Vedic Chant Companion

by TKV Desikarchar

The Veda-s are the oldest and most authoritative of Indian scriptures. Proclaimed to be the voice of the Lord that was heard by the Rsi-s of yore, they are very sacred for millions around the world who chant them with great reverence and attention to detail.

The dates of the Veda-s have been widely contested, and there are countless versions from different historians. But one aspect that has never been contested is how they are recited. Bound by a set of strict rules, Veda-s are chanted the same way now, as in the distant past.

Now Vedic chanting is becoming accessible to various sections of people. Great Vedic scholars like Vedakesari Sri T Krishnamacharya, (who himself had orthodox views in his earlier days) later changed his views, and actually started to teach Vedic chanting to different kinds of people. He used the authority from the sastras to prove that Vedic chanting could be done by anybody, as long as the rules of chanting were respected. In this context he quoted the Dharma sastra which says in times of crisis anyone, even if not a Brahmin, can do Vedic chanting.

Table of Contents:

• First Words
• Part I - The Ancient Past of the Vedas
  • Origin of Sanskrit
  • The Dawn of the Vedas
  • Evolution of the Vedas
  • Presentation of the Vedas
• Part II - Vedic Chant Pedagogy
  • Rules of Vedic Chant
  • Other Chant Pedagogy
  • More Factors
• Part III - Pravacanam
  • A dialogue with TKV Desikachar on Frequently Asked Questions
• Acknowledgements
• Glossary

About the Author:

TKV Desikachar, one of the most renowned authorities on yoga presents this book with two of his students Kausthub Desikachar and Frans Moors. In addition to years of yoga training from his father, TKV Desikachar holds a degree in structural engineering. Since the 1960s he has devoted himself to yoga instruction for people from all walks of life and with all kinds of abilities; among his students was the renowned philosopher J Krishnamurti.

 Desikacher continued to live and study with his father until Krishnamacharya’s death in 1989. One of the world’s foremost teachers of yoga, Desikachar currently teaches at the school founded in his father’s memory in Madras, as well as in Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.