Samved is the second oldest Sanskrit Ved, born after Rugved, to be added to the Hindu collection. It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu books (sruti) known collectively as the Vedas.
Vedas, usually known as impersonal and authorless, are a few of the oldest and sacred most parts of our culture. These oldest-known Vedic Sanskrit texts originated from ancient India and are the scriptures that are used even today in some parts of the world. Unlike Ramayan and Mahabharat, which are Smritis and were written down before they were passed, Vedas are what we call Sruti or that which is heard. They were passed down from generation to generation orally before someone decided to write them down. These were usually narrated or heard by great Sages after years of intense meditation. The earliest of Vedas is credited to have been transmitted since the second millennium BCE. Atharvaveda is the latest Sanskrit Veda to have been added to the collection of Hinduism. It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu books (sruti) known collectively as the Vedas.
Samved Manuscript; Image by Ms Sarah Welch
The Structure
The Samaveda, or Samved, or “storehouse of wisdom of chants,” is the Veda of Chants. It is “the Rigveda set to music,”. It’s a combination of older tunes (sman) and Rig verses. It includes much fewer verses than the Rigveda, but it is textually larger since it lists all of the verses’ chant and ritual-related scoring alterations. It is a text with 1,875 verses and is one of the four Vedas. The Rigveda has been the influence of only 75 verses of them all. Three recensions of the Samved have survived, and different Vedic manuscripts have been discovered in India.
While its earliest sections are thought to date from the Rigvedic period, the current collection dates from the post-Rigvedic Mantra phase of Vedic Sanskrit, roughly contemporaneous with the Atharvaveda and the Yajurveda, between c. 1200 and 1000 BCE or “little rather later.”
The Samved, like other Vedas, has numerous layers of text, the oldest of which is the Samhita and the youngest of which is the Upanishads. The Chandogya Upanishad and Kena Upanishad, which are considered foundational Upanishads and have influenced the six schools of Hindu philosophy, particularly the Vedanta school, are enshrined inside the Samved.
What Does Samved Mean?
बृहत्साम तथा साम्नां गायत्री छन्दसामहम् |
मासानां मार्गशीर्षोऽहमृतूनां कुसुमाकर: ||
Chapter 10, Shlok 35, Bhagvad Gita
The Samved is considered the most important of the four Vedas. In Vibhuti Yog (Chapter 10, Bhagvad Gita), Lord Krishna declares, “Among the Vedas, I am Samved”- Vedanama Samavedosmi (Gita, 10.35). The gods Indra, Agni, and Soma are mostly invoked and praised here, yet these prayers often appear to be invocations for the Supreme Being. Soma represents the All-pervading, Glorious Lord, and Brahman, who can only be reached through devotion and melodic chanting. As a result, Samved’s main topic can be characterized as reverence and devotion (Upasana).
The early portions of the Samved like the Rigveda, often begin with Agni and Indra hymns before shifting to abstract musings and philosophy, and their meters alter in descending sequence as well. The later sections of the Samved deviate the least from the essence of the hymns they convert from the Rigveda into songs. Samved served a liturgical purpose, and they were part of the “singer” priests’ repertoire.
In conclusion, the Samved is a representation of spiritual knowledge and devotional power. Vayu Rishi was the one who discovered the book. It consists of hymns from the Rigveda set to music. As a result, Samved’s text is also known as an alternative to the Rig Veda.
