A History of Sanskrit Literature c12.9

c12.9

The Çrauta Sūtra of the *Atharva-veda* is the *Vaitāna Sūtra*. It is neither old nor original, but was undoubtedly compiled in order to supply the *Atharva*, like the other Vedas, with a Sūtra of its own. It probably received its name from the word with which it begins, since the term *vaitāna* ("relating to the three sacrificial fires") is equally applicable to all Çrauta Sūtras. It agrees to a considerable extent with the *Gopatha Brāhmaṇa*, though it distinctly follows the Sūtra of Kātyāyana to the *White Yajurveda*. One indication of its lateness is the fact that whereas in other cases a Gṛihya regularly presupposes the Çrauta Sūtra, the *Vaitāna* is dependent on the domestic sūtra of the *Atharva-veda*.