19-Year-Old Vedamurti Devavrat Rekhe Becomes India’s Youngest Scholar to Complete Rare Dandakrama Parayanam of Shukla Yajurveda

In an era dominated by smartphones and social media, a 19-year-old from Maharashtra has turned heads across the country by achieving something that even seasoned Vedic scholars attempt only after decades of rigorous practice. Vedamurti Devavrat Mahesh Rekhe, a soft-spoken teenager from the small town of Sangamner in Ahmednagar district, has successfully completed the extraordinarily difficult Dandakrama Parayanam of the entire Shukla Yajurveda Samhita, earning him nationwide acclaim and the rare honorific title of “Vedamurti.”

What is Dandakrama Parayanam?

Dandakrama is one of the most complex and physically demanding methods of reciting the Vedas, listed among the 11 advanced paddhatis (recitation styles) prescribed by ancient Vedic tradition. Unlike the basic Samhita patha (normal sequential recitation) or even the moderately difficult Jata and Ghana pathas, Dandakrama requires the reciter to chant lengthy passages in an intricate, almost acrobatic pattern of forward and backward sequencing without the slightest pause, deviation in swara (accent), or error in pronunciation.

To put the difficulty in perspective:

- The Shukla Yajurveda Samhita contains approximately 2,000 mantras spread across 40 chapters.

- In Dandakrama style, a single line that would normally take a few seconds to recite is expanded into dozens of repetitions in a precise mathematical pattern.

- The entire recitation, when performed in Dandakrama, lasts close to 80–90 hours of non-stop chanting.

- Even a tiny mistake in rhythm or intonation forces the scholar to restart the entire section, sometimes from the very beginning of the chapter.

Only a handful of scholars in independent India are known to have completed the full Dandakrama Parayanam of any Vedic Samhita, and almost all of them were well into their 50s or 60s when they achieved the feat.

A Childhood Immersed in the Vedas

Born in 2006 into a traditional Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family, Devavrat was introduced to Sanskrit and Vedic chanting at the tender age of five. His father, Shri Mahesh Rekhe, a software professional turned full-time Vedic teacher, and his mother Smt. Archana Rekhe, herself a scholar of Sanskrit literature, created an environment where the sound of Vedic mantras was as common as lullabies.

Devavrat completed the basic memorisation (swadhyaya) of the entire Shukla Yajurveda by the age of nine and mastered the Krishna Yajurveda Taittiriya Samhita shortly after. By 13, he had already cleared the demanding Ghana Pariksha, becoming one of the youngest Ghana-pathis in Maharashtra. Yet, rather than resting on his laurels, he set his sights on the near-impossible Dandakrama.

For the past five years, he practised 10–12 hours daily under the guidance of his guru, Vidyavachaspati Shri Prakash Pandurang Athavale of Pune, and later under Veda-Shiromani Shri Sanjay Rath in Delhi. The training was brutal: months were spent perfecting just a few lines until they flowed flawlessly in the intricate Dandakrama pattern.

The Historic 11-Day Parayanam

In November 2025, at the Shri Vadiraja Sabha Bhavan in Pune, Devavrat began what would become a landmark event in modern Vedic history. Over 11 consecutive days, from early morning till late night, the teenager chanted the entire Shukla Yajurveda in flawless Dandakrama style before an audience of senior Vedic scholars, including Padma Shri awardees and heads of traditional pathashalas.

Not once did he falter. Not a single swara was misplaced. Veteran scholars who listened for hours were left speechless; many openly wept at the purity and power of the recitation. At the conclusion of the parayanam on 24 November 2025, he was conferred the title “Vedamurti” in a traditional ceremony attended by hundreds of pandits and devotees.

Recognition and Reactions

News of the achievement spread like wildfire. The Shankaracharya of Shringeri Sharada Peetham, Shri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, sent a personal letter of blessing. Prominent Vedic institutions such as the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Vidya Pratishthan (Ujjain) and Veda Rakshana Nidhi Trust (Chennai) felicitated him. Social media platforms, especially among the younger generation interested in Sanatan Dharma, exploded with videos of his recitation garnering millions of views.

Perhaps most touching was the reaction from elderly scholars. One 87-year-old Ghana-pathi from Karnataka was heard saying, “I have waited my entire life to witness a complete Dandakrama Parayanam. I never thought I would see it performed by someone young enough to be my grandson.”

A Quiet Revolution

Devavrat himself remains remarkably grounded. When asked how a teenager managed what most scholars never attempt, he simply replied: “It is only by the grace of Vedic devatas and my gurus. The Vedas are not difficult; we have just forgotten how to listen.”

Currently pursuing a degree in Sanskrit and Vedic studies while continuing advanced training in other Vedic paddhatis, Devavrat has become a symbol of hope for those who fear that oral Vedic tradition is fading. His achievement has inspired pathashalas across the country to re-introduce training in the higher krama-pathas that were nearly abandoned due to their complexity.

In an India racing toward the future, Vedamurti Devavrat Mahesh Rekhe has shown that the ancient voice of the Rishis can still ring clear, and astonishingly, through the throat of a 19-year-old.