MacDonnell II - Wilbourhall.org

PKEFACEviiappropriate place within the body of the Vedic Grammar, arenot again presented there in the form of an alphabetical list,as is done here for the benefit of the learner. Havingsubjected all the verbal forms to a revision, I have classifiedsome doubtful or ambiguous ones more satisfactorily, andadded some others which were inadvertently omitted in thelarge work. Moreover, a full alphabetical list of conjunctiveand adverbial particles embracing forty pages and describingthe syntactical uses of these words has been added in orderto correspond to § 180 of the Sanskrit Grammar. Thepresent work therefore constitutes a supplement to,as wellas an abridgement of,the Vedic Grammar, thus in realitysetting forth the subject with moi'e completeness as a whole,though in a comparatively brief form, than the larger work.I may add that this grammar is shortly to be followed bya Vedic Header consisting of selected hymns of the Eigvedaand supplying microscopic explanations of every point onwhich the elementary learner requires information. Thesetwo books will, I hope, enable him in a short time to becomean independent student of the sacred literature of ancientIndia.For the purposes of this book I have chiefly exploitedmy own Vedic Grammar (1910), but I have also utilizedDelbriick's Altindisclie Syntax (1888) for syntactical material,and Whitney's Boots (1885) for the verbal forms of theBrahmana literature. In describing the metres (AppendixII) I have found Oldenberg's Die Hymnen des Bigveda(1888), and Arnold's Vedic Metre (1905) very useful.I am indebted to Dr. James Morison and to my formerpupil, Professor A. B. Keith, for reading allthe first proofswith great care, and thus saving me from many misprintsthat would have escaped ni)^ own notice. Professor Keithhas also suggested important modifications of some of mygrammatical statements. Lastly, I must congratulate