Collection of Vedic hymns appropriate for singing as liturgies. (Glossary for the Vahinis)

Vedanam sama-vedo smi (Among the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda) proclaimed the Gitacharya Shri Krishna (Bhagavad Gita, 10:22). Samna udgitho rasah (The essence of the Sama hymns is Udgitha) declares the Chandogya Upanishad. Udgitha means the Pranava. The essence of the Sama Veda is the Pranava (Om). Pranava is the very life-breath. Omkaram Sarva Vedaanam - the scriptures have also declared that Omkara (the sacred syllable Om) is the supreme Mantra in the Vedas. From this, it will be realised how supremely important the Omkara is in the eyes of the seers and what great significance is attached to it. The single syllable ‘Om’ is pre-eminent among the letters of the alphabet. It symbolises the Paramatma (Supreme Omni-Self). The Sama Veda is the embodiment of Pranava.

The Sage Vyasa first taught the Sama Veda to Maharishi Jaimini. From Jaimini, it was taught to a succession of disciples and in the process, it developed many shakhas (branches). Out of the one thousand branches, which stemmed from the Veda, today only three have survived among its practitioners. The others have been lost by the ravages of time. These three branches are: Kauthuma, which is followed by Nagar Brahmins in Gujarat; Ranayaniya, with its adherents in Maharashtra; Jaiminiya, followed by a section in Karnataka. There are no big differences between the Kauthuma and Ranayaniya shakhas. ‘Haa’, ‘Hoo’, ‘Raa’, ‘Ni’ are important syllables for the Kauthuma and Ranayaniya shakhas. For the Ranayaniya shakha, the main syllables re ‘Aa Aa’, ‘Oo-Oo’, ‘Raa’ and ‘Nee’, the sounds being lengthened during recitation.

The Jaimini shakha is a short one, but it is more important than others. It is broad-based and has a wider appeal, because of its accent on the musical form. There are two versions of it: Aranyi (forest hymns) and Ganam (musical hymns). There are four kinds of songs in these hymns: Grameeena gaanamu (village songs); Aranyaka gaanamu; Oohagaanamu and Oohyagaanamu. Grameena or village songs are songs, which used to be sung by villagers in their daily activites or during festivals in-group dances. They enjoyed themselves in singing such songs. Aranyaka songs were sung while taking cattle to the forests for grazing. The songs were sung with full-throated voices in an uninhibited way. Singing the praise of the Lord, sitting under a tree, they derived spontaneous delight from these songs.

Oohagaanam resembles the cinema music of our days. Here the singer expresses in the rendering, the mood of the song-either grief or joy-by artificial modulations of the voice to produce the impression of grief or joy as conceived by the singer. It lacks genuine feeling. Oohyagaana is the type of singing in which the singer gives free vent to his emotions and enjoys the singing as much as he seeks to communicate his joy to others. The Sama Veda has given to the world these four kinds of music.

The pranava Mantra ranks higher than all this music. It is all pervasive and ever-present. There cannot be a single moment when we are not listening to this pranava. Nor can we dispense with it, even for a second. The Pranava is present in every living being. The Pranava is the primordial sound on which all sounds are based. The Pranava has been equated with the Brahman (the Cosmic Self). The Gita has declared Om as the monosyllable representing Brahman. Even as Om is all-pervasive, the Brahman is also all pervasive. The Vedic dictum, Ayam Atma Brahma (This Atma is Brahman) points out that Atma and Brahman are one and the same. Hence Om, Brahmanandatma signify the same entity. (SSS Vol.22, p.194/197)