A History of Indian Literature v1.c8.s7.113
A History of Indian Literature v1.c8.s7.113
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v1.c8.s7.113
These narratives are also of importance to us as the oldest examples of Indian narrative prose which we possess. It has already been mentioned that this prose of the oldest epic compositions frequently alternates with verses. But while in the story of Purūravas and Urvaśī the verses appear not only in the Ṛgveda-collection, but in language and metre belong to the oldest Vedic compositions too, we find in the Aitareya-Brāhmaṇa an Ākhyāna in which the Gāthās or verses scattered among the prose approach the epic in language as well as in metre. This is the legend of Śunaḥśepa,¹ interesting in more ways than one. It begins as follows :
Cites (2)
- Aitareyabrāhmaṇa — Mahidāsa Aitareya, Sanskrit
- Ṛgvedasaṃhitā — Sanskrit