Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c8.17

c8.17

This means that it is the duty of the priest named *Hotā*, at the time of the sacrifice, to make ready his collection of the *Ṛiks* gathered from different places, and fix it as his *śastra*. Yāska takes the word "*ṛik*" as equivalent to "*archanī*" or invocation of a deity. The Śastra of the Hotā was thus separated and became known as the Rigveda Saṁhitā in which, therefore, were brought together all the Ṛiks which were "*chhando-vaddha*", i.e. which were in the form of verse or metre.