History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.173.3

v7.c92.173.3

32) that mantras are recited in sacrifices only for the purpose of conveying or manifesting the meaning.¹⁷⁸¹ It is difficult to define what a vedic mantra is and it is generally understood, as said by Śabara, that passages or verses are mantras that are recognised as such by the learned¹⁷⁸² The whole Veda is divided into five categories viz. *Vidhi* (hortatory passages as in 'Agnihotram juhuyāt'), *mantras*, *nāmadheya* (names such as Udbhid in 'Udbhida yajeta' or '*Viśvajit*' as in '*Viśvajitā yajeta*'), *niṣedha* (prohibition as in '*nānṛtaṁ vadet*') and *arthavāda* (explanatory or laudatory passages as in '*Vāyu* is a deity that is swiftest'). The Nirukta (I. 20) embodies the ancient view that the sages had an intuitive perception of Dharma and they transmitted the mantras by oral instruction to those that came after them and that had no intuitive perception of Dharma. The mantras and *stotras* were supposed even in the Ṛg. to induce the gods to come to the sacrifices and to bestow on those who recited them protection, valiant sons, cattle, wealth, victory and all sorts of things (e. g. vide Ṛg. I. 102. 1-5, II. 24. 15-16, II. 25. 2, III. 31. 14, IX. 20. 7, IX. 72. 9, X. 78. 8, X. 105. 1). It has been shown above p. 920 (in notes 4167-4168) how the Purāṇas prescribed their own mantras for many religious acts but those mantras also are significant and not meaningless.