【亚洲·印度】吠陀圣歌传统 Tradition of Vedic chanting（2008年）

吠陀包括3500多年前由雅利安人发展和组成的梵语诗歌、哲学对话、神话和仪式咒语的大量语料库。印度教认为印度教是知识的主要来源和宗教的神圣基础，吠陀体现了世界上最古老的幸存文化传统之一。

吠陀传统包含了四部吠陀中收集的大量文本和解释，通常被称为“知识之书”，尽管它们是口头传播的。《梨俱吠陀》是一部圣歌选集；《萨玛吠陀》以《梨俱吠陀》和其他来源的赞美诗的音乐编排为特色；《雅珠尔吠陀》中有大量的祈祷和祭司使用的祭品；《阿萨那吠陀》包括咒语和咒语。《吠陀经》还提供了对印度教历史的洞察，以及一些艺术、科学和哲学概念的早期发展，如“零”的概念。

吠陀的诗句是用吠陀语言表达的，源于古典梵语。吠陀的诗句传统上是在神圣的仪式中诵读的，并在吠陀社区每天背诵。这一传统的价值不仅在于其口头文学的丰富内容，还在于婆罗门祭司在数千年来保存完整文本时所采用的巧妙技巧。为了确保每个单词的发音保持不变，从业者从小就开始学习复杂的背诵技巧，这些技巧基于音调重音、每个字母的独特发音方式和特定的语音组合。

尽管吠陀在当代印度生活中继续发挥着重要作用，但一千多个吠陀背诵分支中只有十三个幸存下来。此外，马哈拉施特拉邦（印度中部）、喀拉拉邦和卡纳塔克邦（印度南部）以及奥里萨邦（印度东部）的四所著名学校被认为面临迫在眉睫的威胁。"

2008年度列入人类非物质文化遗产名录。

来源：联合国教科文组织亚太地区非物质文化遗产国际培训中心

The Vedas comprise a vast corpus of Sanskrit poetry, philosophical dialogue, myth, and ritual incantations developed and composed by Aryans over 3,500 years ago. Regarded by Hindus as the primary source of knowledge and the sacred foundation of their religion, the Vedas embody one of the world’s oldest surviving cultural traditions.

The Vedic heritage embraces a multitude of texts and interpretations collected in four Vedas, commonly referred to as “books of knowledge” even though they have been transmitted orally. The Rig Veda is an anthology of sacred hymns; the Sama Veda features musical arrangements of hymns from the Rig Veda and other sources; the Yajur Veda abounds in prayers and sacrificial formulae used by priests; and the Atharna Veda includes incantations and spells. The Vedas also offer insight into the history of Hinduism and the early development of several artistic, scientific and philosophical concepts, such as the concept of zero.

Expressed in the Vedic language, which is derived from classical Sanskrit, the verses of the Vedas were traditionally chanted during sacred rituals and recited daily in Vedic communities. The value of this tradition lies not only in the rich content of its oral literature but also in the ingenious techniques employed by the Brahmin priests in preserving the texts intact over thousands of years. To ensure that the sound of each word remains unaltered, practitioners are taught from childhood complex recitation techniques that are based on tonal accents, a unique manner of pronouncing each letter and specific speech combinations.

Although the Vedas continue to play an important role in contemporary Indian life, only thirteen of the over one thousand Vedic recitation branches have survived. Moreover, four noted schools – in Maharashtra (central India), Kerala and Karnataka (southern India) and Orissa (eastern India) – are considered under imminent threat.

Included in the list of human intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Source: UNESCO International Training Center for intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific Region