The mantras in the
Sama Yoni were used by the risis to design the mantras for musical japa and
collective chanting. there are four major categories of the singing pattern
here viz, (1) grama gana, also known as prakrati gana or veya gana, (2)
Aranyaka gana, (3) Uha gana and the (4)
Uhya gana or rahasya gana. The mantras in the first five chapters of purvarcika
are chanted under the different styles of veya gana. The aranyaka gana is
applicable for the mantras cited in the Aranya Parva and the Uha and Uhya gana
are used for the specific mantras in the Uttarciks as indicated in the
corresponding branch (or version) of the Samhita. The distribution of mantras
specified by the two main schools under different categories of gana these days
is as follows.
The origin of the
Nepalese classical music is based on these Sama Ganas. The significance of the
effects of this music and the fact that it is derived from the subtle
scientific principles is well recognized today. It is indeed unfortunate that
such a great development of yore was so much neglected over the centuries that
the analysis of its founder principles now appears to be 'impossible' or
'non-comprehensive' and 'beyond reach'. The near total absence of experts
especially those with an in-depth knowledge about the swaras, of Sama Gana has
worsened the hopes of research in this area. Nevertheless, if a dedicated
classical singer, having perfection of voice to the tune of Murchana, Aroha and
Avaroha, practices a Sama Gana with due concentration and devotion, he would
feel the divine inspiration and emotional enlightenment even if the exact
meanings of the involved mantras are not known to him.
According to the
classical system of Narada there are following classes of searas of sama: Seven
basic swaras, three Gramas, twenty one Murchanas and forty nine Tanas. The
seven swaras of sama and the venu (the octave of musical notes) have the
following correspondence
pratham Madhyam (ma)
Dwitya Gandhara (ga)
Tritya Rasabha (re)
Caturtha Sadja (sa)
Pancama Nisada (ni)
Sasthama Dhaivata (dha)
Saptama Pamcama (pa)
The serial numbers
one to seven (in the script used in the written versions of Sama) are placed
against various words or segments of words of the mantras to indicate the
swaras for the Sama gana.
The Sama yoni mantras
are chanted according to a Sama gana after a little variation in the syllables
or words of the mantras. This variation is performed according to the indicated
phonetic operations. There are six types of such operations of transformation
often applied to the mantras in the Sama yoni; these are… 1. Vikara, (2)
Vislesana, (3)Vikarsana, (4) Abhyasa,
(5) Virama and (6) Stobha
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