The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c24.11

v1.c24.11

They are made up of elements old and new. However late they may appear in their present form—and some of them are said to have been altered in quite recent times—there can be no question that their main source is to be traced back to a remote antiquity. The ancient lore of the bards from which, like the epics, they are derived is known to the Atharvaveda (XV, 6, 11 f.)