A History of Sanskrit Literature c5.8

c5.8

The subject-matter of the Brāhmaṇas which are attached to the various Vedas, differs according to the divergent duties performed by the kind of priest connected with each Veda. The Brāhmaṇas of the *Rigveda*, in explaining the ritual, usually limit themselves to the duties of the priest called *hotṛi* or "reciter," on whom it was incumbent to form the canon (*çastra*) for each particular rite, by selecting from the hymns the verses applicable to it. The Brāhmaṇas of the *Sāma-veda* are concerned only with the duties of the *udgātṛi* or "chanter" of the Sāmans; the Brāhmaṇas of the *Yajur-veda* with those of the *adhvaryu*, or the priest who is the actual sacrificer. Again, the Brāhmaṇas of the *Rigveda* more or less follow the order of the ritual, quite irrespectively of the succession of the hymns in the Veda itself. The Brāhmaṇas of the *Sāma-* and the *Yajur-veda*, on the other hand, follow the order of their respective Vedas, which are already arranged in the ritual sequence. The Brāhmaṇa of the *Sāma-veda*, however, rarely explains individual verses, while that of the *Yajur-veda* practically forms a running commentary on all the verses of the text.