512 Report on the " Vedas" 



according to the suggestion of Baboo Debendernath Tagore, a Pundit 

 who has made the study of the Vedas, and especially of the Rig Veda, the 

 business of his life ; such a person must, however, not be allowed to 

 exercise any authority, but only to be an assistant, as the word of Pun- 

 dits in the difficulties of translation or interpretation cannot be relied 

 upon. If the Tattwabolhini Society can lend us the assistance of one 

 of the young men, studying now on the part of that Society the Vedas at 

 Benares, as is kindly intimated in Baboo Nrependernath's letter, we 

 ought of course gratefully to accept this offer ; but if there is a prospect 

 of much delay in the arrival of the person, we ought to write to Bena- 

 res at once for a qualified Pundit. 



Should the Oriental Section approve of the propositions laid before 

 them, the undertaking might be at once commenced with the collation 

 of the MSS., and preparing the text and commentary (as far as we 

 possess the latter) for the press. Meanwhile we should look about for 

 the remainder of the commentary on Sanhita of the Rig Veda. 



I have not adverted here to the other portions of the Vedas extant in 

 Calcutta, because, according to the examination I have as yet made, 

 none are sufficiently complete to authorize the printing of them, and 

 because I have been anxious to lay before the Society a statement of 

 those portions of which the publication might immediately be commen- 

 ced. I shall, however, as soon as my time will permit, report on the 

 other parts of the Vedas and on the measures we have to take to com- 

 plete our collections. 



I have the honor to be, 

 Gentlemen, 



Your most Obedt. Servt. 



E. Roer, 

 Co-Secretary, Asiatic Society, Oriental Department. 



To E. Roer, Esq. 

 Co-Secretary, Asiatic Society, Oriental Department. 

 Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 

 the 24 th ultimo, and in reply thereto to inform you that the Society 

 has no complete collections of the Vedas in their library, the only por- 

 tions of them which are at present in their possession being those which 

 usually go by the name of Dasopanishad, or the ten Upanishads, and 



