Manava Dharmashastra 2.6.7

2.6.7

tadyuktam | avigānena śiṣṭānāṃ vedavyavahārāt | 'śrutīratharvāṅgirasīri tyatrāpi vyavahāraḥ | śrutirveda ityeko'rthaḥ | na ca vedaśabdavācyatā'bhiheotrādivākyānāmapi dharmapramāṇye kāraṇam | itihāsāyurvedayeārapi vedavyavahāradarśanāt 'itihāsapurāṇaṃ pañcamaṃ vedānāṃ vedamiti' | kiṃ tarhi apauruṣeyatve satyanuṣṭheyārthāvabodhakatvād viparyayābhāvācca | taccātharvavede'pi sarvamasti; jyotiṣṭomādikarmaṇāṃ yajurvedādiṣviva tatrāpyupadeśāt | abhicāramūlakakarmaṇāṃ bāhulyena tatropadeśādavedatvamiti vibhramaḥ keṣāṃcit | abhicārā hi paraprāṇaviyogaphalatvātpratiṣiddhāḥ; ātharvaṇikaiśca ta eva prādhānyenānuṣṭhīyante rājapurohitairataste nindyante | yattu "vedairaśūnya" ityādāvatharvavedasyānirdeśa iti | arthavādā ete | kiṃ tatra nirdeśenānirdeśena vā | mantrabhedābhiprāyaṃ vaitadvacanaṃ trayo vedāstrayī vidyetyādi | na hi caturthaṃ mantrajātamasti ṛgyajuḥsāmavyatirekeṇa | praiṣanivignigadendragāthādīnāmatraivāntarbhāvāt | atharvavede carcaeva mantratvena samāmnātāḥ | ata ṛgveda evāyaṃ mantrābhiprāyeṇa | yastu pratiṣedhaḥ sa viparītasādhanaḥ prāptau satyāṃ pratiṣedhopapatteḥ | ayaṃ vā'syārthaḥ | atharvavedādhītairmantraistraivedikaṃ karma na miśrayet | vācaḥ stome sarvā ṛcaḥ sarvāṇi yajūṃṣi sarvāṇi sāmāni viniyuktāni tatrātharvavedādhītānāṃ pratiṣedhaḥ |

(A) Śruti
Medhātithi on Manu, 2.6.—The word ‘Veda’ stands for the Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, and Sāmaveda (also Atharva Veda), along with their respective Brāhmaṇas, There are 21 Recensions of the Ṛgveda, 100 of the Yajurveda, 1,000 of the Sāmaveda and 9 of the Atharvaveda. The Vedic character of the Atharva cannot be denied, because, like the other Vedas, this also is not the work of a human author, it helps to make known man’s duties, it is free from mistakes, it prescribes the Jyotiṣṭoma and such other rites exactly in the same manner as the other Vedas do. [This is denied by Vīramitrodaya on Yājñavalkya; see below.] Though there are certain texts that forbid the study of the Atharva Veda, yet all that this means is that one should not confuse the teachings of the other Vedas with those of the Atharva; for instance, at the performance of rites in accordance with the three other Vedas, one should not use Mantras of the Atharva Veda.