The Four Vedas

The four Vedas are made up of a large number of texts, composed nearly two thousand years before Christ, by the poets, seers, sages, and ritualists of Indo-European tribes who invaded the Indian Subcontinent. They are regarded as a sacred revelation and have been transmitted orally and recited faithfully by Brahmin males for a remarkable span of history. Extensive liner notes by noted scholar Frits Staal feature detailed descriptions of each of the four Vedas, including their meaning and musical structure. The album was recorded in South India.

Track Listing

101	Ṛgveda - Opening Hymn	Male singer	01:50
102	Ṛgveda - Vikṛti Recitation	R. K. Subrahmanya Sastri and K. Balasubrahmaniam	09:05
103	Black Yajurveda - Description of Sacrifice	N. Subrahmaniam Ghanapathikal, and R. Narayana Sastri	10:31
104	White Yajurveda - Opening Verses	Male singer	01:55
105	White Yajurveda - Vikṛti Recitations	Male singer	02:00
106	White Yarjurveda - Prayer for Immortality	E. J. Kumaraswami Dikshitar	01:21
201	Samaveda - Opening Hymn (1)	Male singer	03:57
202	Samaveda - Call to Sacrifice (1)	Male singer	01:45
203	Sāmaveda - Rathaṃtara	Ekamra Sastri and Sivarama Sastri	02:51
204	Sāmaveda - Opening Hymn (Jaiminīya School)	Male singer	01:55
205	Sāmaveda - Gāna (Jaiminīya School)	T. Sarangapani Aiyangar	03:18
206	Sāmaveda - Setusāman	Male singer	05:41
207	Sāmaveda - Bhāruṇḑa-sāman	Sastri Revashankar Bechabhai Trivedi	04:20
208	Atharvaveda - Hymn for Peace	Male singer	02:51
209	Atharvaveda - Enumeration of Sacrifices	Veniram Vishvanath Raval	01:58
301	Twilight Prayer	O. M. Kunhan and Raman Nambudiripad	04:50
302	Ṛgveda - Saṃhitā	Male singer	01:39
303	Ṛgveda - Pada	Male singer	00:41
304	Ṛgveda - Krama	Male singer	01:06
305	Ṛgveda - Jaṭā	Male singer	02:05
306	Ṛgveda - Ratha	Matangarli Paramashvaran and Raman Nambudiri	04:25
307	Rgveda - Special Krama	Cherumukku Vaidikan Vallabhen Somayajipad	04:35
308	Teaching of Ṛgveda	Male singers	01:31
309	Black Yajurveda: Koṭṭu	Male singers	01:24
310	Black Yajurveda: Ghoṣam	Chittor Narayanan Nambudiripad	04:28
401	Samaveda - Opening Hymn (2)	Male singer	02:27
402	Sāmaveda - Kaśyapa's Vow	Male singer	03:04
403	Samaveda - Call to Sacrifice (2)	Muttathukkattu Itti Ravi Nambudiri	02:31
404	Ritual Recital of the Adhavaryu	Cherumukku Vaidikan and male singers	01:20
405	Form of Samaveda Used in Sacrifice	Muttathukkattu Itti Ravi Nambudiri, Korattikkara Raman Nambudiri, and Thottam Sankaranarayanan Nambu	06:26
406	Sāmaveda	Muttathukkattu Itti Ravi Nambudiri	01:29
407	Stanzas Accompanying Oblations - Yājyā	Male singer	02:03
408	The Libation of the Soma	Male singer	01:41
409	Form of Ṛgveda Used in Sacrifice	Cherumukku Vaidikan and male singers	06:21