Veda gyan
Issue 5


Dear Readers,

Welcome to the fifth issue of Veda gyan. In this issue we shall learn first about Samaveda , later we shall take up other Vedas because this Veda is in song format and is full of prayers to God!


Samaveda is divided into three major parts and contains 1875 verses. The three divisions are Purvarchika, Uttararchika and Mahanamni archika.


Uttararchika comprises of Sukatas, Mahanamniarchika has ten verses only and Purvarchika is divided into Agneya kanda (Chapter), Anindra kanda, Pavamana kanda and Aranya kanda. Most of the verses of Samaveda are repetition of Rig Veda only. But we are unable to know whether Rig Veda or Samaveda that is first in the order of precedence.

Purvarchika is sung in two different forms namely 1. Gramageyagana 2. Aranyagana.

Uttararchika is sung in two different forms namely 1.Oohagana 2. Uhyagana.

The whole Samavedic hymns are sung in various metres ranging from 24 to 104. Of these Gayatri is 24 syllables.


Samaveda is sung along with additional swaras that are called stobas. These stobas are representation of various deities like Earth, Moon, Indra, Agni, Vayu etc. So in one song they pray to more Godhead.

Now a brief life sketch of a great saint of our times.

Sadasivendra Sarasvati also popularly known as Sadasivabrahmendra was a great yogi of 18th Century. Though we do not have much data on his family, we have some information on his student days.

It was at Tiruvisanallur a small village near kumbakonam on the banks of river Kaveri.There lived a teacher called Ramabadra Dikshita who was famous for his works like Janakiparinaya.

His famous contemporaries were Sri Venkatesa also known as Sridhara Ayyaval in his later years that invoked Goddess Ganga and brought her forth from his well at his home! And Gopalakrishna, who later came to be known as Mahabashyam Gopalakrishna Sastri, the preceptor of Tondaiman Kings who ruled from Pudukottai.

Sadasiva was one among them. During those days the boys were married early in their childhood. At the end of his student life he came to know that his wife had come of age in a distant village. His mother was happy to receive him. When he reached his teachers quarters for dinner he had to wait for more than an hour for his dinner. This made him thoughtful and set the process of renouncing the married life in motion!

He avoided his home and became a wandering monk. He did not even spare the leaves thrown away with remnants of food. People took him to be a crazy youth! But soon he found a preceptor in Paramasivendra Sarasvati. He began studying Yoga under him apart form other scriptures. He made great progress and during this period he composed a number of songs that are famous even today!

Manasa Sancharare.is one of his famous compositions. Then the Pibhare ramarasam which is hummed even by the younger generation. He also composed a poem called Atmavidya vilasam that reveals his attainment of realisation. During this time an important incident happened in Sadasiva’s life that changed his stature totally. Because of his scholarship he would bother those who come to meet his teacher with a lot of questions and derive satisfaction on their predicament of not able to answer his questions. This practice was widely resented by all. The news reached his preceptor and he was visibly annoyed and exclaimed “Sadasiva when you will learn to keep your mouth shut?”


The student realised his folly and took a vow not to speak for the rest of his life! He prostrated before his teacher and took leave of his master and became a wandering mendicant. One day he was resting his head on the embankment that divided the fields and one of the labourers remarked that even those who had given up the world found it necessary to rest their head on the embankment! This struck Sadasiva and he started lying down on the ground. Next day when the labourers passed they noticed the change and remarked that those who profess to scorn all worldly things are not still insensitive to criticism! These small falls in his march were stepping stones for great success.

Sadasiva reached the banks of Amaravati near Coimbatore District and spent his days on the riverbed. Once when he was lying on the sands of the river in Kodumudi. Suddenly there were flash floods in the river, which carried him along. The villagers on the banks were helplessly watching their beloved saint whom they looked upon with awe and reverence being buried deep in the sand by the torrent water current! They quietly returned to their home regretting the episode. Three months passed when the floods subsided and water became scarce. The village officers began the erection of Korambu (A small bridge made of wooden planks for villagers to cross over). When one of the labourers plunged his spade he encountered some obstruction. When he drew it back a few drops of blood dripped from it. Now the officers and workmen gathered around and dug a deep pit around the spot. Wonder of wonders they found the yogi buried deep into the sand with his limbs lying in different directions but he was lost in trance! They carefully dug him out and brought him back to consciousness with care. To everyone surprise he walked away after some time as though nothing happened.


In another incident our sage was wandering in the night and found a paddy heap and he laid on it stretching his arms and relaxed watching this the guards wanted to castigate him and approached the saint with sticks in their hands stretched upwards. When the yogi looked at them they simply froze and were in that position till the next day dawn when their master arrived and started enquiring his guards the yogi simply got up and left the scene! As soon as he left the place the guards returned to their normal posture.


Like this a number of incidents have taken place. He has been spotted in two paces at the same time; he had transported a lot of children to Madurai from Kodumudi in a second and later brought them back after witnessing the rathotsav there! Once his limbs were chopped off by a Muslim chieftain but the saint walked without any pain, which rattled the offender, and immediately he came and begged for his pardon. The saint forgave him and just looked at his own elbow and immediately the severed part got fused together!

Source: Book of Brahmasutra Vrtti by Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral in its forword.

Just imagine about 150 years ago a great saint like this lived amongst us!


In the next issue we shall discuss more about relevance of rituals and also some important rituals of ours.


Next issue will feature some explanation about why we use ghee in yagnas? Why we use the leaf to pour ghee as offering? Why we keep a vessel full of water with coconut on the top and with mango leaves placed firmly on plain rice? Why we sprinkle turmeric powder smeared rice when some one does pranam? What is the significance of Dharba grass?



Bye now.