२३

ऋक्च वा इदमग्रे साम चा ऽऽस्तां सैव नाम ऋगासीदमो नाम साम ।

(On the Close Relationship between Sâman and Rik. Why the Sâma Singers require three ṛichas. The five-fold division of both. Both are contained in the Virâṭ. The five parts of the Niṣkevalya Śastra.)

First there existed the Rik and the Sâman (separate from one another); sâ was the Rik, and the name amaḥ was the Sâman.

ऋक्च वा इदमग्रे साम चा ऽऽस्तां सैव नाम ऋगासीदमो नाम साम ।

सा वा ऋक्सामोपावदन्मिथुनं संभवाव प्रजात्या इति ।

Sâ, which was Rik, said to the Sâman, “Let us copulate for begetting children.”

सा वा ऋक्सामोपावदन्मिथुनं संभवाव प्रजात्या इति ।

नेत्यब्रवीत्साम ज्यायान्वा अतो मम महिमेति ।

The Sâman answered, “No; for my greatness exceeds (yours).”

नेत्यब्रवीत्साम ज्यायान्वा अतो मम महिमेति ।

ते द्वे भूत्वोपावदताम् ।

(Thereupon) the Rik became two; both spoke (to the Sâman to the same effect);

ते द्वे भूत्वोपावदताम् ।

ते न प्रतिचन समवदत ।

but it did not comply with their request.

ते न प्रतिचन समवदत ।

तास्तिस्रो भूत्वोपावदन् ।

The Rik became three (divided into three); all three spoke (to the Sâman to the same effect).

तास्तिस्रो भूत्वोपावदन् ।

तत्तिसृभिः समभवद्यत्तिसृभिः समभवत्तस्मात्तिसृभिः स्तुवन्ति तिसृभिरुद्गायन्ति ।

Thus the Sâman joined the three Ṛichas. Thence the Sâma singers use for their chant three Richas,[37] (that is) they perform their work of chanting with three Ṛichas.

[37]The Sâman, to which the Niṣkevalya Śastra of the Hotar refers, is the Rathantaram. It consists only of two ṛichas (verses), viz., abhi tvâ Śûra and na tvâvaṇ (Sâmaveda Samh. 2, 30, 31), but by the repetition of certain parts of these two verses, three are produced. See about this process, called punarâdâyam, above.

तत्तिसृभिः समभवद्यत्तिसृभिः समभवत्तस्मात्तिसृभिः स्तुवन्ति तिसृभिरुद्गायन्ति ।

तिसृभिर्हि साम संमितम् ।

(This is so also in worldly affairs.)

तिसृभिर्हि साम संमितम् ।

तस्मादेकस्य बह्व्यो जाया भवन्ति नैकस्यै बहवः सह पतयः ।

For one man has many wives (represented by the Ṛichas), but one wife has not many husbands at the same time.

तस्मादेकस्य बह्व्यो जाया भवन्ति नैकस्यै बहवः सह पतयः ।

यद्वै तत्सा चामश्च समभवतां तत्सामाभवत्तत्साम्नः सामत्वम् ।

From sâ and amaḥ having joined, sâma was produced. Thence it is called sâman.[38]

[38]The same etymology is given in the Chhândogya Upaniṣad, 3, 6, 1-6, p. 58 in the Calcutta edition of the Bibliotheca Indica): इयमेव सो ऽग्निरमस्तत्साम ie, the earth is sa and fire ama, whence comes Sâma. The author of this Upaniṣad also supposes that the Sâma rests on the Rik, the latter being compared to the earth, the first to the fire burning on her. This etymology is wholly untenable from a philological point of view. The crude form is not sâma, but sâman; thence the derivation of the second part of the word from ama (a noun ending in a, not an) falls to the ground. The first part sâ is regarded as the feminine of the demonstrative pronoun, and said to mean Rik, for Rik is a feminine. But such monstrous formations of words are utterly strange to the Sanskrit language and sanctioned by no rules of the grammarians. In all probability we have to trace the word sâman to the root so, “to bind,” whence the word avasâna, i.e., pause, is derived. It thus means “what is bound, strung together,” referring to the peculiar way of chanting the Sâmans. All sounds and syllables of one of the parts of a Sâman are so chanted, that they appear to be strung together, and to form only one long sound.

यद्वै तत्सा चामश्च समभवतां तत्सामाभवत्तत्साम्नः सामत्वम् ।

सामन्भवति य एवं वेद ।

He who has such a knowledge becomes sâman, i.e., equal, equitous.

सामन्भवति य एवं वेद ।

यो वै भवति यः श्रेष्ठतामश्नुते स सामन्भवति ।

He who exists and attains to the highest rank, is a sâman,

यो वै भवति यः श्रेष्ठतामश्नुते स सामन्भवति ।

असामन्य इति हि निन्दन्ति ।

whilst they use the word asâmanya, i.e., inequitous, partial, as a term of reproach.

असामन्य इति हि निन्दन्ति ।

ते वै पञ्चान्यद्भूत्वा पञ्चान्यद्भूत्वा कल्पेतामाहावाश्च हिंकारश्च प्रस्तावश्च प्रथमा च ऋगुद्गीथश्च मध्यमा च प्रतिहारश्चोत्तमा च निधनं च वषट्कारश्च ।

Both, the Rik as well as the Sâman, were prepared (for sacrificial use) by dividing either into five separate parts : (1) āhāva (the call śoṁṣāvom at the commencement of the Śastras, and hiṃkāra (the sound hum, commencing every Sâman); (2) the prastāva (prelude, first part of the text of the Sâman) and the first ṛich out of the three, required for the Sâman of the Niṣkevalya Śastras); (3) the udgītha (principal part of the Sâman), and the second ṛich; (4) the pratihāra (response of the Sâman), and the last ṛich (out of the three); (5) nidhanam (the finale of the Sâman) and the call vauṣaṭ (at the end of the Yājyā verses).[39]

In order to better illustrate the division of Sâmans into five parts, I give here the Rathantaram, according to these divisions:

First ṛich- (1), prastāva:- हुम् ॥ आभि त्वा शूर नोनुमो वा ॥ (2) udgitha: ओमादुग्धा इव धेनव ईशानमस्य जगतः सुवा ईशाम् ॥ (3) pratihâra: आईशानमा इंद्रा । (4) upadrava: सुस्थूषा ओवा हा उवा । (5) nidhanam: अस् ।

Second ṛich- (1) prastāva: इशोवा । (2) udgitha: ओनामिंद्र सुस्थषो न त्वा वा अन्योदिवियो न पार्थिवाः (3) pratihâra: न जातो नाजा । (4) upadrava: नाइष्याता ओवा हा उवा । (5) nidhanam: अस् ।

Third ṛich: (1) prastāva: नजोवा । (2) udgitha: ओतो न जनिष्यते अश्वायंतो मघवन्निंद्रवाजिनाः ॥ (3) pratihâra: गव्यंतस्त्वाहा । (4) upadrava: वामाहाओवा हा उवा । (5) nidhanam: अस् Agniṣṭoma Sâm Prayaga.

From this specimen the reader will easily learn in what way they make of two ṛichas three, and how they divide each into five parts. The prastâva is chanted by the Prastotar, the udgîtha by the Udgâtar (the chief of the Sâma singers), the pratihâra by the pratihartar, the upadrava by the Udgâtar, and the nidhanam by all three.

ते वै पञ्चान्यद्भूत्वा पञ्चान्यद्भूत्वा कल्पेतामाहावाश्च हिंकारश्च प्रस्तावश्च प्रथमा च ऋगुद्गीथश्च मध्यमा च प्रतिहारश्चोत्तमा च निधनं च वषट्कारश्च ।

ते यत्पञ्चान्यद्भूत्वा पञ्चान्यद्भूत्वा कल्पेतां तस्मादाहुः पाङ्क्तो यज्ञः पाङ्क्ताः पशव इति ।

Thence they say, the sacrifice is five-fold (is a pentad). Animals are five-fold (consist of five parts, four feet and a mouth).

ते यत्पञ्चान्यद्भूत्वा पञ्चान्यद्भूत्वा कल्पेतां तस्मादाहुः पाङ्क्तो यज्ञः पाङ्क्ताः पशव इति ।

यदु विराजं दशिनीमभिसमपद्येतां तस्मादाहुर्विराजि यज्ञो दशिन्यां प्रतिष्ठित इति ।

(Both, the Rik and the Sâman, either of which is divided into five parts, are contained in the Virâṭ, which consists of ten syllables).[40] Thence they say, the sacrifice is put in the Virâṭ, which consists of ten parts.

[40]This statement is not very accurate. In other passages it is said, that it consists of thirty-three syllables, see 3, 22. The metre is divided into three padas, each consisting of nine, ten, or eleven syllables.

यदु विराजं दशिनीमभिसमपद्येतां तस्मादाहुर्विराजि यज्ञो दशिन्यां प्रतिष्ठित इति ।

आत्मा वै स्तोत्रियः प्रजा ऽनुरूपः पत्नी धाय्या पशवः प्रगाथो गृहाः सूक्तम् ।

(The whole Niṣkevalya Śastra also consists of five parts, analogous to the five parts of the Sâman and the Rik at this Śastra.) The stotriya is the soul; the anurûpa is offspring, the dhāyyā is the wife, animals are the pragātha, the sūktam is the house.[41]

[41]Here are the five parts of the Niṣkevalya Śastra severally enumerated. The stotriya are the two verses of which the Rathantara consists, but so repeated by the Hotar as to make three of them, just as the Sâma singers do. The substantive to be supplied to stotriya is pragâtha, i.e., that pragâtha, which contains the same text as the stotram or performance of the Sâma singers. The anurûpa pragâtha, follows the form of the Stotriya; it consists of two verses which are made three. It must have the same commencing words as the Stotriya. The anurûpa is: abhi tvâ pûrvapitaye (8, 3, 7-8). The Dhâyyâ is already mentioned (3, 22). The Sâma pragâtha is: pibâ sutasya (8, 3, 12). The sûkta or hymn is mentioned in the following (24) paragraph.

आत्मा वै स्तोत्रियः प्रजा ऽनुरूपः पत्नी धाय्या पशवः प्रगाथो गृहाः सूक्तम् ।

स वा अस्मिंश्च लोके ऽमुष्मिंश्च प्रजया च पशुभिश्च गृहेषु वसति य एवं वेद ।

He who has such a knowledge, lives in his premises in this world, and in the other, with children and cattle.

स वा अस्मिंश्च लोके ऽमुष्मिंश्च प्रजया च पशुभिश्च गृहेषु वसति य एवं वेद ।