Essay name: Musical Instruments in Sanskrit Literature
Author:
S. Karthick Raj KMoundinya
Affiliation: University of Madras / Department of Sanskrit
The essay studies the Musical Instruments in Sanskrit Literature and its relationship with the South Indian musical tradition. The study emphasizes the universal appeal of music and documents how it pervades various aspects of life, art, literature, painting, and sculpture.
Chapter 1 - Introduction: Musical instruments in India
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External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Rg Veda refer to instruments like Nali (10.135.7), Vana ( 9.97.8),
膧gh膩ti (10.146.2), Dundubhi (1.28.5), B膩kura (1.117.21), Vamsa (1.10.1),
Karkari (2.43.3), etc whose references are given in Chapter III.
R峁歡 Veda mentions V墨峁嚹� to be played while chanting the S膩mans.
In Rg Veda, V膩na is quoted often. S膩yana explains it as " 啶掂ぞ啶｀ 啶多い - 啶膏啷嵿啶距き啶�
啶膏啶むえ啷嵿い啷嵿ぐ啷�啶た啶班啶啶曕啶む 啶掂啶｀ぞ 啶掂た啶多啶粪 啶оぎ啶ㄠ啶む 啶掂ぞ啶︵く啶ㄠ啶む [v膩峁嘺峁� 艣ata - sa峁卥h膩bhi
stantr墨bhiryukta峁� v墨峁嚹� vi艣e峁峁� dhamante v膩dayante ] " meaning that the V膩na was an
instrument with hundred strings.
啶むう啶苦い啷嵿じ啶оじ啷嵿ぅ啶き啶� 啶氞ぞ啶班 啶︵啶оく 啶椸ぞ啶掂 啶啷嵿啶距じ啶ㄠ啶掂す啶む啶� 啶� 啶о啶ㄠさ啶� 啷�
啶ぞ啶むぞ 啶え啷嵿ぎ啶ㄠ啶む啶啶ムじ啷嵿く 啶啶掂啶ぞ啶た 啶掂ぞ啶｀じ啷嵿く 啶膏お啷嵿い啶оぞ啶む啶班た啶溹啶溹え啶� 啷�
[taditsadhasthamabhi c膩ru d墨dhaya g膩vo yacch膩sanvahatu峁� na dhenava岣� |
m膩t膩 yanmantuy奴thasya p奴vy膩bhi v膩峁嘺sya saptadh膩turijjana岣� ||
] Rg Veda - 10.32.4
Shine, Indra, upon this elegant chaser of sacrifice when our praises
desire your approach; since the praise of the worshiper precedes the
adoration, this person accompanied by the seven officiated priests is
offering the prayers. Sayana explains 鈥�啶掂ぞ啶｀じ啷嵿く 啶掂ぞ啶︵啶じ啷嵿く 啶膏お啷嵿い 啶оぞ啶む啶� 啶ㄠた啶粪ぞ啶︵ぞ啶︵た 啶膏お啷嵿い
啶膏啶掂ぐ啷嬥お啷囙い啷� 啶溹え啶� 啶呧き啶� 啶椸啷嵿啷囙い啶� 啶むう啷嵿さ啶む 啶むう啷嵿啷佮ぃ啷嬥お啷囙い啶 [v膩峁嘺sya v膩dyasya sapta dh膩tu岣� ni峁Ｄ乨膩di sapta
svaropeto jana岣� abhi gaccheti tadvat tadgu峁噊petam ] 鈥�. It is probable that 啶膏お啷嵿い 啶оぞ啶む啶�
[sapta dh膩tu岣�
] signifies the seven tones that were produced in the hundred strings of
the Vin膩 V膩na.
