Samaveda
Also known as: Sama Veda, Samaveda Samhita, Sama-veda
A collection of Vedic melodies (saman) adapted largely from Rigvedic hymns for soma and fire rituals. The Samaveda preserves pitch notation and liturgical sequencing used by the udgatar priests in sacrificial performance.
Description
The Samaveda is the Vedic songbook, arranging mostly Rigvedic verses into melodies for ritual chant. Preserved in several recensions, it is divided into Purvarcika and Uttararcika, the former providing base stanzas and the latter performance sequences for offerings, especially the soma sacrifice. Its content centers on Agni, Indra, Soma, and allied deities, but its distinctive feature is musical: accent and pitch signs encode the proper melodic delivery essential to efficacy. Later Samavedic prose layers—Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads—expound ritual theory and philosophical themes, with Chandogya and Kena among the most influential. As a liturgical anthology, it transmits both text and tune across generations of specialist singers.
Historiography
Compiled from Rigvedic material and organized for chant, the Samaveda survives in three principal shakhas: Kauthuma, Ranayaniya, and Jaiminiya, with Kauthuma predominant today. Oral transmission with codified pitch (svara) marks maintained melodic accuracy; written witnesses are comparatively late and vary in notation conventions. Medieval and early modern manuscripts reflect regional scribal practices, while traditional schools preserve variant melodic traditions and sequencing.
Date Notes
Composed and transmitted orally; extant notated manuscripts are much later (medieval/early modern).
Major Characters
- Indra
- Agni
- Soma
- Vishnu
- Rudra
Myths
- Soma Ritual Chants
- Agni Invocations
- Indra Praise Hymns
Facts
- Contains about 1,875 verses, nearly all shared with the Rigveda except roughly 75.
- Primarily preserved in the Kauthuma shakha; Ranayaniya and Jaiminiya survive more sparsely.
- Divided into Purvarcika and Uttararcika, organizing base verses and performance sequences.
- Distinctive pitch (svara) notation preserves melody for liturgical chant.
- Core deities include Agni, Indra, and Soma, reflecting soma and fire offerings.
- Associated Samavedic Upanishads include Chandogya and Kena.
- Liturgical role centers on the udgatar priest, with coordinated roles of hotar, adhvaryu, and brahman.
- Functions as a ritual songbook rather than a narrative epic, yet alludes to well-known Vedic myths.
- Transmission was strictly oral for centuries before manuscript notation.
- Many melodies are adapted arrangements of Rigvedic verses for specific ritual moments.