Think of the Samaveda as a three-act play, each with its own flavor and function:

1. Samhita
   • Core: roughly 1,875 melodies (sāman), most borrowed from the Rigveda’s text but re-set to musical patterns.
   • Organization: divided into two main recensions—Kauthuma and Ranayaniya (with a smaller Jaiminiya branch). Each groups chants into Purvārchika (early books of shorter hymns) and Uttarārchika (later books of longer melodies).
   • Content: simple refrains, melodic expansions, and solemn invocations designed for chanting by udgātṛ priests. Imagine today’s indie remix of a classic tune—familiar words, entirely new beat.

2. Brahmana
   • Known as the Pañcaviṃśa (“Twenty-Five”) Brahmana.
   • Structure: 25 chapters of prose commentary interwoven with liturgical instructions.
   • Content: step-by-step ritual manuals—who sits where, which chant follows which offering, even precise hand gestures. It’s the backstage crew call sheet of Vedic ceremonies. Recent performances at the UN’s International Day of Yoga often follow cues straight from these passages, proving that millennia-old directions still run the show.

3. Aranyaka
   • The “forest” texts serve as deep dives beyond ritual mechanics. Two notable branches: the Jaiminiya and the Kausika (attached to the Kauthuma recension).
   • Structure: prose reflections and allegories rather than strict instructions. Contains the Kena and Katha Upanishads, and portions of the Chandogya Upanishad—key philosophical dialogues.
   • Content: symbolic interpretations of fire, wind, and sound; metaphors exploring inner sacrifice and cosmic unity. Like a late-night fireside chat, these sections guide the practitioner from ceremony toward contemplation.

Today’s revival of Vedic chant—streamed live from temples in Varanasi or during academic conferences at Harvard—relies on this tripartite blueprint. The Samhita supplies the melody, the Brahmana hands out the stage directions, and the Aranyaka lights the contemplative ambiance, weaving ritual, music, and metaphysics into one timeless tapestry.