A History of Indian Literature v1.c8.s13.7

v1.c8.s13.7

period in which these collections were arranged. However, before the compilation of these collections, which were already regarded as sacred sacrificial poetry and authorised prayer-books, there must have been a period at which the songs and chants contained in them arose as popular or religious poems. This period, Max Müller concluded, must have been before 1000 B. C. And as he had already assumed 200 years for the "Brāhmaṇa period" and 200 years for the period he called the "Mantra period," he now also assumed 200 years for the *arising* of this poetry (though without laying much stress on this figure), and thus arrived at 1200 to 1000 B. C. as the period of the beginning of Vedic poetry.