As stated earlier, the original forms of the vaidika phonemes and the associated accents (swaras) for the chanting of any syllable, were classified into eighteen different types. The ancient experts – the  risis were able to pronounce each of these swaras distinctly for the purpose of collective chanting of Veda-Mantras during different yajnaas. Owing to the adoption of artificial life style and lack of spiritually high value system, the natural sublime capabilities in the vocal cord got suppressed and our ancestors, few thousands years ago, began to use only seven out of these eighteen swaras. The seven types were identified as – udaatta, udaattara, anudaatta, anudaattara, swarita, swaritodaatta and sruti.

Over the years, this number was further reduced to three. Namely, the udaatta (high), anudaatta (medium) and the swarita (low) accents seemed to have been in existence since the time of Mahaabhaarata. These three swaras are practised by the experts and only one chanting pattern (in single swara) is now recommended for the collective recitation of mantras by the masses. The correct identification and pronunciation of even the three swaras –depicted by different symbols in the vaidika script – is so difficult that hardly 5 to 10 authentic experts of Rig-Veda are believed today to possess the true potential of vocally distinguishing them during the recitation of the vaidika mantras today.

The controversies in the current system of coding the vedic swaras further complicate the problem. For example, in some of the Rig Veda Samhitaas, published in the modern times, vertical lines above a syllable are used to indicate the swarita swara; whereas in a Maitraiyani Samhitaa, such a symbol is supposed to code for a udaatta swara..... Many Samhitaas use horizontal lines below a letter to code for the anudaatta swaras but the available versions of Satpath Braahmana use these lines as symbols for the udaatta swaras.

The book entitled “Vedic Swara Meemaamsaa” discusses the above difficulties and controversies in detail. As cited earlier, the erudite author of this book opines that ‘the symbolic patterns used in the currently available Saama Samhitaa appear to be the most confusing and inconsistent to a beginner’. A consistent symbolic representation for the Vedic Swaras should be based on the in-depth study and sagacious analysis of the descriptions and implications cited in the available mantras of the Sama Veda.

Lord Krishna in the holy Gita honors the importance of the Saama

Veda where he reveals that – ‘Vedaanaam Sama Vedosmi’ (among the four Vedas, I am the Sama Veda). It may be recalled here that Vedas are not just some scriptures, volumes or treatises, rather, they represent the divine voice and thy knowledge that was intrinsically realized by the risis of the spiritual era. In this context, a logical interpretation of the above quote would be that – ‘Sama Veda is that stream of the absolute science, the realization of which can be equivalent to experiencing thy presence in music and in consciousness....’. This also implies the importance of sentiments and intrinsic feelings rather than linguistic details in grasping any aspect of the Vedas.

Wisdom or intellect alone can only help critical analysis and rational interpretations of the mantras, as superb ‘linguistic formulae’, containing supernatural knowledge and unique power of sound. The true realization of the divine knowledge of the Vedas is possible only by a perfect combination of pure intellect and sraddhaa. It is said that – ‘Bhaavihi Kaaranama’; meaning – ‘God lives in the serene sentiments and therefore could be experienced only through the sacred feelings of the inner self...’. The difference between ‘emotional excitements’ or ‘sentiments born of selfish attachments’ and the ‘true sentiments emanated from the deeper cores of the inner self’ should be well understood before accepting these implications.

The saintly scholar Goswami Tulasidaasa begins his writing of the Holy Raamaayanaa with the following prayer of Goddess Parvati as the inspiration of Sraddha and Lord Shiva as the source of Viswaasa. Divine faith coupled with spiritually enlightened intellect represents an absolute combination that enables one realize thy luminescence in his inner sentiments. One, who has unperturbed faith in absolute truth and practises it through pure intellect in deeds, indeed finds thee….

Linguistically, saama means – music, which has an intimate connection with emotions and sentiments, and veda means – perfect knowledge, which could be grasped only through the enlightened, discerning, pure intellect.... This way as well, Sama Veda has a direct linkage with Sraddha and Visvaasa. We all must have experienced some time or the other in our life that – “what musical effects easily ‘convey’ to us via emotional impact that might never be expressible by written or oral words...”. The reach of sentiments and emotions is much wider and deeper than the domains of knowledge expressible by human intellect. The vaidika risis, despite having represented their intrinsic experiences in the form of vedic mantras, had finally declared the Vedas, as – “neti-neti...”, i.e., “beyond the power of expression…, inexplicable....”.

There are three basic forms of vocal expressions – verse, prose and singing. Of which, the last two appear to be more effective means of conveying the sentiments in any language as they lend an emotional sense to the expressions in any language. Prayers offered to the Almighty are always presented in a form of verse or devotional songs, because thy presence cannot even be felt without the depth of serene emotions….

The esoteric knowledge embodied in the Vedas, being an outcome of the divine inspirations, was naturally presented by the risis as hymns of mantras that could also be sung in enormous rhythmic patterns, making the corresponding sonic impacts penetrate through the inner emotional cores. The detailed knowledge of the rhythms of the divine music (of Naada Brahm) and formulation of the chanting patterns for the vaidika mantras is encoded in the Sama Veda.