The History of Indian Literature c8.362.6

c8.362.6

Since the latter treat specially of the fire-ritual, of the erection of the sacred fire-altars, their possible northwestern origin might be explained by the fact that the doctrine upon this subject had, though differing from that of the Persa-Aryans, been kept particularly pure in the north-west owing to the proximity of this latter people.∗ However this may be, whether the north-western origin of the doctrine of these five *káṇḍas* be well founded or otherwise,¹⁴² they at any rate belong, in their present form, to the same period as (the tenth possibly to a somewhat later period than) the first five *káṇḍas*. On this point the mention of Aruṇa Aupaveśi, Áruṇi, Śvetaketu Áruṇeya, and of Indradyumna (in the tenth book), as well as the frequent reprehension of the Charakádhvaryus, is decisive. That the various parts of the Bráhmaṇa were blended together by one arranging hand¹⁴³ is evident in particular from the repeated occurrence of phrases intimating that a subject has already been treated of in an earlier part, or is to be found presented more in detail in a later part. A closer investigation of the various instances where this occurs has not as yet been within my power.