Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c6.20

c6.20

80. To the position of hymns and fragments in the Saṃhitā text considerable importance is to be attached. As we observe that the hymns which plainly belong to the popular Rigveda are almost all found in certain positions, namely at the end of complete collections, or of the Agni or Indra sections of those collections, or in the tenth Maṇḍala: it follows that we are likely to find other hymns of the same character similarly placed. Hymns which disturb the mechanical arrangement of each collection also deserve careful examination. With regard to that arrangement it will be sufficient to refer to the full discussion by Professor H. Oldenberg (Prolegomena, Chapter II) as a starting point: but it must be kept in mind that many of the oldest hymns in the Rigveda are found either out of the order or in the tenth Maṇḍala, as is conclusively shewn by the language and metre.