How Crucial Are Swaras in the Chanting of Veda Mantras?

There is another important aspect of pronunciation. This is applicable to Veda mantras. Veda mantras are chanted applying swaras to them. Like how the sapta swaras are there in music, in the same way, Veda mantras have got swaras — udatta, anudatta, and swarita. Deergha swarita also.

In the case of Veda mantras, proper swaras are very, very important. If the swara is wrong, then the effect can be dangerous.

There is a legend in the Veda itself about this:
दुष्टः शब्दः स्वरतो वर्णतो वा मिथ्या प्रयुक्तो न तमर्थमाह। स वाग्वज्रो यजमानं हिनस्ति यथेन्द्रशत्रुः स्वरतोऽपराधात्

Tvashta is one form of Surya. His son was Trishiras. Trishiras’s mother was an Asura stree. Once, there was a situation in Swarga that they had to look out for a new guru to officiate in the yajnas conducted by Devas.

Trishiras was well versed in Vedas and shastras, and he became the Devaguru — Devaguru means Acharya for their yajnas. Trishiras did this well.

But Indra became suspicious. Indra thought, Trishiras’s mother is an Asura stree — is he having allegiance to those on his mother’s side? Indra thought that while doing yajna, Trishiras is also secretly offering ahutis on behalf of the Asuras, thus also making them equally powerful.

Indra beheaded Trishiras. He had three heads — Indra beheaded all three of his heads. Tvashta and Indra became enemies. Indra killed Tvashta’s son.

Later, when Tvashta conducted a Soma Yaga, he did not invite Indra to it. Indra came and forcefully drank the Soma rasa and went away. Tvashta was furious. Whatever remained at the bottom of the Soma rasa vessel, he offered that as an ahuti in Agni and said:

स्वाहेन्द्रशत्रुर्वर्धस्व

His intention in doing this was to create an enemy for Indra. An enemy for Indra should be created as a result of giving the offering in Agni. And this enemy should kill Indra. This is what Tvashta wanted — mantra and offering also along with it.

It worked. A huge monster came out of that Agni. He was Vritrasura. You must have heard about Vritrasura and his battle with Indra. But Vritrasura could not kill Indra. Instead, Indra killed Vritrasura.

You know how this happened. Tvashta was in a rage. In that rage, he made a small mistake in the pronunciation. And even though an enemy for Indra was created — a powerful enemy — he got killed by the mistake of his own creator, Tvashta.

This mantra was a call to Agni: that you rise up as enemy of Indra, meaning you become powerful enough to destroy Indra. In application of swara to this mantra, he should have applied antodattam, meaning udatta to the second part of the mantra.

Instead of that, he pronounced it as adyudattam — swara applied to the first part. Had the swara been in the second part, it would have meant — may Agni rise up as Indra’s enemy.

When the swara was wrongly applied to the first part, the meaning became — may Indra as your enemy rise up. And because of this, instead of the ahuti making Vritrasura strong, it made Indra strong — and Indra killed him.

Agni is innocent. He just obliged whatever Tvashta asked for. Tvashta said, let Indra become stronger, and he made Indra stronger.

The difference between the two is so subtle that a layman will not be able to notice.

Nama smarana, nama japa — no problem. Even if your pronunciation is wrong, it will not harm you. Bhavagrahi Janardanaha. The Lord looks for only bhava.

Stotras — bhakti is important in stotras, so even if you make mistakes, nothing untoward happens. Devi herself has said — I don’t mind even if you make mistakes taking my name — in Devi Bhagavata.

But Veda mantras are different. They are simply power houses. You should know how to handle them or they are like fire or electricity. There is no scope for making any mistakes with them. Or they can hurt. They can harm.

Be it Atharva Sheersha, Shree Sukta, Rudram, Chamakam, Purusha Sukta — be careful.

Learn from a very well-qualified, traditionally learned guru. Only they will be able to spot it if you are making mistakes. Then only chant.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi