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5, by Asita or Devala, of the family of the Kdsyapas (v.) ; 11 verses. (Taniinap&t.) 9. X. 70, by Sumitra, of the family of the B&dhrya- 6vas (i. 6.); 11 verses. (Nardsansa.) 10. X. 110, by R&ma, the son of Jamadagni, or by Jamadagni, of the family of the J&madagnyas (i. 2.); 11 verses. (Tan^apAt.) These hymns consist properly of 11 verses, each of 464 APBt BTimrs. which is addressed to a separate deity. Their order a as follo-ws : — First verse, to Agni Idhma or Susamiddha, the lighted fire. Second verse, to TanAnap&t, the son hidden in the waters or the clouds, or to Nardiansa, the naiag sun, praised by men. Thira verse, to the Das, the heavenlj gifts, or Ijita, Agni, implored to bring them. Fourtn verse, to Barhish, the sacrificial pile of grass. Fifth verse, to Dedr dvAraJh, the gates of heaven. Sixth verse, to TJshAsA-naktau, dawn and night. Seventh verse, to Daivyau hotftrau prachetasau (. e. A.gni and Aditya, or Agni and Varuna, or Varu^ and Aditya; Shadguruttshya). Eighth verse, to the three goddesses Sarasvat!, DA, S^!^ Zl^ ^ Tvashtri, the creator. ^1 7w' ^ Vanasjiati, the tree of the sacrifice. Sh^^th^' ^ the'^Svah.k.ltis. (Yi^ve Dev^, The only differences ^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ j^^^^^ ^ ^1,^ Kig-veaa anse f^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ by which the second ?f ^x?" r . ^* i TanAnapAt in hymns 3, 5, 8, 10 ; Nai^nsa ^ hyrans 4, 6, 7, 9 ; whereas in hymns 1 and ^ tne second eieity is invoked under either name m two separate verses. This raises the number in these two hymns to twelve, and this number is again raised to thirteen £n hymn 2, by the addition at the end of a separate invocation of Indra. The whole construction of these hymns is clearly artificial. They share the character of the hymns which we find in the SAma and Yajur-vedas, being evidently composed f^r sacrificial purposes. Never* kvni HYMNS. 465 theless, we find these artificial hymns in seven out of the ten Mandalas, in L, IL, III., V., VIL, IX., X* This proves a previous agreement among the col* lectors. For some reason or other, each fisimily wished to have its own Aprt hymn, a hymn which had to be recited by the Hotri priest, previous to the immolation of certain victims^, and such a hymn was inserted, not once for all in the Sanhit&, but ten times over. Some of the verses in the Apri hymns are mere repetitions, and even families so hostile to each other as the Vasishthas and Yi^vftmitras have some verses in common in these Aprt hjnoins. But, if on one side the presence of the Aprl hymns in different Mandalas proves a certain advance of the ceremonial system in the Mantra period, and the in- fluence of a priestly society even in the first collection of the hymns ; it proves likewise, that the traditional distribution of the Mandalas among various Yedic families is not a merely arbitrary arrangement. These fistmilies insisted on having each their own Apri hymn recorded, and whereas for the general ceremo- nial, bA fixed in the Br&hmanas and Sfltras, the family of the poet of certain h3nnns employed at the sacri- fices, is never taken into account, we find an exception made in favour of the Aprt hymns. If a verse of Yi&vftmitra is once fixed by the Br&hmanas and SMras as part of any of the solemn sacrifices, no sacrificer, even if he were of the family of the Yasish- thas, would have a right to replace that verse by an- other. But with regard to the Apri hymns that liberty is conceded. The Aitareya-br&hmana records * BarnouP, Joarnal Asiatiqae, ISoO, p. 249. Roth, Nirukta, p. ZXZYl. H H 466 Afr! hthns; this fact in the most general form.^ ^^ Let the prlesb use the Apris according to the Rishi. If he uses the Apris according to the Rishi, he does not allow the sacrificer to escape from the relationship of that Rishi." A^vaUyana enters more into details.' He says that those who belong to the l^unakas, should use the hymn of Gritsamada ; those who belong to the Yasishthas, that of Yasishtha. The Apri hymn of RAma or Jamadgni he allows to be used by dl fami* lies, (excepting the Sunakas and Yasishthas) but, he adds, that each£Bkmily may choose the Apri hymn of its own Rishi. How this is to be done is explained in a iSloka, ascribed to l^aunaka.^ He ascribes the first Apri hymn to the Kanvas ; the second to the Ahgiras*, with the exception of the Eanvas; the third to the Agastis; the fourth to the Sunakas ; the fifth to the Yi6vdmitra3 ; the sixth to the Atris ; the seventh to the Yasishthas ; the eighth to the KaSyapas ; the ninth to the Badhrya^vas; the tenth to the Bhrigus, with the exception of the Sunakas and Badhrya&vas.^ The ori^al purpose of the Apri hymns, and the fl^^Hiqi ^<^4^qifril Ait.-br. ii. 4. Mv^ttn, iii. 2. 3 Tnr w(^m wVif^ ^nf^^i^ ^iglfi^^i^i^^i ^f%: w^s^t TPiV ^*<<fii<^^*<:ii lSrauta-siL iv. 1. CHABACTSB OV THB RIG-VBDA. 467 motive for allowing the priest to choose among them according to the family to which his client belonged, are diflScult to discover. An ancient author of the name of G&nagari \ endeavoured to prove from the fact that one and the same Apii hymn viay be used by all, that all people belong really and truly to one iamily. It is possible, indeed, that the Apri hymns may have been songs of reconciliation, and that they were called dpA^ i.e. appeasing hymns, not from their^ appeasing the anger of the gods, but the enmities of members of the same or different families. However that may be, they certainly do prove that there had been an active intercourse between the ancient fami lies of India long before the final collection of the ten bobks, and that these ten books were collected and arranged by men who took more than a merely poetical interest in the ancient sacred poetry of their country. Although we see from these indications that the collection of the hjrmns which we possess iii the Rig** veda took place during a period when the influence of the Brahmans, as a priestly caste, had made itelf felt in India, we must claim, nevertheless, for this collection a character not yet exclusively ceremonial, ^ot only is the order of the hymns completely inde- pendent of the order of the sacrifices, but there -are numerous hymns in our collection which could never have been used at any sacrifice. This is not jH^: I A^7.-8iitra, xii. 10. See also Aouy&)Lani]kramani-bli&- 8Lya,6loka7. % IfTWWT: I \ ?ll ^^ IITOWW ^- H B 2 466 CHAKACTRft CV TBB mO-tlttfA. the case ^th the other Vedas. Every hymn, eveiy verse, every invocation in the Sanhit&s of the Sim and YajuT-vedas are employed by the UdgAtris and Adhvaryus, whereas the hymns of the Rig-v^ are by no means intended to be aU employed bv the Hotri priests. If we speak of the sacred poetry of the Brahmans, that of the SAma and Yajur-vedMis sacred only because it is used for sacrificial parpos, .that of the Rig-veda is sacred, because it had been handed down as a sacred heir-loom from the earliert times within the memory of man. The sacredness **5*^''f^r-'' ""'***^ "^ '^^^^ "d design, that of the latter is a part of its oricrin *^'* ""^^^Li^t^ ^^l^t^"^^ ^ ^ considemi.^No **''*ir^T^..'^*^ *^? ^'^^onial of the BrahmsM "^"^ I^L' i""^™ ^^""^ **^' * final division of * coUection hke that of the Rig.veda could hare been eonceived. The Rig.veda is not a Veda for the ^""^ K^ltf^T'%'^''^ in which the SAmaand Yajur-v^sare forthe Udg&triand Adhvaryu prieste. But It Wight he said that there is a fourth iuss of T?"^!?'w ?!***"*? <^18 and that the Rig.veda '^'^^''a^Z ^ "^"^^^^ *>^ their special iLefit. ^ **'*• i^rTT^f *^" objection, we^all have to "^To^^Jr'^ '""^ ^' ^'^-'cter of the four XhSh^U2;:rj-^J-here- ^ Tii^fi^ -1 ^^^ under him. These are: valin5 Maitr&varuna, Achh&v&ka, Gtft. I Thi ■ not the order ^ - . nttiaaui and his three .- v ?^*° "" Airalkyaa ; he places the FrM turee men before the Udg&tri and Wb .tteadanto. TH|B f iTv£r. 469 II. Adhvaryu, with PratiprastbfttrV Neshtri, Ub- netri. III. Udg&tri, with Prastotri, Agntdhra or Agnidh, Potri. IV. Brahman, with Brfthman&chhansin, Pratihar^ tri, Subrahmanya. These sixteen priests are commonly called by the name of Ritvij, and are chosen by the man in whose favour the sacrifice is offered, the Yajamana or Sv&min. There are other priests, such as the l^amitri, (the slayer,) the Vaikartas, (the butchers,) the Chama- MUlhvaryus, (the assistants of the Adhvaryus,) but they do not rank as Ritvij.