OR SACRED WRITINGS OF THE HINDUS. 383 



or branches of each VMa. Tradition, preserved 

 in the Puranas, reckons sixteen Sauhitas of tlie 

 Rigveda; eighty-six o^ the. Yqjush ; or, including 

 those which branched from a second revelation of 

 this Veda, a hundred and one ; and not less than 

 a thousand of the Sdmaveda; besides nine of the 

 'yifharvana. But treatises on the study of the 

 Veda reduce the Sac has of the Ric/i, to live; and 

 those of the Vqjus/i, including both revelations of 

 it, to eighty-six *. 



The progress, by which (to use the language of 

 the Puran'as) the ti'ee of science put forth its nu- 

 merous branches, is thus related. Paila taught 

 the Rigveda, or Bahvfich, to two disciples, Bah- 

 CALA and IxDRAPRAMATi. The first, also called 

 Bahcali, was the editor of a Saukita, or collection 

 of prayers; and r 'Sac ha, bearing his name, still 

 subsists : it is said to have first branched into four 

 schools; afterwards into three others. Indra- 

 PRAMATi communicated his knowledge to his own 

 son Man'duce^ya, by whom a Sanhitd was com- 

 piled : and from whom one of tlie \Sdchds has de- 

 rived its name. Vedamitra, surnamed S'a'cal- 

 YA, studied under the same teacher, and gave a 

 complete collection of prayers : it is still extant; 

 but is said to have given origin to five varied 

 editions of the same text. The two other and 

 principal 'Sac has of the Rich are those of As'wa- 

 LA'YANA and Sa'nc'hya'yana, or, perhaps, Cau- 

 SHi'TACi': hwt the Vis hn'upur an' a omits them, and 

 intimates, that Sa'capu'rn'i, a pupil of Indra- 

 PRAMATi, gave the third varied edition from this 

 teacher, and was also the author of the Niructa : if 



* The authorities on which this is stated, are chiefly the Vishnu 

 piiran'a, part 'J, chap 4, and the Vijetfavil&sa on the study of 

 scripture; also, the Charav!avyuha, on the Sdc'hds of the Fcdas. 



