The History of Indian Literature c8.447

c8.447

¹⁶⁶ M. Müller first gave us some information as to the Gopatha-Bráhmaṇa in his *History of A. S. L.*, p. 445–455; and now the work itself has been published by Rájendra Lála Mitra and Harachandra Vidyábhúshaṇa in the *Bibl. Indica* (1870–72). According to this it consists of eleven (*i.e.*, 5 + 6) *prapáṭhakas* only. We do not discover in it any special relation to the Ath. S., apart from several references thereto under different names. The contents are a medley, to a large extent derived from other sources. The first half is essentially of speculative, cosmogonic import, and is particularly rich in legends, a good number of which appear in the same form as in the Śatapatha-Bráhmaṇa, xi. xii., and are therefore probably simply copied from it. The second half contains a brief exposition of a variety of points connected with the Śrauta ritual, specially adapted, as it seems, from the Aitar. Br. Very remarkable is the assumption in i. 28 of a *doshapati*, lord of evil (!?), who at the beginning of the Dvápara (-yuga) is supposed to have acted as '*rishíṇám ekadeśaḥ*.' This reminds us of, and doubtless rests upon, the Mára of the Buddhists.