Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s10.t3.10

v1.c7.s10.t3.10

The Samaveda, basically, is a collection of hymns taken from the Rigveda, with melodies provided. Of these hymns, all but 75 are taken from volume 8 and volume 9 of the Rigveda. Therefore, of the four Vedas, the Samaveda has the poorest independence, but it has an important value for the study of the development of ancient Indian music. The extant Samaveda contains two volumes and a total of 1,549 hymns. Volume 1 includes six chapters, and Volume 2 has nine chapters, with some overlapping with Volume 1 and the most contents being taken from the Rigveda. Volume 2 was formed later than Volume 1.