami Tulsi Ram and Pandit Jai Dev Vidya Alankar, for the facility of the readers have numbered each verse. I have followed this practice, showing the Prapathak as Book, Ardh-Prapäthak as Chapter, and Dashti as Decade.
Some scholars are of opinion that Sama Veda has got only 75 verses of its own, and the rest are taken from the Rig Veda. This notion is erroneous. The Sama Veda is an independent Veda by itself like the other three Vedas. Their view can be correct only in case the aim of the Rig Veda and the Sama Veda be one and the same. The Rig Veda deals with knowledge, the Sama Veda with Upasna, worship and contemplation. The same verse conveys in the Rig Veda a sense pertaining to knowledge, and in the Sama Veda to prayer and worship. A verse can have different meanings according to its different devatās (subject matters). The identity of a verse at different places does not connote repetition, Difference in significance according to change in the devata makes the verse independent. Maharshi Dayanand has dealt with the subject in the Rig Veda Adi Bhashya Bhumika at length.
In singing, the verses are still further altered in meaning by prolongations, insertion of syllables, and various modulations, rests, and other modifications prescribed for the guidance of the reciters. In Pürva-Archika there are two song manuals, the Grämageyagana or Congregational, and the Aranyagāna, which the recluse and seekers after salvation sing in forest solitude. In Uttar Archika there are two song manuals, the Uhagana and the Uhyagana, For details one should study the 'Näradi Sikshä' and Räga Vibodh.
All the ancient commentaries on the Säma Veda are not extant at the present time, Shri Dev Raj Yajwa in his commentary on Nighantu has given the names of eight commentators (1) Skand Swami (2) Bhav Swami (3) Rabdeva (4) Shri Niwas (5) Madhav Deva (6) Uvat Bhatta (7) Bhaskra Mishra (8) Bharta Swami.
(4) Brihati 36 (5) Pankti 40 (6) Trishtup 44 (7) Jagti 48 (8) Ati- I give below the number of syllables in different metres, (Chhandas) used in the Sama Veda. (1) Gayatri 24 (2) Ushnik 28 (3) Anushtup 32 Jagti 52 (9) Shakvari 56 (10) Ati Shakvari 60 (11) Ashti 64 (12) Ati Ashti 68 (15) Kriti 80 (19) Sanskriti 96 (16) Prakriti 84 (13) Dhriti 72 (14) Ati Dhriti 76 (17) Äkriti 88 (18) Vikriti 92 (20) Atikriti 100 (21) Utkriti 104.
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