I had recently attended a workshop called Heart of Yoga at KYM, Chennai. I had signed up for this course to learn Yoga Sutras, the first and still the most authoritative text on Yoga. The workshop had a few other classes which I was not aware of.
One such class was Vedic Chanting. I had a faint idea what it was and I thought, I simply have to put up with this class for the greater good. I thought it was something like the Hindu priests chanting in the temples, which always looked meaningless to me. After a few classes, it slowly dawned on me that this class was turning out to be so much fun, that it was one of my highlights at KYM. I have hardly come across anything since Yoga, that I have been so impressed with.
The premise of Vedic chanting sounds simple enough. You have to repeat what the teacher says, in exactly the same way. The meaning of the chant will not be provided until much later after the students have mastered the chants. I was handed the print outs of the chants and asked to repeat after the teacher. In the Vedic times, the student had to listen intently to the teacher and repeat it. If a mistake was made, the passage had to be recited again until there were no mistakes. This style of teaching was intended to keep the direct link between the teacher and the student. Strict rules are observed to preserve the sanctity and that the Vedas had to be learnt only from a teacher.
It is believed that no human has the authority to modify the contents or even the way these voices were heard long ago. If a mistake is made during recitation, the meaning could be altered and the purpose of the chant. I should mention that the Vedas are written in Sanskrit. My teacher tells me that the chants that we are learning in the class must have sounded exactly the same way thousands of years ago. I am not sure if women were chanting in those days. I can only imagine young boys learning how to chant in the gurukula.
Now I will come to what is so different about Vedic chanting compared to a bhajan or any other recitation. Vedic Chanting has specific rules and it can be said in only that way. Whereas a bhajan can be sung in many different tunes. Or Bhagavad Gita slokas can be recited in different styles by different schools. Essentially there are no strict rules elsewhere and there is freedom to come up with various styles and tunes. Even though Vedic Chanting sounds musical, it is not music per se. Vedic Chanting has only 3 notes (udatta, anudatta, svarita) compared to 7 needed for music.
I am quoting the next section from one of the books by KYM on Vedic Chanting.
The Vedas are called Sruti, meaning that which was heard, because they are believed to have been the voice of the Lord. On the other hand, Smrti meaning that which is remembered, refers to all other works. All Smrti-s are credited with an author, usually a great sage, while the Lord is considered the author of the Sruti-s.
After many years of listening to butchered Sanskrit in the west, it felt like honey listening to the teachers at KYM say it just the right way. I understand that the English speakers or non-Indians cannot get the right pronunciation, but I think with effort and being conscious, some of the problems can be overcome.
After weeks of reciting the chants, the teacher let us in on the meaning of the chants. Most of the chants were asking for knowledge, to let go of the ego or better health. I was most impressed with it because it was so fun and that it felt like pranayama. I needed to have a good breath control to chant it the correct way. The posture had to be correct, I cannot lie down or slouch. I have to keep my spine straight to say the chants correctly, especially where I need to aspirate, like dh in dhimahi. It is a forceful sound that comes from the belly.
Sometimes there will be lot of rules to remember to say it the correct way. It felt like math, cannot do a mistake. If a mistake is made, then it is obvious that I am thinking of something else. It requires complete attention to remember all the rules and say it the right way. What fun!
There are some chants that make me so calm and drowsy. Then there are other chants that will energize me so much, I feel hungry at the end of the chant. I think chanting makes one drink extra water and keeps the appetite very healthy.
Vedic Chanting is part of KYM only because Sri Krishnamacharya who was a Vedic scholar among other things, believed in the spiritual aspect of sound. Deeply rooted vocal sounds link us to the source. When we recite Yoga Sutras, we form a link with Patanjali. Chanting is one of the best ways to elevate ourselves, even if we don’t understand the meaning.
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