The remaining eight modes of chanting are classified as complex recitation styles or Vikrutipathas as they involve reversing of the word order.
2 3 3 2 2 3 4 4 3 2 2 3 4 ~ 3 4 4 3 3 4 5 5 4 3 3 4 5 ~ 4 5 5 4 4 5 6 6 5 4 4 5 6 ~ 5 6 6 5 5 6 7 7 6 5 5 6 7 ~ 6 7 7 6 6 7 8 8 7 6 6 7 8 ~ 7 8 8 7 7 8 9 9 8 7 7 8 9 ~ 8 9 9 8 8 9 _ _ 9 8 8 9 _ ~ 9 _ _ 9 9 _ _ _ _ 9 9 _ _ ~ The insistence on preserving pronunciation and accent as accurately as possible is related to the belief that the potency of the mantras lies in their sound when pronounced.
He uses the Rigvedic verse – "Four are its horns, three its feet, two its heads, and seven its hands, roars loudly the threefold-bound bull, the great god enters mortals" (Rig-Veda, iv.
Katyayana explains that in the verse, the "four horns" are the four kinds of words i.e. nouns, verbs, prepositions, and particles; its "three feet" mean the three tenses, past, present and future; the "two heads" imply the eternal and temporary words, distinguished as the "manifested" and the "manifester"; its "seven hands" are the seven case affixes; "threefold bound" is enclosed in the three organs the chest, the throat, and the head; the metaphor "bull" (vrishabha) is used to imply that it gives fruit when used with knowledge; "loudly roars" signifies uttering sound, speech or language; and in "the great god enters mortals" entails that the "great god" speech, enters the mortals.
(VI.22)[10]Mantras, or sacred sounds, are used to pierce through sensual, mental and intellectual levels of existence (all lower strata of consciousness) for the purpose of purification and spiritual enlightenment.
They comprise rather tonally accented verses and hypnotic, abstruse melodies whose proper realizations demand oral instead of visual transmission.
They are robbed of their essence when transferred to paper, for without the human element the innumerable nuances and fine intonations – inseparable and necessary components of all four compilations – are lost completely.
The ultimate authority in Vedic matters is never the printed page but rather the few members – who are today keeping the centuries-old traditions alive.