________________
August, 1916.) SOME REMARKS ON THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE UPANISHADS 179
14.4 which is similar to 14. 3; 2. 9, 10, being wholly parallel with Baudhayana Dharmasastra and, in part, with Hiranya kesi Grihya iûtru and Kaufikz Sutra; 4. 7a, also to be found in Vishnu Sm iti and Biudhayana Dharmasastra; 16. 6 in Hiranyakesi Grihyasútra and A pastamba Mantra patha as well. On the other hand, all the mantras of the third khawla, though partly parallel with another text, have been included, because in the original, the Maitrayzni Sanhita only sporadio pâdas are to be found. The following three passages are borrowings from our text and, hence, have been added : MNU, 4. 4ab which has gone over to Sauparna Purana ; 11. 1, 2, 3 which has been taken over verbally by the Maha Up., and 11. 6 which occurs, at least metrically equal, in the Vasudeva Up.
It appears that about 15 lings are hypercataleotio, about 10 of them in the third khanda alone, about the same number catalectic, eight of them again in the third kchanla. Some of these faults are due to the careless condition of the text in some manuscripts and might, on the testimony of other manuscripts, easily be mended ; 5. 8 seems to be corrupt everywhere.22
Now the change of the Vedic anushțubh into the classic sloka affects chiefly the second foot of the first and third pada, the shape of which consequently shows the historical position of a book. Judged by this criterion the lines of the anushubh-gayatri family would have to be grouped as follows:
Second foot of 1st and 3rd pada. A. Vedic form
Number of padas : 26. B. Classic forms a. pathya
» » » 58. b. vipulâs etc. 1. vipulâ II.
» » » 5
Gi
ICICICICICICIO 10 10
4. vipulâ IV.
»
»
6. vipulâ I. 7. vipulâ III.
oi oi ai
I
There are then 26 old forms against 58 new ones. This makes a proportion of nearly 1:2. The lines examined by Oldenberg in Rigveda X, and Aitareya Brahmana VII. show the proportions of 26 to 30 and 9 to 14 respectively. The anushtubh line of the MNU. is, therefore, in a more advanced state than that of certain hymns of
igveda X, and Aitareya Brahmana VII.23 Some surprise might be caused by a comparison of the verses in Katha Up. adhy. I. with the verses of our text. From all we have seen so far, it follows that the Ka ha Up.is prior to the MNU. And yet the first adhyâya. of that text shows anushtubh lines of a more modern type than the MNU., there being 39 new forms against a single old one.
Now this calls for a few general remarks. There can be no doubt that the metrical facts, being, as it would seem, more intrinsic to a literary composition, form a firmer basis
22 For metrical purposes we are to read :
a anyhow. 23 The vipulas may safely be left out in the comparison, sinoe, as a matter of course, only the regular old Vedio form and the pathyà are the decisive points to start from. The vipulas could at the utmost be taken into consideration, if the rules regulating the shape of the first foot were observed. This, however is not the case with Aitareya Brahma na VII. Moreover, the result gained from the pathy remains, As far as the Rigveda is concerned, the same, even if we include the vipulas on either sido.
