Talk:Samhitopaniṣad Brāhmana
By Swami Harshananda
Samhitopaniṣad Brāhmana
This is one of the Brāhmaṇas of the Sāmaveda available now.
It is said to have the characteristics of a Samhitā, a Brāhmaṇa and an Upaniṣad. (See VEDAS.) Hence the name.
It has five khaṇḍas or sections. The following are the brief contents:
First Khanda
This contains an exposition of three kinds of sāmagāna as daiva, āsura and ārṣa.
Second Khanda
In this section a number of technical terms like karsaiia (prolonging a syllable in a chant by inserting more tones), stobha (musical interjections like hā u, hāi, hum) as also the characteristics of a yajamāna
(the sacrificer) and the udgatṛ (main singer of the sāmans) are explained.
Third Khanda
Uhas (See SĀMAVEDA.) to be sung in sacrifices are described here. It is also stressed that the sāmans are to be taught only to worthy candidates. Six rules concerning the teaching of the sāmans are also described.
Fourth and Fifth Khandas
The subjects discussed here include the greatness of the guru (preceptor) and the qualifications of a disciple, guru-dakṣiṇā or the fees to be paid to the teacher and how a mantra becomes a sāman.
Two commentaries—one by Sāyaṇa (A. D. 1315-1387) and another by Dvijarāja-bhatta—are available on this work.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore