Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c5.s2.1

c5.s2.1

57. In the Saṃhitā text the hymns of the Rigveda are arranged in three principal groups, of which the largest extends from i 51 to the end of vii, and consists of fourteen collections of hymns arranged in the ascending order of the number of hymns contained in each: the hymns to Agni coming first, then those to Indra, in each collection. These are usually termed the *family collections*, each being ascribed by tradition to a particular family of bards.