Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c6.19

c6.19

79. The repetition of a complete hymn or fragment, or even of any part of it beyond one stanza, in the Atharvaveda is a strong indication of the later date. It appears from the list in § 72 that more than one half of the hymns which clearly belong to the popular Rigveda are repeated with more or less completeness in the Atharvaveda: whilst of those hymns which clearly belong to the Rigveda proper only about a dozen are repeated, except by the quotation of single stanzas, viz. i 22 16—18, 19—21, 32, 50 1—9, 154; iv 2; v 46 7—8; vi 68 10—11; vii 32; viii 24; x 40. Single stanzas are drawn by the Atharvaveda from all parts of the Rigveda, but the repetition of such stanzas in the Atharvaveda is still of some weight, especially if they appear in the Rigveda to be detached from their context.