A History of Sanskrit Literature c12.48

c12.48

The *Taittirīya Āraṇyaka* (vii. 1) already mentions *çikshā*, or phonetics, a subject which even then appears to have dealt with letters, accents, quantity, pronunciation, and euphonic rules. Several works bearing the title of *çikshā* have been preserved, but they are only late supplements of Vedic literature. They are short manuals containing directions for Vedic recitation and correct pronunciation. The earliest surviving results of phonetic studies are of course the Saṃhitā texts of the various Vedas, which were edited in accordance with euphonic rules. A further advance was made by the constitution of the *pada-pāṭha*, or word-text of the Vedas, which, by resolving the euphonic combinations and giving each word (even the parts of compounds) separately, in its original form unmodified by phonetic rules, furnished a basis for all subsequent studies. Yāska, Pāṇini, and other grammarians do not always accept the analyses of the *Padapāṭhas* when they think they understand a Vedic form better. Patanjali even directly contests their authoritativeness. The treatises really representative of Vedic phonetics are the Prātiçākhyas, which are directly connected with the *Saṃhitā* and *Pada-pāṭha*. It is their object to determine the relation of these to each other. In so doing they furnish a systematic account of Vedic euphonic combination, besides adding phonetic discussions to secure the correct recitation of the sacred texts. They are generally regarded as anterior to Pāṇini, who shows unmistakable points of contact with them. It is perhaps more correct to suppose that Pāṇini used the present Prātiçākhyas in an older form, as, whenever he touches on Vedic *sandhi*, he is always less complete in his statements than they are, while the Prātiçākhyas, especially that of the *Atharva-veda*, are dependent on the terminology of the grammarians. Four of these treatises have been preserved and published. One belongs to the *Rigveda*, another to the *Atharva-*, and two to the *Yajur-veda*, being attached to the *Vājasaneyi* and the *Taittirīya Saṃhitā* respectively. They are so called because intended for the use of each respective branch (*çākhā*) of the Vedas.