The Veda 37

Secondly, they occur in the Samaa‘Veda itself in a form called finite, that is, “ collection of stanzas.” This is a kind of libretto, or text-book contain- ing the stanzas which are to be memorised for “making upon them,” as the Hindus say, the semen-melodies. Here also there is a system of accents, peculiar in its notation, but appar- ently still with reference to the unsung scream. In the third Semaraversion, the Ganas‘ or song-books, we find the real 563172625233 as they are to be sung. Here not only the text but also the musical notes are given. Still this is not a complete semen yet. In the middle of the sung stanzas certain phantastic exclamatory syllables are introduced, the so~called stab/ids, such as am, Izaa, lzaz', Zwyz', or liz'm ; and at the end of the stanzas certain concluding exclama— tions, the soucalled m’dkanes, such as arr/m, at, am, and 5525.“ They remind us in a way of the Swiss and Tyrolese “yodels ” which are introduced into the songs of these countries as a sort of cadenzas, intended to heighten the musical effect.

The Sacra—Veda is devoted a good deal to the worship of Indra, a blustering, braggart god, who

i The word game, again, is derived from the root gm“. ‘ ‘ sing."

3 The Pancavinga Brahmana relates that the poet Kanva was for a good while puzzled to find a aid/inns for his some», until he heard a cat sneeze or}; I Then he took as}; for the aid/zone of his

sr‘i'man.