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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Xxxi footing without his leading strings. If therefore we can now see further than he could, let us not forget that we are standing on his shoulders. I do not regret in the least the time which I have devoted to the somewhat tedious work of editing the commentary of Sayaaa, and editing it according to the strictest rules of critical scholarship. The Veda, I feel convinced, will occupy scholars for centuries to come, and will take and maintain for ever its position as the most ancient of books in the library of mankind. Such a book, and the commentary of such a book, should be edited once for all; and unless some unexpected discovery is made of more ancient MSS., I do not anticipate that any future Bekker or Dindorf will find much to glean for a new edition of Sdyaza, or that the text, as restored by me from a collation of the best MSS. accessible in Europe, will ever be materially shaken*. It has taken a long time, I know; but those who find fault with me for the delay, should remember that few ® Since the publication of the first volume of the Rig-veda, many new MSS. have come before me, partly copied for me, partly lent to me for a time by scholars in India, but every one of them belonged clearly to one of the three families which I have described in my introduction to the first volume of the Rig-veda. In the beginning of the first Ashfaka, and occasionally at the beginning of other Ashfakas, likewise in the commentary on hymns which were studied by native scholars with particular interest, various readings occur in some MSS., which seem at first to betoken an independent source, but which are in reality mere marginal notes, due to more or less learned students of these MSS. Thus after verse 3 of the introduction one MS. reads: sa praha nripatim, ragan, sayanfryo mamAnuga/, sarvam vetty esha vedinam vyakhyatritvena, yugyatim. The same MS,, after verse 4, adds; ityukto mfdhavaryena virabukkamahipatiz, anvasit sdyandsiryam vedarthasya prakdsane.
2Thus after verse 3 of the introduction one MS. reads: sa praha nripatim, ragan, sayanfryo mamAnuga/, sarvam vetty esha vedinam vyakhyatritvena, yugyatim. The same MS,, after verse 4, adds; ityukto mfdhavaryena virabukkamahipatiz, anvasit sdyandsiryam vedarthasya prakdsane. T had for a time some hope that MSS. written in Grantha or other South- Indian alphabets might have preserved an independent text of Sayama, but from some specimens of a Grantha MS. collated for me by Mr. Eggeling, I do not think that even this hope is meant to be realised. The MS. in question contains a few independent various readings, such ns are found in all MSS., and owe their origin clearly to the jottings of individual students. When at the end of verse 6, I found the independent reading, vyutpannas t4vata sarva riko vyakhy4tum arhati, I expected that other various readings of the same character might follow. But after a few additions in the beginning, and those clearly taken from other parts of Sdyasa’s commentary, nothing of real importance could be gleaned from that MS. I may mention as more important specimens of marginal notes that, before the first puna’ kidvzsam, on page 44, line 24 (1st ed.), this MS. reads: athava yagfasya devam iti sambandha4, yagfasya prakasakam ityarthahk, purohitam iti prithagviseshanam. And again, page 44, line 26, XXxii VEDIC HYMNS. scholars, if any, have worked for others more than I have done in copying and editing Sanskrit texts, and that after all one cannot give up the whole of one’s life to the collation of Oriental MSS. and the correction of proof-sheets. The two concluding volumes have long been ready for Press, and as soon as I can find leisure, they too shall be printed and published *.
3and the correction of proof-sheets. The two concluding volumes have long been ready for Press, and as soon as I can find leisure, they too shall be printed and published *. In now venturing to publish the first volume of my translation of the Rig-veda, I am fully aware that the fate which awaits it will be very different from that of my edition of the text and commentary. It is a mere contribution towards a better understanding of the Vedic hymns, and though I hope it may give in the main a right rendering of the sense of the Vedic poets, I feel convinced that on many points my translation is liable to correction, and will sooner or later be replaced by a more satisfactory one. It is difficult to explain to those who have not themselves worked at the Veda, how it is that, though we may understand almost every word, yet we find it so difficult to lay hold of a whole chain of connected thought, and to discover expressions that will not throw a wrong shade on the original features of the ancient words of the Veda. We have, on the one hand, to avoid giving to our translations too modern a character, or paraphrasing instead of translating ; while, on the other, we cannot retain expressions which, if literally rendered in English or any modern tongue, would have an air of quaintness or absurdity totally foreign to the intention of the ancient poets. There are, as all Vedic scholars know, whole verses which, as yet, yield no sense whatever. There are words the meaning of before punah kidvisam, this MS. adds: athav4 ritvigam vitvigvid (vad) yagfanirvahakam hotéram devanim 4hvatdram ; tatha ratnadhatamam. In the same line, after ratnandm, we read ramamtyadhanandm va, taken from page 46, line 2. Various readings like these, however, occur on the first sheets only, soon after the MS. follows the usual and recognised text. [This opinion has been considerably modified after a complete collation of this MS., made for me by Dr. Winternitz.] For the later Ash/akas, where all the MSS. are very deficient, and where an independent authority would be of real use, no Grantha MS. has as yet been discovered. * They have since been printed, but the translation has in consequence been delayed. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. XXXili
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Xxxi footing without his leading strings. If therefore we can now see further than he could, let us not forget that we are standing on his shoulders. I do not regret in the least the time which I have devoted to the somewhat tedious work of editing the commentary of Sayaaa, and editing it according to the strictest rules of critical scholarship. The Veda, I feel convinced, will occupy scholars for centuries to come, and will take and maintain for ever its position as the most ancient of books in the library of mankind. Such a book, and the commentary of such a book, should be edited once for all; and unless some unexpected discovery is made of more ancient MSS., I do not anticipate that any future Bekker or Dindorf will find much to glean for a new edition of Sdyaza, or that the text, as restored by me from a collation of the best MSS. accessible in Europe, will ever be materially shaken*. It has taken a long time, I know; but those who find fault with me for the delay, should remember that few ® Since the publication of the first volume of the Rig-veda, many new MSS. have come before me, partly copied for me, partly lent to me for a time by scholars in India, but every one of them belonged clearly to one of the three families which I have described in my introduction to the first volume of the Rig-veda. In the beginning of the first Ashfaka, and occasionally at the beginning of other Ashfakas, likewise in the commentary on hymns which were studied by native scholars with particular interest, various readings occur in some MSS., which seem at first to betoken an independent source, but which are in reality mere marginal notes, due to more or less learned students of these MSS. Thus after verse 3 of the introduction one MS. reads: sa praha nripatim, ragan, sayanfryo mamAnuga/, sarvam vetty esha vedinam vyakhyatritvena, yugyatim. The same MS,, after verse 4, adds; ityukto mfdhavaryena virabukkamahipatiz, anvasit sdyandsiryam vedarthasya prakdsane.
2Thus after verse 3 of the introduction one MS. reads: sa praha nripatim, ragan, sayanfryo mamAnuga/, sarvam vetty esha vedinam vyakhyatritvena, yugyatim. The same MS,, after verse 4, adds; ityukto mfdhavaryena virabukkamahipatiz, anvasit sdyandsiryam vedarthasya prakdsane. T had for a time some hope that MSS. written in Grantha or other South- Indian alphabets might have preserved an independent text of Sayama, but from some specimens of a Grantha MS. collated for me by Mr. Eggeling, I do not think that even this hope is meant to be realised. The MS. in question contains a few independent various readings, such ns are found in all MSS., and owe their origin clearly to the jottings of individual students. When at the end of verse 6, I found the independent reading, vyutpannas t4vata sarva riko vyakhy4tum arhati, I expected that other various readings of the same character might follow. But after a few additions in the beginning, and those clearly taken from other parts of Sdyasa’s commentary, nothing of real importance could be gleaned from that MS. I may mention as more important specimens of marginal notes that, before the first puna’ kidvzsam, on page 44, line 24 (1st ed.), this MS. reads: athava yagfasya devam iti sambandha4, yagfasya prakasakam ityarthahk, purohitam iti prithagviseshanam. And again, page 44, line 26, XXxii VEDIC HYMNS. scholars, if any, have worked for others more than I have done in copying and editing Sanskrit texts, and that after all one cannot give up the whole of one’s life to the collation of Oriental MSS. and the correction of proof-sheets. The two concluding volumes have long been ready for Press, and as soon as I can find leisure, they too shall be printed and published *.
3and the correction of proof-sheets. The two concluding volumes have long been ready for Press, and as soon as I can find leisure, they too shall be printed and published *. In now venturing to publish the first volume of my translation of the Rig-veda, I am fully aware that the fate which awaits it will be very different from that of my edition of the text and commentary. It is a mere contribution towards a better understanding of the Vedic hymns, and though I hope it may give in the main a right rendering of the sense of the Vedic poets, I feel convinced that on many points my translation is liable to correction, and will sooner or later be replaced by a more satisfactory one. It is difficult to explain to those who have not themselves worked at the Veda, how it is that, though we may understand almost every word, yet we find it so difficult to lay hold of a whole chain of connected thought, and to discover expressions that will not throw a wrong shade on the original features of the ancient words of the Veda. We have, on the one hand, to avoid giving to our translations too modern a character, or paraphrasing instead of translating ; while, on the other, we cannot retain expressions which, if literally rendered in English or any modern tongue, would have an air of quaintness or absurdity totally foreign to the intention of the ancient poets. There are, as all Vedic scholars know, whole verses which, as yet, yield no sense whatever. There are words the meaning of before punah kidvisam, this MS. adds: athav4 ritvigam vitvigvid (vad) yagfanirvahakam hotéram devanim 4hvatdram ; tatha ratnadhatamam. In the same line, after ratnandm, we read ramamtyadhanandm va, taken from page 46, line 2. Various readings like these, however, occur on the first sheets only, soon after the MS. follows the usual and recognised text. [This opinion has been considerably modified after a complete collation of this MS., made for me by Dr. Winternitz.] For the later Ash/akas, where all the MSS. are very deficient, and where an independent authority would be of real use, no Grantha MS. has as yet been discovered. * They have since been printed, but the translation has in consequence been delayed. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. XXXili
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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