A History of Indian Literature v1.c8.s2.52

v1.c8.s2.52

¹ The great age of the Nirukta is proved by its language, which is more archaic than that of the remaining non-Vedic Sanskrit literature. s. *Bhandarkar*, JBRAS 16, 1885. 265 f. *Lakshman Sarup*, "The Nighaṇṭu and the Nirukta the oldest Indian Treatise on Etymology, Philosophy and Semantics," Introduction, Oxford 1920, p. 54, merely reflects the universal opinion (without offering any new proofs) that Yāska lived between 700 and 500 B.C. Yāska was acquainted with all the Vedic Saṃhitās and the most important Brāhmaṇas, including the latest Gopatha-Brāhmaṇa, the Prātiśākhyas and a few of the Upaniṣads; s. Sarup, *loc. cit.*, pp. 54 f., and P.D. Gune, in Bhandarkar Com. Vol , pp. 43 ff. Yāska already considered the Veda as revealed; but even in his time there were men who doubted the sanctity of the Veda (s. Sarup, *loc. cit.*, pp. 71 ff.). Satyavrata Sāmasrami in an appendix to his edition of the Nirukta has an interesting treatise in Sanskrit on the age of Yāska (about 1900 B.C. !) and the purpose of the Nirukta s. *Barth*, RHR. 27, 1893, 184 ff., = Oeuvres II, 94 ff. On Yāska, s. also *Liebich*, "Zur Einführung in die indische einheim. Sprachwiss, II, 22 ff. N.F, Vol. XI, No. 5, and Vol. XIII, No. 3, 1909 and 1912 : *Geldner*, “Der Ṛgveda in Auswahl ” I. Glossar, II Kommentar, Stuttgart 1907-1909, and ZDMG 71, 1917, 315 ff. M. Bloomfield, JAOS 27, 1906, 72 ff. : E. W. Fay, *ibid*, 403 ff. : A. B. Keith, JRAS 1910, 921 ff.