Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/44

 The Religion of the Veda fondly derive their descent from such a Rishi. The hymns themselves state this repeatedly-such and such a poct has seen such and such a hymn-: the exact value of this claim is not easily estimated. The names of these traditional Rishis have a good ring in India at all times. They are in the order of Books ii-vii, Grtsamada, Viçvamitra, Vämadeva, Atri, Bharadvaja, and Vasishtha. The eighth book and the first fifty hymns of the first book are ascribed to the family of Kanva; they are marked off even superficially from the rest, because they are arranged strophically in groups of two or three stanzas. These form the bulk of those stanzas which, set to music, reappear in the Sama-Veda. The ninth book, a kind of Bacchic collection or text-book, is addressed to the deified plant soma, and the liquor pressed from it.ª This soma drink furnishes by far the most pre- cious libation to the gods. They are supposed to intoxicate themselves with it unto great deeds of valor. The remainder of the first book and the entire tenth book are more miscellaneous in char- acter and problematic as to intention and arrange- ment. To some extent, though by no means en- tirely, they are of later origin and from a different sphere, in part of distinctly popular character, very 28 1 That is, has had revealed to him. See below, p. 145. 1