Second Adhyaya, First Khanda (4 mantras)

Mantra 2.1.1.

1. The meditation on the Full and the Harmonious is good. “Verily that which is Good (Sādhu) is also Harmonious”—say the wise—“what is evil, is indeed discordant.”—95.

Mantra 2.1.2.

2. The wise say also regarding this:—“When (the mantra) says he approached (sang the Lord) harmoniously, It means indeed that he approached (sang) Him becomingly, when it says, he approached Him discordantly, it means that he approached Hirn unbecomingly.”—96.

Mantra 2.1.3.

3. And so also, the wise say, “because (Sāma and Sādhu are synonyms)” therefore they say, “Truly it is harmonious for us, i.e., it is good for us and because Asāma and Asādhu have the same meaning; therefore, they say “truly it is discordant for us, i.e., it is not good for us.”—97.

Mantra 2.1.4.

4. He who knowing this Lord both as the Good and the Harmonious, meditates upon Him thus, gets quickly all good qualities as permanent (traits of his character).—98

Madhva’s commentary called the Bhāṣya:

In the previous Adhyāya it was mentioned how to meditate on Udgītha and on the 13 Stobha letters or syllables like “Hāu”, etc. That Adhyāya dealt with the Upāsanā of a particular portion of the Sāma Veda, the present Adhāya deals with the meditation on the entire Sāma Veda in its two-fold aspect of five-fold and seven-fold Sāma. The first Khaṇḍa teaches that the entire Sāma Veda should be meditated upon and it praises such meditation. The first sentence says it is good to meditate on the whole Sāma Veda and to read it in its entirety. This prima facie view of the meaning of the first sentence is set aside by the Commentator.

The word Samastasya means of the full, namely, of Viṣṇu who is called the Full, because the Full is good; therefore it is good to meditate on Viṣṇu called Sāman.

The word Sadhu translated as good means proper; how Sāma can be called Sadhu, the author shows by explaining that both these words etymologically mean one and the same thing. He, therefore, says:—

Since the entire or the Full is Sadhu, therefore the meditation of Viṣṇu called Sāman is Sādhu. That which is measured as Sāra or Essence, or who is the standard of all essences is called Sāma (Sā = Sāra or essence, and Ma = measured, therefore Sama means that which is measured or known as essence). While Sādhu means that which is to be considered or conceived or held, (Dhārya [Dhāryam] as essence, (Sā = Sāra or essence and Dhu = Dhāryam, to be held; thus Sādhu means that which is to be considered as essence). Therefore Sādhu and Sāma both have one and the same meaning.

The Commentator next explains the Śruti which says. If any one, knowing this thus, meditate upon the Sāma as Good, all good qualities would quickly approach him, and accrue to him.

Those who meditate on Nārāyaṇa, the Faultless, the Full, as the deity of all Sāmans, and as named Sāman, because He is Sadhu or good and as full of all good qualities, becomes released and obtains the attributes of the good. Thus we read in the Sāma Saṃhitā.