184/.] On the History and Literature of the Veda. 833 



be considered to bear evidence to its (of the division's) authority, viz. 

 the frequent introductions of more or less long episodes between 

 the Anuvakas or Mandalas. We are justified in marking these epi- 

 sodes, which generally are without accents, as additions, by the 

 circumstance, that they are not found in the Anukramanika and Pada- 

 patha. Nor are they in the division made according to Ashtakas ; 

 that is to say, although occurring in the MSS. following this division, 

 they are not taken heed of in the enumeration of Vargas and Adhya- 

 yas, which is made according to a certain numerical arrangement, 

 Agreeably to these authorities Sayana also omits them. That these 

 additions, however, are not a new creation of the copyists, is evident 

 from the fact, that the Nirukta already knows some of them, and in 

 the very same places, where they now occur in our copies of the 

 Veda. — I quote the more examples such as these, as this kind of critical 

 examination of the text is undoubtedly the only one which we can make 

 use of, with reference to the Veda ; for in the whole Sanhita of the 

 Rigveda I have not met with a single passage, which, when compared 

 with other MSS. or such books as the Nirukta, the Aitareya 

 Brahmana, the Sutras of Aswalayana, which are full of quotations 

 from the Veda, offer one single difference — a certainty of the text which 

 is to be attributed to the early examination and authentication of 

 the Veda. All variations, it appears, must be looked for previously to 

 the recording of the hymns by writing and to the treatment of the 

 same in the schools. All these differences are now limited only to the 

 various readings of the text in the several collections of hymns. 



The two most careful copies of the Sanhitas which I examined, viz. 

 Nos. 199 and 200 of the Devanagari MSS. in the Royal Library at 

 Paris, and Nos. 129—132 of the E. J. II. (Cod. Colebr.) give between 

 the third and fourth chapters of the 9th book (132 with the special 

 title of Sukta) 20 verses, addressed to the Pavamanyas (the hymns of 

 the Soma-purification) themselves, and for this reason they must be 

 considered of later origin. This section is wanting in the Anukra- 

 manika and in the text of Padas, although Yaska quotes the third Rig 

 (Nir. V. 6.) 



At the close of the second Mandala (ascribed to Gritsamada) the 

 two MSS. alluded to, give five verses (without accents in either, while 

 the preceding and subsequent portions have accents) which bear a like- 



