Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
Anūcāna (True Learning), the Vedāṅgas, and Śikṣā: Svara, Sāmavedic Chant, and Gandharva Theory
उरः कंठः शिरश्चैव स्थानानि त्रीणि वाङ्मये । सवनान्याहुरेतानि साम वाप्यर्द्धतोंऽतरम् ॥ २० ॥
uraḥ kaṃṭhaḥ śiraścaiva sthānāni trīṇi vāṅmaye | savanānyāhuretāni sāma vāpyarddhatoṃ'taram || 20 ||
വാങ്മയ ശാസ്ത്രത്തിൽ ഉച്ചാരണത്തിനുള്ള മൂന്ന് സ്ഥാനങ്ങൾ—ഉരസ് (വക്ഷസ്), കണ്ഠം, ശിരസ്—എന്ന് പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്. ഇവയെയാണ് സവനങ്ങൾ എന്നു പറയുന്നു; സാമഗാനവും ഇവയുടെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിലുള്ള അർദ്ധാന്തരത്തിൽ സ്ഥിതമാണെന്ന് പറയുന്നു।
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It links inner discipline to liberation-teaching by showing that Vedic recitation is not merely verbal; it is a regulated movement of prāṇa and sound through defined centers (chest, throat, head), making speech a yogic instrument.
By emphasizing correct sacred utterance, it supports bhakti practices like nāma-japa and stotra-recitation: devotion becomes steady and effective when sound is produced with proper placement and reverence, rather than as casual speech.
It reflects Śikṣā (Vedic phonetics): the sthānas (articulation/resonance regions) and their relation to ritual structure (the three savanas), with a note on Sāma-chanting as an intermediate tonal/phonetic mode.