Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 60

Anūcāna (True Learning), the Vedāṅgas, and Śikṣā: Svara, Sāmavedic Chant, and Gandharva Theory

Devanagari script

सामवेदस्य स्वराणां सङ्गीतशास्त्रस्य स्वरेभ्यः तुलना । सामवेदः । सङ्गीतशास्त्रः । क्रुष्ट * । पञ्चमः । प्रथमः ॥ १ ॥

Transliteration

sāmavedasya svarāṇāṃ saṅgītaśāstrasya svarebhyaḥ tulanā | sāmavedaḥ | saṅgītaśāstraḥ | kruṣṭa * | pañcamaḥ | prathamaḥ || 1 ||

Translation

Nun folgt der Vergleich der Tonstufen des Sāmaveda mit den in der Musiklehre beschriebenen Tönen: Im Sāmaveda heißt der entsprechende Ton im musiktheoretischen System ‘Kruṣṭa’; im Sāmaveda ist er ‘Pañcama’, und im musikalischen System wird er ‘Prathama’ genannt.

Word by Word

• सामवेदस्य: of the Sāmaveda
• सामवेदस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सामवेद (प्रातिपदिक); सामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘साम्नः वेदः’ (Veda of Sāman chants)

• स्वराणाम्: of the notes/tones
• स्वराणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सङ्गीतशास्त्रस्य: of the music-treatise
• सङ्गीतशास्त्रस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्गीतशास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक); सङ्गीत (प्रातिपदिक) + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘सङ्गीतस्य शास्त्रम्’ (treatise of music)

• स्वरेभ्यः: from the notes/tones
• स्वरेभ्यः: Apādāna (अपादान/Ablative source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तुलना: comparison
• तुलना: Karta (कर्ता/Heading/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सामवेदः: Sāmaveda
• सामवेदः: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सामवेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सङ्गीतशास्त्रः: music-treatise
• सङ्गीतशास्त्रः: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्गीतशास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine; as given in text), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्रुष्टः: kruṣṭa (a note)
• क्रुष्टः: Karta (कर्ता/Item label)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पञ्चमः: pañcama (the fifth note)
• पञ्चमः: Karta (कर्ता/Item label)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रथमः: first
• प्रथमः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal adjective)

Speaker

Narada (teaching in a technical/śāstra mode within the dialogue tradition)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Samaveda

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It emphasizes that sacred sound (Sāmavedic svara) is a precise science; correct tonal knowledge supports accurate chanting, which is traditionally held to preserve mantra efficacy and inner discipline.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By grounding devotional recitation and singing in exact svara-knowledge, it supports bhakti practices like kīrtana and Vedic chant as disciplined offerings rather than casual performance.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Śikṣā (phonetics/intonation): it correlates Sāmavedic tone-names with Saṅgītaśāstra note terminology (e.g., Kruṣṭa/Prathama and Pañcama) for correct pitch mapping.