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244
Review
Shri Ganapati (G.) has given an English rendering with occasional notes, under each verse.
In the Introduction G. has discussed topics like the original of the Vedas, special features and content of the Sāmaveda, the home of the Veda, Evolution according to the Sānaveda, the Age of the Veda, Man and his internal activities, some special expressions, misconceptions about Sāmaveda and Yajurveda and origination from Rgveda, an earlier race of man, the Brain, and Translation of the Veda.
At the end of the book there are nine appendixes which include, "the Sāmaveda and tradition, References to Arctic Phenomena, Mantras on Evolution, Samaveda mantras repeated twice, mantras from the Samaveda and the Yajurveda included in the Rgveda, number of Rishis who have contributed to the Rgveda, hymos common to the Sāmaveda, the Yajurveda and the Rgveda, different translations, Sāmaveda mantras in the Rgveda, and Samans arranged according to each Deva separately.
We shall offer our remarks for the text, the introduction, the translation and the appendixes.
The order of the verses in the Sāmaveda is known in two different ways, firstly as Kānda, Adhyāya, Khanda and mantra and secondly as kānda, prapāthaka, ardha, daśati and a antra. It is not clear what G. has in mind when he mentions Kānda, book, chapter, D and Mantra, He has not mentioned Sanskrit equivalents for his division which seems to be the second one. He mentions Indra Kand' for Aindra Kandı.
So far as the text of the verses is concerned, he has not cared to note the accents. This is uapardonable, for, no Vedic text, at least of the four Vedas should be allowed to be printed, writrea or recital without accents.
The translation of the Sāmaveda presented here is a novel one in the sense that Shri G. dismisses earlier translations, as " largely influenced by Sayaņa; they do not convey much sense most often, are abstruse, distorted in sense and often times absurd also. They do not present a consistent system of thought on which the Veda should have been based. The Veda repeatedly affirms that the Devas are engaged in Yagna, establishing the creatures and the worlds". He wants the Sāmaveda to present a consistent picture (p. XXXIII). He further states on the sare page the relation of
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