Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तत्र सम गाथा गायन्ति साम्ना परमवल्गुना । गन्धर्वस्तुम्बुरुश्रेष्ठा: कुशला गीतसामसु,उस समय वहाँ सामगानमें निपुण तुम्बुरु आदि श्रेष्ठ गन्धर्वगण सामगानके नियमानुसार अत्यन्त मधुर स्वरमें गाथागान करने लगे

Transliteration

tatra sma gāthā gāyanti sāmnā paramavalgunā | gandharvās tumburuśreṣṭhāḥ kuśalā gītasāmasu ||

Translation

There, the Gandharvas—foremost among them Tumburu—skilled in song and in the chanting of Sāman melodies, began to sing narrative lays in strict accordance with the rules of Sāmagāna, their voices exceedingly sweet.

Word by Word

तत्रthere

सम्together; in unison

गाथाःsongs/ballads (gāthās)

गायन्तिthey sing

साम्नाwith/through Sāman-chant (Sāmaveda melody)

परमवल्गुनाwith an extremely sweet (melody/voice)

गन्धर्वाःthe Gandharvas

तुम्बुरुश्रेष्ठाःthe best among them, (such as) Tumburu

कुशलाःskilled

गीतसामसुin sung Sāmans / in Sāman-chants

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Gandharvas

Tumburu

Sāman (Sāmaveda chant)

gāthā (song/lay)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that true beauty in art is joined to discipline: the Gandharvas sing sweetly, yet within the established rules of Sāmagāna, suggesting that refinement and tradition guide aesthetic expression.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a scene where celestial musicians (Gandharvas), led by Tumburu, begin singing gāthās in melodious Sāman-style chanting, following the formal conventions of Sāmagāna.