History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c99.338

v7.c99.338

Brāhmaṇa or Brāhmaṇas (texts, acc. to context), all those parts of the Veda which are not or cannot be called mantras constitute B. 1222-23; are primary sources of information about sacrifices, ritual, priests etc. 1223, contain oldest prose found in any Indo-European language 1223, contain numerous myths and legends, 1223; contents can be divided into two classes viz. vidhis (hortatory) and arthavādas (explanatory or laudatory) 1223; often mention contests between Gods and Asuras and abound in etymologies 1223; order (*krama*) of rites as expressed in mantras is to be preferred to the order contained in Br. texts 1316; principal purpose and aim of Br. of the Veda is to prescribe the rituals of sacrifices, to narrate myths and legends about sacrifices and to state rewards of sacrifices, 1497; ten characteristics of B. acc. to Vṛttikāra 1223n.