Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c12.6

c12.6

Although the principle adopted leads to changes in the text which are in many cases considerable, it is seldom that any real difficulty arises in words and forms which are of frequent occurrence. For if the text does not correspond to the usage, the question is whether the poets have regularly used words in positions for which they are not well suited metrically, or the editors of the text have introduced unsound alterations. As to the first alternative it is impossible to pronounce until a broad view has been reached as to the metrical standards of the poets in the Rigveda as a whole. But as to the second possibility there is no real room for doubt, in view of the results recorded in the last two chapters, and generally accepted by critics of the Veda. Still it should be of value to indicate the probable causes of the most common errors of the Saṃhitā text, as is attempted in §§ 175, 176.