5S2 ON tiiE ve'das, 



their separation in Vya'sa's compilation. But the 

 ^Afharvana, not being used at the rehgious cere- 

 monies above-mentioned, and containing prayers 

 employed at lustrations, at rites conciliating the 

 deities, and as imprecations on enemies, is essen- 

 tially different from the other Vedas ; as is re- 

 marked by the author of an elementary treatise on 

 the classification of the Indian sciences *. 



But different schools of priests have admitted 

 some variations in works which appear under the 

 same title. This circumstance is accounted for by 

 the commentators on the Vedas, who relate the 

 following story taken from Puran'asL, and other 

 authorities. Vya'sa, having compiled and ar- 

 ranged the scriptures, theogonies, and mytholo- 

 gical poems, taught the several Vedas to as many 

 disciples: viz. the Rich to Paila; the Yajush to 

 Vais'ampa'yana, and the /5'^m«w to Jaimini ; as 

 also the \4t'harva}ia to Sumantu, and the Itihasa 

 and Piiran'as to Su ta. These disciples instructed 

 their respective pupils, who, becoming teachers in 

 their turn, communicated the knowledge to their 

 own disciples ; until, at length, in the progress 

 of successive instruction, so great variations crept 

 into the text, or into the manner of reading and 

 reciting it, and into the no less sacred precepts for 

 its use and application, that eleven hundred dif-^ 

 ferent schools of scriptural knowledge arose. 



The several Sanh'Uas, or collections of prayers 

 in each Veda, as received in these numerous schools, 

 or variations, more or less considerable, admitted 

 by them either in the arrangement of the whole 

 text (including prayers and precepts), or in regard 

 to particular portions of it, constituted the Sac has 



* Mad'husu'dana Saraswati', in the Prast'hdnabheda. 



