ORIENTAL SERIES.

346
VEDA.
book or "books in which the hymns are collected are called San-
hitas. The ^g-veda and the Sama-veda have each one Sanhita \
the Tajur-veda has two Sanhitas.
As before stated, the jR/-g-veda is the original Veda from
which the Yajur and Saman are almost exclusively derived. It
consists of 1017 Suktas or hymns, or with eleven additional
hymns called Yalakhilyas of an apocryphal character, 1028.
These are arranged in eight Ashfcikas,
*
octaves/ or Khawdas,
3
*
sections, which are again subdivided into as many Adhyayas,
1
chapters/ 2006 Yargas or 'classes/ 10,417 Elks or 'verses/
and 153,826 Padas or 'words.' There is another division, which
runs on concurrently with this division, in ten Manillas,
'
circles' or '
classes/ and 85 Anuvakas or '
sections/ The total
number of hymns is the same in both arrangements. It is a
generally received opinion that the hymns of the tenth Mamfala
are later in date than the others.
A few hymns of the J?%-veda, more especially some of the
later hymns in the tenth Ma?wfola, appear to contain some
but as a whole
vague, hazy conception of one Supreme Being ;
they are addressed directly to certain personifications
of the
powers of nature, which personifications were worshipped as
deities having those physical powers under their control. From
these powers the Yedic poets invoked prosperity on themselves
and their nocks ; they extolled the prowess of these elemental
powers in the struggles between light and darkness, warmth and
cold, and they offered up joyous praise and thanksgiving for the
fruits of the earth and personal protection. Chief among the
deities so praised and worshipped were Agni, Indra, and Surya.
More hymns are addressed to Agni (Ignis), 'fire/ than to any other
deity, and chiefly in its sacrificial character, though it receives
honour also for its domestic uses. Indra was honoured as the
god of the atmosphere, who controlled the rains and the dew,
so all-important to an agricultural people. Surya, 'the sun/
was '
the source of heat/ but he shared this honour with
Agni, the sun being considered a celestial fire. Among the
most ancient of the myths was that of Dyaus-pitar, '
father/ the regent of the sky. Others were Aditi, l
heavenly
the infinite
expanse;' Vanwa (Ou^avos), 'the investing sky/ afterwards
god of the waters; Ushas (fag), 'the dawn/ daughter of the
the two Aswins, '
twin sons of the sun/ ever young and
sky ;