deriv LSK ETT STT aSTA ALPH OLDHOMEPAGE NEWHOMEPAGE
The Vedas are the holy chants of Hinduism.
The word chandasi छन्दसि would literally translate to "in the song", and /pANini uses it to mean "in the vedas". /pANini uses this word to mark those features of the vedic dialect that had fallen out of use in the spoken language of his time.
See bahulaJchand....
You said holy CHANTS? Don't you mean holy TEXTS or holy SCRIPTURES of Hinduism? Or at least holy WRITINGS.
No, no, the holy part is the chanting. It's not a "book". The vedas are sounds, not letters, and they are remembered.
But I saw an old veda manuscript kept in a library.
Those are cheatsheets, used to help memory. The original is in the memories of people who know how to chant it.
What's the difference between chanting and singing?
In singing the music is much fancier but mostly you cannot understand the words. Chanting follows very strict rules and very boring music. And the words must be absolutely clear.
Can you show some example of veda chanting?
Youtube shows many —
Shri Rudram, an ancient Vedic Hymn
What's that drone in the background?
That's a tambura (qq(see wikipedia on Tanpura) ). It is not required for veda chanting, some people like it.
Okay, some video with no musical instruments please?
This is the real deal —