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 VEGA

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VEGA

are not independent poems, but laudatory stanzas appended to some ordinary hymn, and in which the poet gives thanks for generosity shown to him by some prince. Some six or seven hymns deal with cosmogonic speculations. It is significant that some of the hymns, chiefly in book X, are cast in the form of a dialogue. Here we may possibl}' discern the beginnings of the Sanskrit drama. The poetry of the Rig-Veda is neither popular nor primitive, as it has been erroneously considered, but is the production of a refined sacerdotal class and the result of a long period of cultural development. It was intended primarily for use in connexion with the Soma sacrifice, and to accompany a ritual, which, though not so com- plicated as at the time of the Brahmanas, was far from simple. The Rig-^'eda has come down to us in only one recension, that of the Shakala school. Originally there were several schools: the "Mahabhashya" (great commentary), about the second century B.C., knows of twenty-one, while some later writings know of two only. In these schools the transmission of the hymns was most carefully attended to; a most elabo- rate mnemonic system wa.s devised to guard against any changes in the sacred text, which has thus come down to us practically without variants.

Editions of the Rig-Veda were published by Max Miiller, "Rig-Veda-Samhita with the Commentary of Sayanacharj-a " ((i vols., London, 1849-74; 2nd ed., 4 vols., 1890-95); "The Hymns of the Rig-Veda in the Samhita and Pada Texts" (2nd ed., 2 vols., London, 1877); .\ufrecht, "Samhita Text", in Roman char- acters (2nd ed., Bonn, 1877); selections in Lanman's •Sanskrit Reader" (Boston, 1884); Bothlingk, "Sunskrit-Chrestomathie" (3rd ed., Leipzig, 1897); Windisch, "Zwolf Hj-mnen des Rig-Veda", with Sayana's commentary (Leipzig, 1883). Translations were made into: English verse by Griffith (2 vols., Benares, 1896-97); selections in prose by Max Miiller in "Sacred Books of the East", XXXII (Oxford, 1891); continued by Oldenburg, ibidem, XLVI (1897); German verse by CJrassmann (2 vols., Leipzig, 1876-77) ; German prose by Ludwig (6 vols., Prague, 1876-88). On the Rig-Veda in general see: Kaegi, "The Rig- Veda", tr. Arrowsmith (Boston, 1886); Oldenberg, "Rig-Veda", books I-VI, in "Gottinger Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften", new series, XI (Berhn, 1909).

II. The S.\ma-Veda ("vedaof chants") consists of 1549 stanzas, taken entirely (except 75) from the Rig- Veda, chiefly from books VlII and IX. Its purpo.se was purely practical, to serve as a text-book for the urigalar or priest who attended the Soma sacrifice. The arrangement of the verses is determined solely by their relation to the rites attending this function. The hymns were to be sung according to certain fixed melodies; hence the name of the collection. Though only two recensions are known, the number of schools for this veda is known to have been very large. The Sama-Veda was edited: (with German tr.) by Benfey (Leipzig, 1848); by Satyavrata SamasliramI in Bibl. Ind. (Calcutta, 1873); Engl. tr. by Griffith (Benares, 1893).

III. TheYajur-Veda ("veda of sacrificial prayers") consists also largely of verses borrowed from the Rig- Veda. Its purpose wa.s also practical, but, unlike the Sama-Veda, it was compiled to ajjply to the entire sacrificial rite, not merely the Soma offering. There are two recensions of this Veda known as the "Black" and "White" Vajur-Veda. The origin and meaning of these designations are not clear. The White Yajur- Veda contains only the verses and sayings necessary for the sacrifice, while all explanations exist in a separate work; the Black incorporates explanations and directions in the work itself, often immediately following the verses. Of the Black there are again four recensions, all showing the same arrangement, but differing in many other respects, notably in

matters of phonology and accent. By the Hindus the Yajur-Veda was regarded as the most important of all the Vedas for the practice of the sacrificial rites. The four recensions of the Yajur-Veda have been separately edited: (1) "Vajasaneyi Samhita" by Weber (London and Berlin, 1852), tr. Griffith (Be- nares, 1899); (2) "Taittiriva.S." bv Weber in " Indische Studien", XI, XII (BerUn, 1871-72); (3) "Mai- trayanl S." by von Schroeder (Leipzig, 1SS1-S6); "Kathaka S." by von Schroeder (Leipzig, 1900-09). IV. The Atharva-Veda ("veda of the atharvans or fire priests") differs widely from the other Vedas in that it is not essentially religious in character and not connected with the ritual of the Soma sacrifice. It consists chiefly of a variety of spells and incanta- tions, intended to curse as well as to bless. There are charms against enemies, demons, wizards, harmful animals hke snakes, against sickness of man or beast, against the oppressors of Brahmans. But there are also charms of a positive character to obtain benefits, to insure love, happy family-life, health and longevity, protection on journeys, even luck in gambling. Superstitions from primitive ages were evidently current among the ma.sses. To some of the spells remarkably close parallels can be adduced from Germanic and Slavic antiquity. The Atharva-Veda is preserved in two recensions, which, though differing in content and arrangement, are of equal extent, com- prising 730 hjTnns and about tiOOO stanzas, distributed in twenty books. Many of the verses are taken from the Rig- Veda without change; a considerable part of the sayings is in prose. The books are of differ- ent age; the first thirteen are the oldest, the last two are late additions. Book XX, consisting entirely of hj-mns in praise of Indra, all taken from the Rig- Veda, was undoubtedly added to give the .-^tharva a connexion with the sacrificial ceremonial and thus to insure its recognition as a canonical book. But this recognition was attained only after a considerable lapse of time, and after the period of the Rig-Veda. In the "Mahabharata" the canonical character of the Atharva is distinctly recognized, references to the four Vedas being frequent. Though as a whole this collection must have come into existence later than the Rig-Veda, much of its material is fully as old and perhaps older. For the history of religion and civili- zation it is a document of priceless value. The Atharva-Veda has been edited by Roth and Whitney (Berlin, 1856); Engl. tr. in verse by Griffith (2 vols., Benares, 1S97) ; prose by Bloomfield in "Sacred Books of the Ea.'it", XLII; by Whitney, revised by Lanman (2 vols., Cambridge, Mass., 1905). Con.sult Bloom- field, "The Atharvaveda" in "Grundriss der Indo- arischen Philologie", II (Stra.sburg, 1899).

On tbe Ved.'w in general consult: Macdonnell, History of Sanskril Lileralure (New York, 1900), 29-201, bibl. 439-42; B.lCMGARTNER, Gesch. der Wrlllileralur. II (Freiburg, 1902); WiNTERNiTZ. Gcsch. tier indischen Literatur, I Der Veda (Leip- zig. 1905); PiscHEL, Die indische Literatur in KuUur der Gegen- u-art I, VII (Berlin and Leipzig, 1906), 164-174, bibl. 212.

Arthur F. J. Re.my.

Ve^a, .\ndreas de, theologian and Franciscan Observantine, b. at Segovia in Old Castile. Spain, at unknown dale; d. at Salamanca probably in 1,560. He studied at the I'niversity of Salamanca, and was a professor there when he became an Observantine of the Franci.scan Order. He continued his work as a teacher in the monastery of the Observantines where the learned Alphon.so de Castro also taught. Both were distinguished in speculative theology. Vega was a moderate Scotist who at the same time held to St. Bonaventure. The Emperor Charles V sent Vega .as theologian together with other scholars to the Council of Trent. At Trent he came into con- nexion with Cardinal Petrus Pacheco, Bishop of Jaen (consequently called "Giennensis"), who was a patron of the Franciscan Order. Vega wa,s conspicu- ous in t he preliminary discussions on the canon of the