Introductory Note on the Structure & Content of the FOUR Vedams

[Guest guest]

sadagopan

SrI:

 

Dear AaasthikAs belinging to the Veda Paramparai :

 

Sixty nine days from today , the SathAbhishEka Uthsavam of Srimath Azhagiya

Singar

will be celebrated at Srirangam with the recitation of the Vedams in Samhitha ,

JaDai ,

Ghanam modes . 500 Vedic Pandits will be taking part in these sacred recitations

..

 

As a part of the fund raising efforts for preservation and protection of that

Veda

Santhathi by Srimath Azhagiya Singar and other VedAbhimAnis , adiyEn is sharing

these articles on Vedams , Veda BhAghams and Upanishads with you

until the day of SathAbhishEkam .

 

adiyEn knows that these efforts to share the richness of our Vedic tradition

will bear fruit and we can succeed in raising the necessary funds to support

this gigantic Vedic recitation ( Veda ViNNappam ) before MalOlan and Dolai

KaNNan at the Sri Mantapam at the dhivya kshEthram of Sri Rangam .

 

Please support generously . Please contact adiyEn about your support

for Vedams and the Vedic tradition .

 

Today , we will focus on the content of the four Vedams .

 

NamO Veda PurushAya ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

sadagopan.org

Vedams & Upanishads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan

 

 

 

The two kinds of Knowledge: Para and apara vidhyAs

 

 

The great tradition of the transmission of knowledge thru AchArya Mukham

is recorded in Mundaka Upanishad as a conversation between BrahmA, the creator

and his eldest son, AtharvA about the knowledge of BRAHMAN, the corner stone of

ALL knowledge. AtharvA taught what he had learned from his father to AngirA, who

in turn taught it to SatyavAhA belonging to the clan of BharadvAjA; SatyavAhA

passed that supreme knowledge in succession to Sage Angiras .

 

SaunakA, the celebrated grahasthA approached Sage Angiras and asked

humbly: “O Illustrious sage! kasminnu BhagavO vig~nyAthE sarvamidham vig~nAtham

bhavathee ? (What is that by the knowing of which all this becomes known?)

 

Sage Angiras replied: " two kinds of knowledge needs to be known according

to the knowers of Brahman. They are the higher knowledge (parA) and the lower

knowledge (aparA) "

 

Sage Angiras explained further that the lower knowledge is the Rig Veda,

the Yajur VedA, the Saama VedA and Atharva VedA, SikshA (phonetics), kalpA

(rituals), vyAkarNam (grammer), NirukthA (etymology), chandas (metre) and

JyOthisham (astronomy); and the higher knowledge is that by which the

imperishable Brahman is attained.

 

Sage Angiras said: " dhvE vidhyE vEdhithavyE ithi ha sma yadh BrahmavidhO

vadanthi ParA chaivAparA cha " AparA are the four VedAs and their six angAs to

understand the nature of DharmA and the ParA is the knowledge about the

imperishable (akshaya) Brahman, which is the embodiment of DharmA. That

omniscient, Omnipotent, all merciful Brahman has been defined as the

source/origin, sustenance and dissolution of this multifaceted world according

to the second Brahma sUthrA (JanmAdhyasya yatha:). That Brahman is cognized only

through the scriptures, the sources of authoritative knowledge about Brahman

(Saasthra yOnithvAth: Brahma-sUthram 1.3).The next Brahma sUtram goes on to

point out that Brahman is the main purport of all Vedic and upanishadic texts

(tatthu samanvayAth). Thus one can not dismiss the VedAs quickly as apara vidhyA

and jump on to Para vidhyA. Rigorous study of the VedAs reveal to us the

appproach to Brahman, the para VidhyA, the ultimate goal for us all.

 

The four categories of Knowledge in the VedAs

 

 

The four VedAs contain four important categories of knowledge related to

DharmA:

 

(1) Injunctions and Prohibitions

(2) Valedictory (praise) and deprecatory passages

(3) MantrAs and

(4) Names

 

All these four are necessary to understand true DharmA or righteous duty

from different angles. Thus an inquiry in to them through the study of the VedAs

becomes an essential pre-requisite in one's journey towards the comprehension of

Brahman (para VidhyA). The authority of the VedAs for us is supreme and final

and hence a proper understanding of them with the help of a qualified AchAryA

sets us on a safe footing to comprehend Brahman and achieve the parama

purushArtham of Moksham. Our tradition is therefore called Vaidhikam or the one

based on the authoritativeness of the VedAs.

 

The four kinds of Veda SamhithAs:

 

Atharva SamhithA

 

 

Rig, Yajur, Saama and Atharva samhithAs constitute the four VedA

samhithAs. Each of them have more than one branch (SaakA). The oldest VedA is

recognized as Rig Vedam and the youngest is the Atharva Vedam. Latter has nine

branches or rescensions (navadhAatharvaNO veda:). These nine branches are: (1)

PaippalAda (2) Tauda (3) MuNda (4) SaunakIya (5) Jaajala (6) Jalada (7)

BrAhmaveda (8) Devadarsa and (9) ChAraNavaidya. Today, only two of the nine

branches of Atharva Vedam (Saunakha and PaippalAda) are available to us. The

Delhi Vedic trust has recorded the Saunakha sAkA .

 

The Atharva Veda samhithA has 5977 verses spread over 20 KhAndams

(books/chapters). The khAndams are further subdivided into hymns and they in

turn house a group of manthrAs. Some prefer to catalogue the Atharva Veda Text

(SamhithA)into prapaathakAs (Lessons or lectures). Under this classification,

there are 34 prapAthakAs that house the 5977 verses. Among NammAzhwAr's four

Tamil Prabhandhams, Periya ThiruvanthAdhi is considered as the essence of

Atharva Vedam.

 

The Delhi Vedic trust has recorded the 20 KhAndhams of Atharva Vedam in 14

audio tapes and lately into MP3 type of condensation .

 

" In the external plane , Atharva Veda mantrams are known as hymns for

solely performing " Magic " and have incantations as thier goals . Wehn viewed in

the Spiritual plane described below , the Atharva Veda is recognized as

expounding universal truths of the oneness of the Universe , the way to live in

communion with the world of evolved souls , to pray for a healthy life full of

spiritual pursuits and finally reach the Supreme Being " .

 

Atharva Vedam stays as one of the four Kumbhams in the PraNavAkAra VimAnam

of Sri RanganAtha at Srirangam . The other three Kumbhams represent the Yajur,

Saama and Rig Vedams .

 

Inview of the misunderstood purport of Atharva Vedam a sbeing connected to

balck magic and cures , adiyEn will devote some time to specific sections of

Atharva Vedam to highlight their grandeur and universal vision .

 

Rg Veda SamhithA

 

 

This ancient Vedam has 1,028 sUkthams (hymns) and contains in all 10,589

verses. These are grouped into either 8 KhAndAs or 10 MandalAs with 85 anuvAkAs

(subsections). There used to be 21 sakAs (redactions) of the Rig VedAs. There is

only one available today. That is Saakala SaakA. IythrEya Upanishad belongs to

Rig Veda SamhithA. NammAzhwAr's Thiruviruttham is consdieres as the Veda

SaarArtham of Rig Vedam.

 

Veda PrasAr Samithi summarizes this way the purport of the RigVedam : " In

the Rig Vedam , the universal truths propounded explain the universal order of

life in three planes :

 

(1) Internal ( to the Soul) , (2) External ( to the body inn terms of

dharma or worldly life), and (3) Spiritual ( interms of the Cosmos).

 

The universal order of life in these three planes is then linked to the

supreme encompassing the three planes . Thus all terms /names mentioned such as

Indhra , Agni , Vaayu etc have exoteric and esoteric significance in each of the

three planes as understood by the individual Soul depending on the spiritual

evolution of the Soul .

 

There are thus multiple interpretations of the meanings of the Veda

Mantrams .

 

Yajur Veda SamhithA

 

 

This Vedam has 1975 verses grouped under 40 chapters known as adhyAyAs.

The longest chapter has 117 " verses " and the shortest chapter has 13 " verses " .

There are two Yajur samhithAs: Sukla and KrishNa (White and Black) samhithAs.

The White Yajur Veda samhithA is also known as VajasanEyi -MadhyAndina Sukla

Yajur vedam to distinguish it from KrishNa Yajur Veda or Taittiriya SamhithA,

which is generally considered to be more close to a BrahmaNA rather than to a

Sruthi. Most of the people in AndhrA and Tamil Naadu are KrishNa Yajur Vedins.

 

The two samhithAs have number of recensions in view of their wide

popularity. These variations arose from a variety of textual differences and

their applications in Vedic rituals. The two popular recensions of the Sukla

Yajur Vedam are: MaadhyAndhina and KaaNva; the KrishNa Yajur Vedam has three

recensions: kAtaka, Kapishtala-Kata and MaithrAyaNee.

 

" The Yajur Veda consists of hymns from the Rig Veda along with other

hymns , which when recited in the performance of a Yaj~naa will enable the soul

or the beneficiaries to understand the universal truths of the Veda in any or

all the three planes of its meanings depending on the individual's stage of

spiritual evolution .Though the Yajur Veda is associated with performance of

Yaj~naa for worldly gains , it is understood that the individual beneficiaries

will ultimately evolve spiritually and subsequently undertake these Yaj~naas for

the spiritual and material benefits of Mankind as a whole " .

 

Sukla & KrishNa Yajur VedAs : Sukla Yajur Veda is popular in the Northern

parts of India , whereas the KrishNa Yajur Veda prevails in the South (DakshiNa

dEsams). Sukla (White) Yajur Vedam is said to have been taught by Surya

NaarAyaNan to Sage Yaj~nyavalkya . It consists of Veda Mantrams and BrahmaNams

( explanatory notes to those mantrams) as seen in Sathapatha BrAhmaNa .

 

KrishNa Yajur Vedam is known as the " Black " or " dark " Yajur Vedam and

has alsothe Veda Mantrams and BrahmanaNAs mixed together.

 

 

 

Saama samhithA

 

In its importance in YaagAs and sacredness, Saama Veda SamhithAs rank next

to Rig VedA. The Lord of GeethA however has put this Saama samhithA on the top

of all four SamhithAs with His declaration that He is Saama VedA among the

VedAs. This samhithA consists of hyms chanted by udhgAtri priests at the Soma

YaagAs. Many of the hymns originate from Rig Vedam and have been rearranged

without reference to the original order in the Rig Vedam and set to music. Only

75 verses of the total of 1,875 verses of Saama Vedam are not to be found in Rig

Vedam. The remaining 1,800 verses are essentially the repetitions of Rig Vedic

verses. The important distinction however is that they are sung instead of being

recited. The Rig Vedam deals with knowledge and Saama Vedam deals with UpAsanA,

Worship and DhyAnam.

 

According to one classification, the Saama samhithA is catalogued under

two sections: PurvArchikA and UttarArchikA. Each archikA is subdivided into

prapaathakAs and adhyAyAs. In another classification, the 1875 verses are

grouped under FOUR categories:

 

1. PurvArchikA: 585 verses ( 1-585 )

2. AraNya KhAndam : 55 verses ( 586-640 )

3. MahAnAmnyArchikA : 10 verses( 641-650 )

4. UttarArchikA: 1225 verses ( 651-1875)

 

In singing, the priests of the Yaj~nams follow specific styles through

alteration of prolongation, repetition, modulation, rests et al. These become

the various styles of Saama GhAnams: congregational (GrAma gEya GhAnam), AraNya

ghAnam (Forest song style), Uha ghAnam and Uhya GhAnam.

 

Saama Vedam had originally 1001 branches. We have very few left now.

NammAzhwAr's celebrated Thiruvaimozhi is recognized as the Saama Veda

SaarArtham.

 

" The Saama Veda consists of hymns ( many of them common with the Rig Veda

) , which when combined in the appropriate mannenr will strike a chord in

enabling one to understand the universal truths and order of life depending on

their stage of spiritual evolution . The source of the musical patterns of the

Saama Veda hymns is derived from the vibratioons/sounds of the cosmos . This

reveals that the spiritual evolution can be achieved thru Music ( by hearing as

well as singing ). "

 

Upanishads and Veda Saakaas

 

 

Upanishads are found in the concluding sections of the Veda Saakaas and

hence are known as Vedanta or the end of the Vedas. There are four Veda Samhitas

(Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva). The Yajur Vedam has two Samhitas known as the

Krishna and Sukla Yajur Vedas. Hence, One can say that there are 5 Veda

Samhitas, if we take into account the 2 Samhitas of Yajur Veda. Each of the 4

Samhitas referred to above has several branches or Saakaas. Each Saaka has a

Karma Khanda dealing with the actions to beperformed and is made up of Mantras

and Btrahmanaas. Latter deals with Upasana or meditation and has Aranyakas

inside them for the benefit of those who have resorted to the quiet habitat of

the forest to pursue their spiritual Quest. The Upanishads are found mostly in

the Aranyaka section of the Vedas.

 

The traditional view is that Vysa Bhagavan has classified the four Vedas

into 1180 Saakaas and each of these Saakaa is associated with an Upanishad.

Hence, One anticipates 1180 Upanishads. According to this view, there must have

been 21 Upanishads for the 21 Rg Saakaas, 109 for Yajurveda, 1000 for Sama Veda

and 50 for the Atharva Veda. Most of these Saakaas have been lost with the

passage of time and we are left with 108 Upanishads today. The breakdown among

the 108 Upanishads according to the 5 Veda Samhitas are as follows:

 

1. Rg Veda : 10

2. Sama Veda :16

3. Atharva Veda: 31

4. Krishna Yajur Veda: 32

5. Sukla Yajur Veda: 19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear AaasthikAs belinging to the Veda Paramparai :

 

Sixty nine days from today , the SathAbhishEka Uthsavam of Srimath Azhagiya Singar

will be celebrated at Srirangam with the recitation of the Vedams in Samhitha , JaDai ,

Ghanam modes . 500 Vedic Pandits will be taking part in these sacred recitations .

 

As a part of the fund raising efforts for preservation and protection of that Veda

Santhathi by Srimath Azhagiya Singar and other VedAbhimAnis , adiyEn is sharing

these articles on Vedams , Veda BhAghams and Upanishads with you

until the day of SathAbhishEkam .

 

adiyEn knows that these efforts to share the richness of our Vedic tradition

will bear fruit and we can succeed in raising the necessary funds to support

this gigantic Vedic recitation ( Veda ViNNappam ) before MalOlan and Dolai

KaNNan at the Sri Mantapam at the dhivya kshEthram of Sri Rangam .

 

Please support generously . Please contact adiyEn about your support

for Vedams and the Vedic tradition .

 

Today , we will focus on the content of the four Vedams .

 

NamO Veda PurushAya ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sadagopan.org

Vedams & Upanishads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan

The two kinds of Knowledge: Para and apara vidhyAs

The great tradition of the transmission of knowledge thru AchArya Mukham is recorded in Mundaka Upanishad as a conversation between BrahmA, the creator and his eldest son, AtharvA about the knowledge of BRAHMAN, the corner stone of ALL knowledge. AtharvA taught what he had learned from his father to AngirA, who in turn taught it to SatyavAhA belonging to the clan of BharadvAjA; SatyavAhA passed that supreme knowledge in succession to Sage Angiras .

SaunakA, the celebrated grahasthA approached Sage Angiras and asked humbly: “O Illustrious sage! kasminnu BhagavO vig~nyAthE sarvamidham vig~nAtham bhavathee ? (What is that by the knowing of which all this becomes known?)

Sage Angiras replied: "two kinds of knowledge needs to be known according to the knowers of Brahman. They are the higher knowledge (parA) and the lower knowledge (aparA)"

Sage Angiras explained further that the lower knowledge is the Rig Veda, the Yajur VedA, the Saama VedA and Atharva VedA, SikshA (phonetics), kalpA (rituals), vyAkarNam (grammer), NirukthA (etymology), chandas (metre) and JyOthisham (astronomy); and the higher knowledge is that by which the imperishable Brahman is attained.

Sage Angiras said:" dhvE vidhyE vEdhithavyE ithi ha sma yadh BrahmavidhO vadanthi ParA chaivAparA cha "AparA are the four VedAs and their six angAs to understand the nature of DharmA and the ParA is the knowledge about the imperishable (akshaya) Brahman, which is the embodiment of DharmA. That omniscient, Omnipotent, all merciful Brahman has been defined as the source/origin, sustenance and dissolution of this multifaceted world according to the second Brahma sUthrA (JanmAdhyasya yatha:). That Brahman is cognized only through the scriptures, the sources of authoritative knowledge about Brahman (Saasthra yOnithvAth: Brahma-sUthram 1.3).The next Brahma sUtram goes on to point out that Brahman is the main purport of all Vedic and upanishadic texts (tatthu samanvayAth). Thus one can not dismiss the VedAs quickly as apara vidhyA and jump on to Para vidhyA. Rigorous study of the VedAs reveal to us the appproach to Brahman, the para VidhyA, the ultimate goal for us all.

The four categories of Knowledge in the VedAs

The four VedAs contain four important categories of knowledge related to DharmA:

(1) Injunctions and Prohibitions(2) Valedictory (praise) and deprecatory passages(3) MantrAs and(4) Names

All these four are necessary to understand true DharmA or righteous duty from different angles. Thus an inquiry in to them through the study of the VedAs becomes an essential pre-requisite in one's journey towards the comprehension of Brahman (para VidhyA). The authority of the VedAs for us is supreme and final and hence a proper understanding of them with the help of a qualified AchAryA sets us on a safe footing to comprehend Brahman and achieve the parama purushArtham of Moksham. Our tradition is therefore called Vaidhikam or the one based on the authoritativeness of the VedAs.

The four kinds of Veda SamhithAs:

Atharva SamhithA

Rig, Yajur, Saama and Atharva samhithAs constitute the four VedA samhithAs. Each of them have more than one branch (SaakA). The oldest VedA is recognized as Rig Vedam and the youngest is the Atharva Vedam. Latter has nine branches or rescensions (navadhAatharvaNO veda:). These nine branches are: (1) PaippalAda (2) Tauda (3) MuNda (4) SaunakIya (5) Jaajala (6) Jalada (7) BrAhmaveda (8) Devadarsa and (9) ChAraNavaidya. Today, only two of the nine branches of Atharva Vedam (Saunakha and PaippalAda) are available to us. The Delhi Vedic trust has recorded the Saunakha sAkA .

The Atharva Veda samhithA has 5977 verses spread over 20 KhAndams (books/chapters). The khAndams are further subdivided into hymns and they in turn house a group of manthrAs. Some prefer to catalogue the Atharva Veda Text (SamhithA)into prapaathakAs (Lessons or lectures). Under this classification, there are 34 prapAthakAs that house the 5977 verses. Among NammAzhwAr's four Tamil Prabhandhams, Periya ThiruvanthAdhi is considered as the essence of Atharva Vedam.

The Delhi Vedic trust has recorded the 20 KhAndhams of Atharva Vedam in 14 audio tapes and lately into MP3 type of condensation .

" In the external plane , Atharva Veda mantrams are known as hymns for solely performing "Magic" and have incantations as thier goals . Wehn viewed in the Spiritual plane described below , the Atharva Veda is recognized as expounding universal truths of the oneness of the Universe , the way to live in communion with the world of evolved souls , to pray for a healthy life full of spiritual pursuits and finally reach the Supreme Being ".

Atharva Vedam stays as one of the four Kumbhams in the PraNavAkAra VimAnam of Sri RanganAtha at Srirangam . The other three Kumbhams represent the Yajur, Saama and Rig Vedams .

Inview of the misunderstood purport of Atharva Vedam a sbeing connected to balck magic and cures , adiyEn will devote some time to specific sections of Atharva Vedam to highlight their grandeur and universal vision .

Rg Veda SamhithA

This ancient Vedam has 1,028 sUkthams (hymns) and contains in all 10,589 verses. These are grouped into either 8 KhAndAs or 10 MandalAs with 85 anuvAkAs (subsections). There used to be 21 sakAs (redactions) of the Rig VedAs. There is only one available today. That is Saakala SaakA. IythrEya Upanishad belongs to Rig Veda SamhithA. NammAzhwAr's Thiruviruttham is consdieres as the Veda SaarArtham of Rig Vedam.

Veda PrasAr Samithi summarizes this way the purport of the RigVedam : " In the Rig Vedam , the universal truths propounded explain the universal order of life in three planes :

(1) Internal ( to the Soul) , (2) External ( to the body inn terms of dharma or worldly life), and (3) Spiritual ( interms of the Cosmos).

The universal order of life in these three planes is then linked to the supreme encompassing the three planes . Thus all terms /names mentioned such as Indhra , Agni , Vaayu etc have exoteric and esoteric significance in each of the three planes as understood by the individual Soul depending on the spiritual evolution of the Soul .

There are thus multiple interpretations of the meanings of the Veda Mantrams .

Yajur Veda SamhithA

This Vedam has 1975 verses grouped under 40 chapters known as adhyAyAs. The longest chapter has 117 "verses" and the shortest chapter has 13 "verses ". There are two Yajur samhithAs: Sukla and KrishNa (White and Black) samhithAs. The White Yajur Veda samhithA is also known as VajasanEyi -MadhyAndina Sukla Yajur vedam to distinguish it from KrishNa Yajur Veda or Taittiriya SamhithA, which is generally considered to be more close to a BrahmaNA rather than to a Sruthi. Most of the people in AndhrA and Tamil Naadu are KrishNa Yajur Vedins.

The two samhithAs have number of recensions in view of their wide popularity. These variations arose from a variety of textual differences and their applications in Vedic rituals. The two popular recensions of the Sukla Yajur Vedam are: MaadhyAndhina and KaaNva; the KrishNa Yajur Vedam has three recensions: kAtaka, Kapishtala-Kata and MaithrAyaNee.

" The Yajur Veda consists of hymns from the Rig Veda along with other hymns , which when recited in the performance of a Yaj~naa will enable the soul or the beneficiaries to understand the universal truths of the Veda in any or all the three planes of its meanings depending on the individual's stage of spiritual evolution .Though the Yajur Veda is associated with performance of Yaj~naa for worldly gains , it is understood that the individual beneficiaries will ultimately evolve spiritually and subsequently undertake these Yaj~naas for the spiritual and material benefits of Mankind as a whole".

Sukla & KrishNa Yajur VedAs : Sukla Yajur Veda is popular in the Northern parts of India , whereas the KrishNa Yajur Veda prevails in the South (DakshiNa dEsams). Sukla (White) Yajur Vedam is said to have been taught by Surya NaarAyaNan to Sage Yaj~nyavalkya . It consists of Veda Mantrams and BrahmaNams ( explanatory notes to those mantrams) as seen in Sathapatha BrAhmaNa .

KrishNa Yajur Vedam is known as the "Black " or "dark " Yajur Vedam and has alsothe Veda Mantrams and BrahmanaNAs mixed together.

 

Saama samhithA

In its importance in YaagAs and sacredness, Saama Veda SamhithAs rank next to Rig VedA. The Lord of GeethA however has put this Saama samhithA on the top of all four SamhithAs with His declaration that He is Saama VedA among the VedAs. This samhithA consists of hyms chanted by udhgAtri priests at the Soma YaagAs. Many of the hymns originate from Rig Vedam and have been rearranged without reference to the original order in the Rig Vedam and set to music. Only 75 verses of the total of 1,875 verses of Saama Vedam are not to be found in Rig Vedam. The remaining 1,800 verses are essentially the repetitions of Rig Vedic verses. The important distinction however is that they are sung instead of being recited. The Rig Vedam deals with knowledge and Saama Vedam deals with UpAsanA, Worship and DhyAnam.

According to one classification, the Saama samhithA is catalogued under two sections: PurvArchikA and UttarArchikA. Each archikA is subdivided into prapaathakAs and adhyAyAs. In another classification, the 1875 verses are grouped under FOUR categories:

1. PurvArchikA: 585 verses ( 1-585 )2. AraNya KhAndam : 55 verses ( 586-640 )3. MahAnAmnyArchikA : 10 verses( 641-650 )4. UttarArchikA: 1225 verses ( 651-1875)

In singing, the priests of the Yaj~nams follow specific styles through alteration of prolongation, repetition, modulation, rests et al. These become the various styles of Saama GhAnams: congregational (GrAma gEya GhAnam), AraNya ghAnam (Forest song style), Uha ghAnam and Uhya GhAnam.

Saama Vedam had originally 1001 branches. We have very few left now. NammAzhwAr's celebrated Thiruvaimozhi is recognized as the Saama Veda SaarArtham.

" The Saama Veda consists of hymns ( many of them common with the Rig Veda ) , which when combined in the appropriate mannenr will strike a chord in enabling one to understand the universal truths and order of life depending on their stage of spiritual evolution . The source of the musical patterns of the Saama Veda hymns is derived from the vibratioons/sounds of the cosmos . This reveals that the spiritual evolution can be achieved thru Music ( by hearing as well as singing )."

Upanishads and Veda Saakaas

Upanishads are found in the concluding sections of the Veda Saakaas and hence are known as Vedanta or the end of the Vedas. There are four Veda Samhitas (Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva). The Yajur Vedam has two Samhitas known as the Krishna and Sukla Yajur Vedas. Hence, One can say that there are 5 Veda Samhitas, if we take into account the 2 Samhitas of Yajur Veda. Each of the 4 Samhitas referred to above has several branches or Saakaas. Each Saaka has a Karma Khanda dealing with the actions to beperformed and is made up of Mantras and Btrahmanaas. Latter deals with Upasana or meditation and has Aranyakas inside them for the benefit of those who have resorted to the quiet habitat of the forest to pursue their spiritual Quest. The Upanishads are found mostly in the Aranyaka section of the Vedas.

The traditional view is that Vysa Bhagavan has classified the four Vedas into 1180 Saakaas and each of these Saakaa is associated with an Upanishad. Hence, One anticipates 1180 Upanishads. According to this view, there must have been 21 Upanishads for the 21 Rg Saakaas, 109 for Yajurveda, 1000 for Sama Veda and 50 for the Atharva Veda. Most of these Saakaas have been lost with the passage of time and we are left with 108 Upanishads today. The breakdown among the 108 Upanishads according to the 5 Veda Samhitas are as follows:

1. Rg Veda : 102. Sama Veda :163. Atharva Veda: 314. Krishna Yajur Veda: 325. Sukla Yajur Veda: 19