Yajur-veda, the Sama-veda, the Atharvāngirases, the Itihāsas, Purānas, science, the Upanishads, verses (slokas), aphorisms, comments of different kinds-all these are his breathings."

It is curious that in this passage the Vedas appear to be classed in the same category with various other works, such as the Sutras, from some at least of which (as we shall see further on), they are broadly distinguished by later writers, who regard the former (including the Brāhmaṇas and Upanishads) as of superhuman origin, and infallible correctness, while this character is expressly denied to the latter, which are represented as paurusheya, or merely human compositions, possessed of no independent authority.

In the Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad (pp. 50-53 of Dr. Röer's ed.) Prajāpati [identified with Death, or the Devourer] is said to have produced Vach (speech), and through her, together with soul, to have created all things, including the Vedas:

Sa tayā vāchā tena ātmanā idam sarvam asṛijata yad idam kincha ṛicho yajūmshi sāmāni chhandām̃si yajnān prajāḥ paśūn |

"By that speech and that soul he created all things whatsoever, rich, yajush, and saman texts, metres, sacrifices, creatures, and animals." And in Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, xiv. 4, 3, 12 (p. 290 of the same Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad) it is said:

Trayo vedāḥ ete eva | vāg eva rig-vedo mano yajur-vedaḥ prānaḥ sāmavedaḥ |

"The three Vedas are [identifiable with] these three things [speech, mind, and breath]. Speech is the Rig-veda, mind the Yajur-veda, and breath the Sama-veda."

The following text, from the Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, vii. 5, 2, 52, gives a singular account of the production of the Vedas:

"Samudre tvā sadane sādayāmi” iti | Mano vai samudraḥ | manaso vai samudrād vāchā 'bhryā devās trayīm vidyām nirakhanan | tad esha śloko 'bhyuktaḥ “ye (yat?) samudrād nirakhanan devās tīkshṇābhir abhribhiḥ | sudevo adya tad vidyād yatra nirvapanam dadhur” iti | manaḥ samudro vāk tīkshṇā 'bhris trayī vidyā nirvapanam | etad esha śloko 'bhyuktaḥ | manasi tām sadayati |

"I settle thee in the ocean as thy seat.'"

Mind is the ocean.

10 I am indebted to Professor Aufrecht for the following explanation of this formula, which is taken from the Vājasaneyi Sanhitā, xiii. 53. The words are addressed to a

From the mind-ocean with speech for a shovel the gods dug out the triple Vedic science. Hence this verse has been uttered: May the brilliant deity to-day know where they placed that offering which the gods dug out with sharp shovels.' Mind is the ocean; speech is the sharp shovel; the triple Vedic science is the offering. In reference to this the verse has been uttered. He settles it in Mind."

The next passage from the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa, iii. 39, 1, speaks of the Veda as being "the hair of Prajapati's beard" (Prajāpater vai etāni śmaśrūni yad vedaḥ). The process of its germination is left to the imagination of the reader.

In another text of the same Brāhmaṇa, Vāch (speech) is called the mother of the Vedas:

ii. 8, 8, 5. Vāg aksharam prathamajā ṛitasya vedānām mātā amṛitasya nābhiḥ | sā no jushānā upa yajnam āgād avanti devī suhavā me astu | yām ṛishayo mantra-kṛito manīshinaḥ anvaichhan devās tapasā śramena | “Vāch (speech) is an imperishable thing, and the first-born of the ceremonial, the mother of the Vedas, and the centre-point of immortality. Delighting in us, she came to the sacrifice. May the protecting goddess be ready to listen to my invocation,-she whom the wise rishis, the composers of hymns, the gods, sought by austerefervour, and by laborious devotion."

SECT. II.-Origin of the Vedas according to the Vishnu, Bhāgavata, and Märkandeya Purānas, the Harivamśa, the Mahābhārata; eternity of the Veda; miscellaneous statements regarding it.

In the Vishnu and Bhagavata Purāņas we find a quite different tradition regarding the origin of the Vedas, which in these works are said to have been created by the four-faced Brahma from his several mouths. Thus the Vishnu Purana says, i. 5, 48 ff.:

Gayatram cha richaś chaiva trivṛit-sama-rathantaram | Agnishṭomam cha yajnānām nirmame prathamād mukhāt | yajūmshi traishṭubham chhandaḥ stomam panchadaśam tathā | Vṛihat sāma tathokthyam cha dakshinad asṛijad mukhāt | sāmāni jagatī-chhandaḥ stomam saptadasam brick at the time when the hearth (chitya) for the reception of the sacred fires is being constructed. As the bricks are severally called apasya (properly efficacious,' but erroneously derived from ap) they are addressed as if placed in various parts of water

tathā | vairūpam atirātram cha paśchimād asṛijad mukhāt | ekavimśam atharvāṇam āptoryāmāṇam eva cha | Anushṭubham sa vairājam uttarād asrijad mukhat |

"From his eastern mouth Brahma formed the gayatra, the rich verses, the trivṛit, the sama-rathantara, and of sacrifices, the agnishtoma. From his southern mouth he created the yajush verses, the trishtubh metre, the panchadaśa-stoma, the vṛihat-sāman, and the ukthya. From his western mouth he formed the saman verses, the jagati metre, the saptadaśa-stoma, the vairupa, and the atiratra. From his northern mouth he framed the ekavinśa, the atharvan, the aptoryaman, with the anushṭubh and virāj metres." 11

In like manner it is said but with variations, in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, iii. 12, 34, and 37 ff.:

Kadachid dhyāyataḥ srashṭur vedāḥ āsamś chaturmukhāt | katham srakshyāmy aham lokān samavetān yathā purā | .... Ṛig-yajuḥ-sāmātharvākhyān vedān pūrvādibhir mukhaiḥ | śastram ijyām stuti-stomam prāyaschittam vyadhāt kramat |

"Once the Vedas sprang from the four-faced creator, as he was meditating 'how shall I create the aggregate worlds as before?' He formed from his eastern and other mouths the Vedas called rich, yajush, sāman, and atharvan, together with praise, sacrifice, hymns, and expiation."

And in verse 45 it is stated that the ushnih metre issued from his hairs, the gayatri from his skin, the trishtubh from his flesh, the anushṭubh from his tendons, the jagati from his bones (Tasyoshnig āsīl lomebhyo gāyātrī cha tvacho vibhoḥ | trishṭup māñsāt snuto 'nushṭup jagaty asthnaḥ Prajāpateḥ).

The Markandeya Purana says on the same subject, 102, 1:

Tasmād anḍād vibhinnāt tu Brahmano 'vyakta-janmanaḥ | richo babhuvaḥ prathamam prathamād vadanād mune | 2. Javā-pushpa-nibhāḥ sadyas tejo-rūpānta-sam̃hatāḥ | pṛithak prithag vibhinnaś cha rajo-rūpa-vahās tataḥ | 3. Yajūmshi dakshinād vaktrād aniruddhāni kānchanam | yādṛigvarṇam tathā-varṇāny asam̃hati-dharāni cha | 4. Paschimam yad vibhor vaktram Brahmanaḥ parameshthinaḥ | āvirbhūtāni sāmāni tataś chhandāmsi tāny atha | 5. Atharvanam aśesham cha bhṛingānjana-chaya-prabham | ghorāghora-svarūpaṁ tad ābhichārika-śāntikam | 6. Uttarāt pra11 See Wilson's Transl. vol. i. p. 84.

kaṭībhūtam vadanāt tasya vedhasaḥ | sukha-sattva-tamaḥ-prāyam saumyāsaumya-svarūpavat | 7. Richo rajo-gunāḥ sattvam yajushām cha guno mune | tamo-gunāni sāmāni tamaḥ-sattvam atharvasu |

1. "From the eastern mouth of Brahma, who sprang by an imperceptible birth from that divided egg (Manu, i. 9, 12), there suddenly issued first of all the rich verses, (2) resembling China roses, brilliant in appearance, internally united, though separated from each other, and characterized by the quality of passion (rajas). 3. From his southern mouth came, unrestrained, the yajush verses of the colour of gold, and disunited. 4. From the western mouth of the supreme Brahma appeared the saman verses and the metres. 5 and 6. From the northern mouth of Vedhas (Brahmā) was manifested the entire Atharvana of the colour of black bees and collyrium, having a character at once terrible and not terrible," capable of neutralizing the arts of enchanters, pleasant, characterized by the qualities both of purity and darkness, and both beautiful and the contrary. 7. The verses of the rich are distinguished by the quality of passion (rajas), those of the yajush by purity (sattva), those of the saman by darkness (tamas), and those of the atharvan by both darkness and purity."

Harivamsa.-In the first section of the Harivam̃śa, verse 47, the creation of the Vedas by Brahma is thus briefly alluded to:

Richo yajumshi sāmāni nirmame yajna-siddhaye | sādhyās tair ayajan devān ity evam anuśuśruma |

"In order to the accomplishment of sacrifice, he formed the rich, yajush, and saman verses: with these the S'adhyas worshipped the gods, as we have heard."

The following is the account of the same event given in another part of the same work; Harivamsa, verse 11,516:

Tato'srijad vai tripadām gāyatrīñ veda-mātaram | Akaroch chaiva chaturo vedän gayatri-sambhavan |

After framing the world, Brahma "next created the gayatri of three lines, mother of the Vedas, and also the four Vedas which sprang from the gayatri." 13

12 Ghoraghora is the correct MS. reading, as I learn from Dr. Hall, and not yavaddhora, as given in Professor Banerjea's printed text.

13 The same words gāyatrīm veda-mātaram also occur in the M.Bh. Vanaparvan, verse 13,432; and the same title is applied to Vach in the Taitt. Br. as quoted above,

A little further on we find this expanded into the following piece of mysticism, verse 11,665 ff.:

Samāhita-manā Brahmā moksha-prāptena hetunā | chandra-manḍalasamsthānāj jyotis-tejo mahat tadā | Praviśya hridayam kshipram gāyatryāḥ nayanāntare | Garbhasya sambhavo yaś cha chaturdha purushātmakaḥ | Brahma-tejomayo 'vyaktaḥ śāśvato 'tha dhruvo 'vyayaḥ | na chendriyagunair yukto yuktas tejo-gunena cha | chandramśu-vimala-prakhyo bhrājishnur varna-samsthitaḥ | Netrābhyām janayad devaḥ rig-vedam yajushā saha | sāmavedam cha jihvāgrād atharvānam cha mūrddhatah | Jūta-mātrās tu te vedah kshetram vindanti tattvataḥ | Tena vedatvam āpannā yasmād vindanti tat padam | Te sṛijanti tadā vedāḥ brahma pūrvam sanātanam | Purusham divya-rūpābham svaiḥ svair bhāvair mano-bhavaiḥ |

"For the emancipation of the world, Brahma, sunk in contemplation, issuing in a luminous form from the region of the moon, penetrated into the heart of Gayatrī, entering between her eyes. From her there was then produced a quadruple being in the form of a Male, lustrous as Brahma, undefined, eternal, undecaying, devoid of bodily senses or qualities, distinguished by the attribute of brilliancy, pure as the rays of the moon, radiant, and embodied in letters. The god fashioned the Rig-veda, with the Yajush from his eyes, the Sama-veda from the tip of his tongue, and the Atharvan from his head. These Vedas, as soon as they are born, find a body (kshetra). Hence they obtain their character of Vedas, because they find (vindanti) that abode. These Vedas then create the pre-existent eternal brahma (sacred science), a Male of celestial form, with their own mind-born qualities."

I extract another passage on the same subject from a later section of the same work, verses 12,425 ff. When the Supreme Being was intent on creating the universe, Hiranyagarbha, or Prajapati, issued from his mouth, and was desired to divide himself,-a process which he was in great doubt how he should effect. The text then proceeds:

Iti chintayatas tasya "om" ity evotthitaḥ svaraḥ | sa bhūmāv antarikshe cha nāke cha kṛitavān svanam | Tam chaivābhyasatas tasya manaḥ-sāramayam punah ¦ hridayād deva-devasya vashaṭkāraḥ samutthitaḥ | bhūmyantariksha - nākānām bhūyaḥ svarātmakāḥ parāḥ | mahāsmṛitimayāḥ punyāḥ mahāvyāhṛitayo'bhavan | chhandasām pravarā devī chaturviṁśākshara 'bhavat | Tat-padam samsmaran divyam sāvitrīm akarot prabhuḥ|