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TEXT 35 brhat-sama tatha samnam
SYNONYMS  brhat-sama--the
Brhat-sama; tatha--also; samnam--of the Sama Veda
songs; gayatri--the Gayatri hymns; chandasam--of all poetry;
aham--I am; masanam--of months; marga-sirsah--the
month of November-December; aham--I am; rtunam--of all seasons;
kusuma-akarah--spring.
TRANSLATION Of hymns
I am the Brhat-sama sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am the Gayatri
verse, sung daily by Brahmanas. Of months I am November and December, and
of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.
PURPORT It has already
been explained by the Lord that amongst all the Vedas, the Sama
Veda is rich with beautiful songs played by the various demigods. One
of these songs is the Brhat-sama, which has an exquisite melody
and is sung at midnight.
In Sanskrit,
there are definite rules that regulate poetry; rhyme and meter are not
written whimsically, as in much modern poetry. Amongst the regulated poetry,
the Gayatri mantra, which is chanted by the duly qualified brahmanas,
is the most prominent. The Gayatri mantra is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Because the Gayatri mantra is especially meant for God realization,
it represents the Supreme Lord. This mantra is meant for spiritually
advanced people, and when one attains success in chanting it, he can enter
into the transcendental position of the Lord. One must first acquire the
qualities of the perfectly situated person, the qualities of goodness according
to the laws of material nature, in order to chant the Gayatri mantra.
The Gayatri mantra is very important in Vedic civilization and is
considered to be the sound incarnation of Brahman. Brahma is its initiator,
and it is passed down from him in disciplic succession.
The months
of November and December are considered the best of all months because
in India grains are collected from the fields at this time, and the people
become very happy. Of course spring is a season universally liked because
it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees blossom and
flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Krsna's
pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons,
and it is the representative of the Supreme Lord Krsna.
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