Book Reviewed: Veda Recitation in Varanasi by Wayne Howard

How did Varanasi become the center of Vedic recitation This book is based on the fieldwork of the author in Varanasi during 1970–71, and he systematically document and analyze the types of Vedic recitation traditions still present in Varanasi at that time. His work is descriptive (who is reciting, how, and where) and analytical (tonal transcription and structure). He emphasizes that the Vedas are not like ordinary printed books but are oral, and melodic. He argues that their full richness is only preserved through oral transmission, not simply via print. This scholarly work is largely intended for professionals and Vedic scholars. He discusses the history of Vedic recitation in Varanasi which emerged early as a major scholastic center by the late Vedic period c. 1000–600 BCE. The priestly communities like Śrauta and Gṛhya were settled in the region, and oral recitation and its preservation, the ṚgVeda, YajurVeda, and Samaveda became a central activity. The Kauśikas, Kāṇvas, and Mādhyandinas were the early Vedic schools of Varanasi. In the early modern period (c. 1500–1800 CE), following the rebuilding of the Vishvanath temple by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (1777), Vedic recitation gained renewed patronage, and prominent families of Vedic scholars were established with strong teaching lineages of ṚgVeda (Śākala), Yajurveda (Mādhyandina and Kāṇva), and Sāmaveda (Kauthuma). Vedic recitation was performed along the holy river Ganga on the ghāṭs, temple complexes, and among traditional families. The current lineages of Vedic reciters are traced back over twenty to thirty generations. The book explores multiple Vedas and schools (śākhās) as practiced in Varanasi: ṚgVeda (Śākala), some reciters in Varanasi have large lineages tied to Maharashtrian families; and Yajurveda, especially Mādhyandina Yajurveda is chanted by Brahmins from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh; Kāṇva Yajurveda lineages tied to Maharashtrian families in Varanasi; Taittirīya Yajurveda, chanted by priestly communities of Tamil Nadu brought to Varanasi; Sāmaveda (Kauthuma) — preserved by priestly families from Gujarat; and Atharvaveda (Śaunaka) was recited by Maharashtrian and Gujarati families in Varanasi. The musical and structural analysis by the author try to demonstrates that North Indian Vedic recitation is not corrupted but are coherent and connected to ancient traditions and he observes that some communities in Varanasi have preserved recitation practices for many generations. He emphasizes that the human voice, memory, and oral mastery are central to Vedic tradition. In essence, Varanasi became a major Vedic center due to the migration of Vedic schools (Śākhās) into Varanasi from both North and Southern parts of India. The uniqueness of RgVeda as oral texts are due to the tonal structures (svara): udātta, anudātta, and svarita, hence the accurate memorization is critical in the Vedic chanting. Veda cannot be understood without hearing it from his guru. There are three foundational recitation modes; Saṁhitā-pāṭha, continuous recitation; Pada-pāṭha, word-by-word; and Krama-pāṭha, pairing of words (A-B, B-C, C-D…) The Presence of Śākala Śākhā is dominantly due to Maharashtrian Brahmin descent in Varanasi. Sāmaveda is the melodic Veda, and the author focuses heavily on its music structure. The Sāman chanting in the Kauthuma school is built with a pūrva-pāṭha (prose prelude), the udgītha (melodic core), and the stobha syllables (ha, oṃ, ā…) In the last chapter, he describes how Sāmaveda pitch contours that differ from the three-tone Vedic svara that includes vowel analysis in Ghana-pāṭha, pitch curves and an argument to support the oral transmissions are accurate. This book is accompanied by the audio cassettes which are important in understanding the discussion in the book. The author emphasizes that the current Vedic traditions in India must respect regional styles rather than force a single “correct” pronunciation. His observation was that the traditional Vedic learning was still thriving in 1970s Varanasi. The social fabric of gurukulas, temple priests, hereditary lineages, and Veda Patashalas have made the Vedic recitation continuous. But no effort is currently made to preserve this great human tradition that lasted nearly four millennia.