184/.] On the History and Literature of the Veda. 837 



" The verses, composed by the sages Valakhilya, which occur in the 

 8 hymns commencing with abhi pra, are called Valakhilya. They are 

 recorded in the book, called Valakhilyam. To recite all such hymns 

 is the duty of the Maitravaruna" (a certain priest.) 



By this statement of Sayana some clue may perhaps be given, how 

 the Rik-Sanhita can include some greater or lesser portions, which, hav- 

 ing an independent existence and being already arranged in a certain 

 succession, may among certain tribes have had an authority at the per- 

 formance of some peculiar sacrificial ceremonies. Even the passage of 

 the Aitareya Brahmana just mentioned notices a peculiar application of 

 the Valakhilya in the sacrifice. 



2. The reading of the Veda in the School. 



I now give an extract from the 15th Patala of the first Pratisakhya 

 (according to Dev. 203 Royal Libr. at Paris and 28 of the E. J. H.) 

 This chapter treats on the Parayana, or reading of the Veda, and we 

 learn from it, how the mode of recital, prescribed in the same, is exactly 

 the same oral proceeding, which is performed in writing within the 

 Pathas or modes of writing we shall further on more closely discuss. 



When the teacher has seated himself towards the East, the North and 

 North-East, and has received the salutation from this disciples, he replies 

 to them by an Om of 3 to 6 Matras, and then commences to recite the 

 Veda. Two or more words having been recited by him, they are 

 repeated by the disciple, sitting to his right, and afterwards by the 

 others in succession. A Prasna thus completed is also repeated by all 

 of them. Lastly the passage of the text is to be repeated in such a 

 manner, that, as in the Padapatha, certain compounds are separated, 

 and accompanied with the particles cha, gha, hi, va, and under certain 

 conditions with iti, just as is the case with prepositions. 



A prasna, it is said, is a tricha (three verses) in the metre pankti a 

 tricha or dwricha (two verses) in longer metres two and two verses. If 

 a Siikta (hymn) is limited to one verse (of which the only instance is 

 Asht. I. h. 99) it forms a Prasna. 



Ye (viz. prasna :) shashtir adhyaye upadhika va. u Of such ques- 

 tions (or small sections) the lesson contains 60 or more." (vide supr.) 



3. The following fragments, which are moreover remarkable for 

 the geographical names they contain, may be given as examples of 



5 Q 2 



