‘The earliest literary reference to music in Ancient India is contained in Vedic literature. As is well know, the four Vedas – Rik, Yajur, Sama and Atharva – are the first literary works of India, and they continue to exercise great influence on the spiritual and cultural life of India. From ancient times Vedic hymns were passed on from teacher to disciple through the oral tradition of chanting, which perhaps facilitated correct enunciation and easy memorization of the hymns’.

The article was published in the July, August, September 2014 issues of The Vedanta Kesari.

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