Thanks to the Brāhmaṇa obsession with making correlations/identifications/correspondences, you can get some idea of what the Bṛhat represents in the Veda by examining the entities with which it is correlated. The Bṛhat and Rathantara are treated as a pair in some of these passages, so that you also get an idea of the entities to which each is opposed. For example (PB 7.6.17, trans. Caland): B is the mind, R  voice; B is the melody, R the verse; B is expiration, R is inspiration; B is yonder world, R is this world. 

Caland's translation of the Pañcaviṃśa-Brāhmaṇa has an index of sāman names, so you can easily find all the passages that mention Bṛhat. The Jaiminīya-Brāhmaṇa also has a lot to say about the Bṛhat; an accessible example is in Caland's Das Jaiminīya-Brāhmaṇa in Auswahl § 25 (p32).

yours,

Finn

Finnian Moore Gerety

Doctoral Candidate

Department of South Asian Studies

Harvard University

Thank you very much. Do you know why these verses were called the "Great Saman", brhat-saman?

Best,

Howard

On Jul 16, 2013, at 2:09 AM, Dipak Bhattacharya <dbhattacharya200498@yahoo.com> wrote:

Bṛhat and Rathantara are considered two important sāmans in the Pañcaviṃśabrāhmaṇa. Bṛhat is based on RV.6.46.1,2. See PB 5.1.10ff, 5.2.1,8.9.11 etc.

Best

DB

 

From: Howard Resnick <hr@ivs.edu>
To: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: Tuesday, 16 July 2013 3:42 AM
Subject: [INDOLOGY] question

In Bhagavad-gita 10.35, Krsna says, "Of sAmans, I am bRhat-sAman…"

Could someone kindly explain exactly what the bRhat-sAman is?

Thanks!
Howard
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