Page:The Hymns of the Rigveda (English Translation).pdf/15

Rh the same Pada, when it reoccurs within the verse, always retains the same form, or to be more precise, remains indistinguishable in any of its considered equivalent forms. Only towards the end of the Rigveda period does a differentiation of forms develop, and different forms are attributed to the same Pada depending on its location within the verse.

The question of the prehistory that led to the generally described Vedic state of metrical composition with its peculiar blend of definiteness and indefiniteness does not seem entirely devoid of prospects for an answer. One should, above all, follow the traces indicated by the study of Avesta literature. When comparing the poetry of the Avesta with the Indian, in terms of content, expression, and overall character, one cannot help but notice the recurring details that suggest a shared tradition of Indo-Iranian religious poetry, not only pointing to the historical commonalities of the two peoples and their religions but also to a shared tradition of Indo-Iranian religious poetry, developed in fixed forms. Whether one regards the attempts to trace a common possession of metrical forms back to the distant past of the Indo-European period as acts of legitimate scientific daring or as futile audacity is a matter of judgment; however, the question of the nature of Indo-Iranian poetry undoubtedly falls within the bounds of permissible and necessary inquiry. Especially from the perspective of Avestan research, the