Lexicon

of Rig Veda

sāman, Sama-chant

Saman is a singing of rik in a special tune. Samaveda is constituted from samans. Most fully preserved Samhita is an edition “Kauthuma” containing 1810 riks, 1734 from which were adopted from Rigveda (mainly from 8 and 9 mandalas). In Kandas (Suktas) of Samaveda an order of these adopted riks was altogether changed. So, Kanda 1.1 of Samaveda contains these riks of the Rigveda in such order: 6.16.10, 6.16.1, 1.12.1, 6.16.34, 8.84.1, 8.71.1, 6.16.16, 8.11.7, 6.16.13. So Samaveda is interesting not so by its texts, as by its tunes. The Samhita itself has only texts without notes. Kauthuma Samhita has two parts: the first, Arcika or Purvarcika, and the second, Uttararcika. Text of the Samhita was published at Sama Veda Sanhita with the Commentary of Sayana Acharya / Edited by Satyavrata Samashrami, Editor of the Hindu Commentator.– In 5 volumes.– Calcutta, N.K. Sircar at the Ganessa Press, 1874–78. (Bibliotheca, Indica; A Collection of Oriental Works Published under the Superintendance of the Asiatic Society of Bengal). In 1895 Griffit made translation of the Samhita that largely overlaps his translation of Rigveda. The melody of samans preserved in the oral tradition of singing and in music performance and only recently was fixed in manuscripts and in print. These books of songs, or Gānas (gā, a song), include notes and texts in actually used forms, i.e. with all lengthen sonants, repetitions, insertions of syllables and even of whole words (so-called stobh, such as hoyi, huva, hoi etc). There are seven notes in Ganas where 1 = F, 2 = E, 3 = D, 4 = C, 5 = B , 6 = A, 7 = G. To the first part of the Samhita corresponds two oral traditions: rural Grama-geya-gana (Grāmegeya (Veya, Prakṛti) Gānam / Edited by Subramani Sarma.– Chennai, 2006.– [331 p.]) and of forest anchorets Arayaka-gana (Āraṇyaka-gānam / Edited by Subramani Sarma.– Chennai, 2006.– [120 p.]), the last is supposed as dangerous and its samanas must be chanted only in the forest. Two other Ganas Uha-gana, Uhya-gana correspond to the second part of the Samhita and used for ritual.