xiii. 4, 38. Sa vai rigbhyo ajāyata tasmad ṛicho ajayanta |

"He (apparently Indra, see verse 44) sprang from the rich verses: the rich verses sprang from him.'

xix. 54, 3. Kālād richaḥ samabhavan yajuḥ kālād ajāyata |

"From Time the rich verses sprang: the yajush sprang from Time.” The following texts from the same Veda may also be introduced here: iv. 35, 6. Yasmāt pakvād amṛitam sambabhūva yo gāyatryāḥ adhipatir babhuva | yasmin vedāḥ nihiṭāḥ viśvarūpās tenaudanenāti tarāmi mrityum |

"I overpass death by means of that oblation (odana), from which, when cooked, ambrosia (amṛita) was produced, which became the lord of the Gayatri, and in which the omniform Vedas are comprehended."

vii. 54, 1. Richaṁ sāma yajāmahe yābhyām karmāņi kurvate | ete sadasi rājato yajnam deveshu yachhataḥ | 2. Ṛicham sāma yad aprāksham havir ojo yajur balam | esha ma tasmād mä himsid vedaḥ prishṭaḥ śachipate

"We worship the Rich and the Saman, wherewith men celebrate religious rites, which shine in the assembly, and convey sacrifices to the gods. 2. Inasmuch as I have asked the Rich and the Saman for butter and for vigour, and the Yajush for strength,―let not the Veda, so asked, destroy me, o lord of strength (Indra)."

The next passage is from the Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, xi. 5, 8, 1 ff.: Prajapatir vai idam agre äsid ekaḥ eva | so 'kāmayata syām prajāyeya iti | So'śrāmyat sa tapo'tapyata | tasmāch chrāntāt tepānāt trayo lokāḥ asrijyanta prithivy antariksham dyauḥ | sa imāms trin lokān abhitatāpa | tebhyas taptebhyas trīni jyotimshy ajūyanta agnir yo'yam pavate sūryaḥ | sa imāni trīņi jyotimshy abhitatāpa | tebhyas taptebhyas trayo vedāḥ ajāyanta agner ṛigvedo vāyor yajurvedaḥ sūryāt sāmavedaḥ | sa imāñs trīn vedān abhitatāpa | tebhyas taptebhyas trīni śukrāny ajāyanta bhūr ity rigvedad bhuvaḥ iti yajurvedāt svar iti sāmavedāt | Tad rigvedenaiva hotram akurvata yajurvedena ādhvaryavam sāmavedena udgitham | yad eva trayyai vidyāyai śukram tena brahmatvam uchchakrāma.

"Prajapati was formerly this universe [i.e. the sole existence], one only. He desired, 'may I become, may I be propagated.' He toiled

4 See my translation of the entire hymn in the Journal of the Roy. As. Soc. for 1865, p. 381. The Vishnu Purāna, i. 2, 13, says: Tad eva sarvam evaitad vyaktāvyakta-svarūpavat | tathā purusha-rūpena kāla-rūpena cha sthitam | "This (Brahma) is all this universe, existing both as the perceptible and the imperceptible; existing also in the forms of Purusha and of Kāla (Time)."

in devotion, he performed austerity. From him, when he had so toiled, and performed austerity, three worlds were created,-earth, air, and sky. He infused warmth into these three worlds. From them, thus heated, three lights were produced,-Agni (fire), this which purifies (i.e. Pavana, or Vayu, the wind), and Surya (the sun). He infused heat into these three lights. From them so heated the three Vedas were produced,—the Rig-veda from Agni (fire), the Yajur-veda from Vayu (wind), and the Sama-veda from Surya (the sun). He infused warmth into these three Vedas. From them so heated three luminous essences were produced,-bhūḥ from the Rig-veda, bhuvaḥ from the Yajur-veda, and svar from the Sama-veda. Hence, with the Rig-veda they performed the function of the hotṛi; with the Yajurveda, the office of the adhvaryu; with the Sama-veda, the duty of the udgătṛi; while the function of the brahman arose through the luminous essence of the triple science [i.e. the three Vedas combined]."

Chhandogya Upanishad.—A similar passage (already quoted in Volume Second, p. 200) occurs in the Chhandogya Upanishad (p. 288 of Dr. Röer's ed.):

Prajāpatir lokān abhyatapat | teshām tapyamānānāṁ rasān prābṛihad agnim pṛithivyāḥ vāyum antarikshād ādityam divaḥ | sa etās tisro devatāḥ abhyatapat | tāsām tapyamānānāṁ rasān prābṛihad agner richo vayor yajūṁshi sāma ādityāt | sa etām trayīm vidyām abhyatapat | tasyās tapyamānāyāḥ rasān prābṛihad bhūr iti rigbhyo bhuvar iti yajurbhyaḥ svar iti samabhyaḥ |

"Prajapati infused warmth into the worlds, and from them so heated he drew forth their essences, viz. Agni (fire) from the earth, Vayu (wind) from the air, and Surya (the sun) from the sky. He infused warmth into these three deities, and from them so heated he drew forth their essences, from Agni the rich verses, from Vayu the yajush verses, and from Surya the saman verses. He then infused heat into this triple science, and from it so heated he drew forth its essences,— from rich verses the syllable bhūḥ, from yajush verses bhuvaḥ, and from saman verses svar." "

ayam eva sa Vāyur yo'yam pavare

* See S'atapatha Brahmana, vi. 1, 2, 19: "This is that Vayu, he who purifies." Passages to the same effect occur also in the Aitareya (v. 32-34) and Kaushitaki Brahmanas. That in the former will be found in Dr. Haug's translation of the

Manu.-The same origin is assigned to the three Vedas in the following verses from the account of the creation in Manu, i. 21-23, where the idea is no doubt borrowed from the Brahmanas:

Sarveshām tu sa nāmāni karmāni cha prithak prithak | Veda-sabdebhya evādau pṛithak samsthāś cha nirmame | Karmātmanām̃ cha devānām so 'sṛijat prāniņām prabhuḥ | sādhyānāṁ cha ganam sūkshmam yajnam chaiva sanātanam | Agni-vāyu-ravibhyas tu trayam brahma sanātanam | dudoha yajna-siddhyartham rig-yajuḥ-sāma-lakshanam |

"He [Brahma] in the beginning fashioned from the words of the Veda" the several names, functions, and separate conditions of all [creatures]. That Lord also created the subtile host of active and living deities, and of Sadhyas, and eternal sacrifice. And in order to the performance of sacrifice, he drew forth from Agni, from Vāyu, and from Surya, the triple eternal Veda, distinguished as Rich, Yajush, and Saman."

Kullūka Bhaṭṭa, the commentator, annotates thus on this passage: Sanātanam nityam | vedāpaurusheyatva - paksho Manor abhimataḥ | pūrva-kalpe ye vedās te eva Paramātma-mürtter Brahmanaḥ sarvajnàsya smṛity-ārūḍhāḥ | tān eva kalpādāv agni-vāyu-ravibhyaḥ āchakarsha | srautas cha ayam artho na śankaniyaḥ | tathācha śrutiḥ | "agner rigvedo sāyor yajurvedaḥ ādityāt sāmavedaḥ" iti |

The word sanatana means 'eternally pre-existing.' The doctrine of the superhuman origin of the Vedas is maintained by Manu. The same Vedas which [existed] in the previous mundane era (Kalpa) were preserved in the memory of the omniscient Brahma, who was one with the supreme Spirit. It was those same Vedas that, in the beginning of the [present] Kalpa, he drew forth from Agni, Vayu, and Sūrya: and this dogma, which is founded upon the Veda, is not to be questioned, for the Veda says, 'the Rig-veda comes from Agni, the Yajur-veda from Vayu, and the Sāma-veda from Sürya.'

Another commentator on Manu, Medhätithi, explains this passage in a more rationalistic fashion, "by remarking that the Rig-veda opens with a hymn to fire, and the Yajur-veda with one in which air is mentioned."-Colebr. Misc. Ess. i. p. 11, note.

Brahmana; and the one in the latter is rendered into German by Weber in his Ind. Stud. ii. 303 ff.

▾ Kullūka explains this to mean, "Having understood them from the words of the Veda" (Veda-s'abdebhyaḥ eva avagamya).

To the verses from Manu (i. 21-23) just cited, the following from the second book may be added, partly for the purpose of completing the parallel with the passages previously adduced from the Satapatha Brahmana and the Chhandogya Upanishad :

Manu, ii. 76 ff. Akāram chāpy ukāram̃ cha makāram cha Prajapatiḥ | Veda-trayad niraduhad bhūr bhuvaḥ svar itīti cha | 77. Tribhyaḥ eva tu vedebhyaḥ pādam pādam adūduhat | "tad" ity richo'syāḥ ṣāvitryāḥ parameshṭhi prajāpatiḥ | .. .... 81. Omkāra-pūrvikās tisro maḥāvyāhṛitayo'vyayāḥ | Tripadā chaiva gāyatrī vijneyam Brahmano mukham.

76. "Prajapati also milked out of the three Vedas the letters a, u, and m, together with the words bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, and svar. 77. The same supreme Prajapati also milked from each of the three Vedas one of the [three] portions of the text called sāvitrī [or gāyatrī], beginning with the word tat. . . . . 81. The three great imperishable particles (bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svar) preceded by om, and the gāyatri of three lines, are to be regarded as the mouth of Brahmā.”

The next passage, from the Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, vi. 1, 1, 8, first speaks generally of Prajapati creating the three Vedas, and then afterwards, with some inconsistency, describes their production from the waters: 9

So'yam purushaḥ Prajāpatir akāmayata "bhūyān syām prajāyeya" iti | so'śrāmyat sa tapo 'tapyata | sa śrāntas tepāno brahma eva prathamam asṛijata trayīm eva vidyām | să eva asmai pratishṭhā 'bhavat | tasmād āhur “brahma asya sarvasya pratishṭhā” iti | tasmād anūchya pratitishṭhati | pratishṭhā hy eshā yad brahma | tasyām pratishṭhāyām pratishthito 'tapyata | 9. So'po'sṛijata vāchaḥ eva lokāt | vāg eva asya sā'sṛijyata | să idam sarvam āpnod yad idam kincha | yad äpnot tasmād apaḥ yad avṛinot tasmād vāḥ | 10. So'kāmayata "ābhyo 'dbhyo'dhi vrajāyeya" iti | so'nayā trayyā vidyayā saha apaḥ prāviśat | tataḥ andam samavarttata | tad abhyamṛiśat | "astv" ity "astu bhuyo 'sto" ity eva tad abravit | tato brahma eva prathamam asrijyata trayy eva vidyā | tasmād āhur “brahma ́asya sarvasya prathamajam" iti | api hi tasmāt purushād brahma eva pūrvam asṛijyata tad asya tad mukham eva asṛijyata | tasmād anūchānam āhur "agni-kalpaḥ" iti | mukham hy etad agner yad brahma |

This text, Rig-veda, iii. 62, 10, will be quoted in the sequel.

This passage with the preceding context is given in the Fourth Volume of this work, pp. 18 f.

"This Male, Prajapati, desired, 'May I multiply, may I be propagated.' He toiled in devotion; he practised austere-fervour. Having done so he first of all created sacred knowledge, the triple Vedic science. This became a basis for him. Wherefore men say, 'sacred knowledge is the basis of this universe.' Hence after studying the Veda a man has a standing ground; for sacred knowledge is his foundation. Resting on this basis he (Prajapati) practised austere-fervour. 9. He created the waters from Vách (speech), as their world. Vach was his: she was created. She pervaded all this whatever exists. As she pervaded (āpnot), waters were called 'apaḥ.' As she covered (avṛinot) all, water was called 'văr.' 10. He desired, 'May I be propagated from these waters.' Along with this triple Vedic science he entered the waters. Thence sprang an egg. He gave it an impulse; and said, 'Let there be, let there be, let there be again.' Thence was first created sacred knowledge, the triple Vedic science. Wherefore men say, 'Sacred knowledge is the first-born thing in this universe. Moreover, it was sacred knowledge which was created from that Male in front, wherefore it was created as his mouth. Hence they say of a man learned in the Veda, 'He is like Agni; for sacred knowledge is Agni's mouth.'

The next passage from the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa, ii. 3, 10, 1, briefly states that the Vedas were created after Soma:

Prajāpatiḥ Somam rājānam asṛijata | tam trayo vedāḥ anv asṛijyanta | "Prajapati created king Soma. After him the three Vedas were created."

The same Brāhmaṇa in other places, as iii. 3, 2, 1, speaks of the Veda as derived from Prajapati (Prājāpatyo vedaḥ).

Satapatha Brahmana.-According to the following passage of the Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, xiv. 5, 4, 10 (= Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad, p. 455 of Röer's ed. and p. 179 of trans.) the Vedas, as well as other Sastras, are the breath of Brahma:

Sa yatha ärdredhägner abhyāhität pṛithag dhūmāḥ viniścharanti evam vai are 'sya mahato bhūtasya niśvasitam etad yad rigvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo 'tharvāngirasaḥ itihāsaḥ purānam vidyā upanishadaḥ ślokāḥ sūtrāny anuvyākhyānāni vyākhyānāni asyaiva etāni sarvāni niśvasitāni |

"As from a fire made of moist wood various modifications of smoke proceed, so is the breathing of this great Being the Rig-veda, the