OR SACRED WRITINGS OF THE HINDUS. 481 



Commentaries on the VMas themselves exist, 

 which testify the authenticity of the text. Some 

 are stated to have heen composed in early times : 

 I shall not, however, rely on any but those to 

 which I can with certainty refer. I have frag- 

 ments of Uvat'a's gloss; the greatest part of 

 Sayan'a's on several Vedas ; and a complete one 

 by Mahid'hara on a single VMa. I also possess 

 nearly the whole of S'ancara's commentary on 

 the Upanishads ; and a part of Gaud'apa'da's ; 

 with others, by different authors of less note. 



The genuineness of the commentaries, again, is 

 secured by a crowd of annotators, whose works ex- 

 pound every passage in the original gloss; and 

 whose annotations are again interpreted by others. 

 This observation is particularly applicable to the 

 most important parts of the ^edas, which, as is 

 natural, are the most studiously and elaborately 

 explained. 



The Niructa, with its copious commentaries on 

 the obsolete words and passages of scripture, fur- 

 ther authenticates the accuracy of the text, as 

 there explained. The references, and quotations, 

 in those works, agree with the text of the Vtdas, 

 as we now find it. 



The grammar of the Sa?iscrU language contains 

 rules applicable to the anomalies of the ancient 

 dialect. The many and voluminous commenta- 

 ries on that, and on other parts of the gram- 

 mar, abound in examples cited from the Vedas: 

 and here, also, the present text is consonant to 

 those ancient quotations. 



Philosophical works, especially the numerous 

 commentaries on the aphorisms of the Mimansa 

 Vol. VIII. I i 



