Report on the " Vedas." 513 



another called the Swetwassataro with commentaries by Sankara 

 A'charya. The Society however had deputed four young brahmans of 

 our country to study all the Vedas in that head-quarters of Vedaic study 

 and common resort of Vedaic students in India, Benares. They have 

 already proceeded far in their tasks, and I believe whenever they return 

 with complete copies of the Vedas, the Society will be glad to lend, 

 through their medium assistance to the Asiatic Society in their very 

 important and valuable undertaking. 



I have the honor to be, 

 Sir, 

 Your most Obedt. Servt. 

 Nrependernauth Tagore, 



Secretary, 

 Calcutta, Tuttohodhinee Subha, 

 8th March, 1847. 



To E. Roer, Esq. 



Co-Secretary, Asiatic Society, Oriental Department. 

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

 dated the 24th ultimo, and in reply thereto beg leave to inform you that 

 I have no collection of the Vedas or fragments of them in my posses- 

 sion. I believe that complete copies of them are not at all procurable 

 in Calcutta, the only portions of them obtainable and studied in Ben- 

 gal being the ten Wupunishadas. I am however of opinion that though 

 complete collections of the Vedas be obtained, yet on account of errors 

 which invariably creep into manuscripts and the difficulty here expe- 

 rienced of getting men who can understand the Vedas, the language in 

 which they and even many of their commentaries are couched being 

 obscure, antiquated and obsolete, the assistance, in the intended publi- 

 cation, of Vedaic Pundits who have studied them regularly as scholars, 

 ought to be procured from Benares ; a step which I think is essential to 

 the satisfactory execution of that important undertaking of the Asiatic 

 Society. 



I have the honor to be, 



Sir, 

 Your most Obedt. Servi. 

 6M March, 1847. Debendernath Tagore. 



3 x 



