The oldest known Indian scriptures are the vast corpus of Sanskrit poetry known as the Veda. 

Considered divine revelation to the Ṛṣi-s (seers) of ancient India, Vedic Chanting is bound by strict adherence to six rules – Varṇa (pronunciation), Svara (chanting notes),  Mātrā (duration), Balam (force), Sāma (continuity), and Santāna (conjugation, punctuation). Adhyāyanam, the process of study that involves repeating exactly as the teacher recites, has preserved these rules for thousands of years.

In this course, you will learn the essentials of Veda recitation to start you off with a solid foundation. This course is a recommended prerequisite to other Veda chanting courses.

At the end of the course you will: 

• Develop a basic understanding of the first 3 of the 6 rules of Veda recitation.

• Learn the rule of Svara – the notes used in Veda chanting that distinguish it from other chanting or music

• Learn about aspirated sounds.

• Learn about conjugation – develop a basic understanding of why some sounds in Sanskrit change based on a set of rules (i.e. your text may look different from how something is actually recited).

• Understand the method used to explain Vedic phonetics.

• Learn the famous Gāyatrī mantra with meaning.

• Gain some tips and guidance to build your personal practice.

Meets Sundays for 4 weeks, July 7 - 28, 9–11:00 am PDT