Description

The Sama Veda Samhita is one of the four Vedas which we received over a period of thousands of years ago by oral tradition, without an error of even a syllable, before they were reduced to writing in very recent times. There are a total of 1875 musical mantras in Sama Veda, out of which 1504 mantras are taken from Rig Veda. Apart from 99 mantras in Sama Veda, all the mantras are found in Rig Veda only. Its verses were chanted at the ceremonies such as the Soma-sacrifice. It praises deities such as Indra, Agni, and Soma. Moreover, its prayers are dedicated to invoking the Supreme Being. The Sama Veda is considered as the root of the Indian classical music and dance and the storehouse of the melodious chants. The present work contains the whole text of Sama Veda translated in English. Apart from the text, the book contains an exhaustive and critical introduction which gives detailed information useful for readers to know what this book deals with. Overall, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in understanding the Sama Veda and its significance in Hinduism. We have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
Rev. John Stevenson was a zealous missionary and distinguished Sanskrit scholar and one of the pioneer editors and translators of Vedic literature. He was a founder of the Bombay Gazette and joint-editor for its first 3 years; intimately acquainted with native thought and native dialects. He was President of R.A. S., Bombay, and was the Chairman of the Government Committee for examination of officers in native languages. However, as a missionary, he believed that showing openly the very roots of Indian religion would lead young Indians to adopt Christian faith.