History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.235.5

v7.c91.235.5

Other words like *gir* (several hundred times), dhīti (about 100 times), brahma (over a hundred times) mati (about 100 times), manīsā (over 60 times), vacas and vacasyā (over 100 times), stoma (about 200 times), sukīrti (five times), sūkta (four times) are employed in the sense of 'thought, word or thought out hymn or verse of praise' and in several cases the sages of the Ṛgveda state that it is a new verse or hymn of praise that they employ. Vide 'navyasībhir-gīrbhiḥ' and 'giram bhare navyasīm jāyamānām' in Ṛg V. 42. 13, in Ṛg VI 49. 1, VII. 53. 2; 'Pra tavyasīm *navyasīm dhītimagnaye*' in Ṛg. I. 143 1; '*vaiśvānarāya matir-navyasī śucīḥ soma iva pavate*' (Ṛg. VI 8. 1) and 'iyam te navyasī matir agne adhāyyasmadā' (Ṛg VIII. 74. 7); iyam te agne navyasī manīsā' Ṛg. X. 4. 6; 'tā valgū¹⁶¹⁰ Dasrā puruśā-katamā pratnā navyasā *vacasā vivāse*' (Ṛg VI. 62. 5); '*navyasī sukīrtiḥ*' in Ṛg. I 60. 3, 'sa pratnavat *navyase viśvavāra sūktāya* pathah krnuhi' in Ṛg IX. 91. 5; '*nū navyase navīyase sūktāya* sādhayā pathah' in Ṛg. IX 9. 8. It is a remarkable fact that when words like 'sukīrtiḥ' and 'sūkta' that occur only four or five times in the whole of the Ṛgveda are qualified by the word 'new or fresh', the word 'mantra' occurring so many times does not even once bear the adjective 'new'.