Vedic chanting refers to the recitation of the hymns of the Vedas, the most ancient sacred texts of India. Counted among one of the four Vedas, the Rig is a magnificent collection of over 10,000 verses. These contain ancient prayers for prosperity and hymns dedicated to several nature gods. As one of the oldest religious tradition of the world, Vedic chanting has continued for several millennia. Some of its verses continue to be recited as Hindu prayers at religious and other occasions. The tradition has been kept alive and unbroken by a handful of people who implicitly understand that fidelity to pronunciation and accent is important because of the belief that the energy of the mantra is in its sound. The human voice chanting these verses has the healing power to replenish the universe, and promote harmony and health. K.M. Vasudevan Namboothiri and N.M Narayanan present Rigvedic Chanting. Shri Namboothiri learned Sanskrit and the Rig Veda traditionally. After his post-graduation in Statistics, he worked as an officer in the Indian Statistical Service. H sought voluntary retirement after 21 years and is now engaged fully in the teaching and propagation of the Rig Veda. Dr Narayanan is a scholar of the Rig Veda and studied the canon through the traditional system up to Ghanapatha, or ‘Bell mode’ – an advanced stage of learning to chant the scripture in which words are repeated back and forth in a bell shape. A Ph.D in Sanskrit Poetics, he is Assistant Professor, Department of Sanskrit at Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur.

The Sukta begins with the Mantra ‘Bhadram karnebhih….’ in Rig Veda. This 10-verse sukta invokes all the divine beings of the cosmos, requesting them to bestow noble thoughts, well-being, health and long life to all animate and inanimate objects in the world. The sukta also wishes brotherhood and peace among the human beings of the world. The 10 verses will be first chanted in Samhita Swara. The eighth verse, or Rk - Bhadram karnebhih srunuyama devah… will be chanted in Samhita, Pada, Krama, Jata and Ratha modes (all elaborated musical methods of chanting).