Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c10.10

c10.10

117. The Saṃhitā text rarely admits hiatus, but follows the artificial rules of the later Sanskrit (Whitney, *Sanskrit Grammar*, § 103). As the metrical character of the Rigveda is almost entirely destroyed by this method, commentators both native and western claim a general permission to restore hiatus in all cases. The consideration of the metre however shews that the Vedic poets were guided by principles and that deviations from these principles are comparatively rare.