Now this is exactly the case. The ancient grammarians, as we shall see, teach distinctly that where two vowels have coalesced into one according to the rules of Sandhi, they may be pronounced as two syllables; and though they do not teach the same with regard to semivowels and long vowels occurring in the body of the word, yet they tacitly recognise that rule, by frequently taking its effects for granted. Thus in Sutra 950 of the Prâtisâkhya, verse IX, 111, 1, is called an Atyashti, and the first pâda is said to consist of twelve syllables. In order to get this number, the author must have read,

ăyâ̄ rŭkâ̄ hărĭny̆â̄ pŭn̄â̆năh.

[paragraph continues] Immediately after, verse IV, 1, 3, is called a Dhriti, and the first pâda must again have twelve syllables. Here therefore the author takes it for granted that we should read,

săkhē săkhâ̄yăm ăbhy̆ â̄ văvrītsv̆ā a.

[paragraph continues] No one, in fact, with any ear for rhythm, whether Saunaka and Piṅgala, or Rosen and Kuhn, could have helped observing these rules when reading the Veda. But it is quite a different case when we come to the question as to which words admit of such protracted pronunciation, and which do not. Here one scholar may differ from another according to the view he takes of the character of Vedic metres, and here one has to take careful account of the minute and

ingenious observations contained in numerous articles by Professors Kuhn, Bollensen, Grassmann, and others.

Footnotes

xxxi:a Since the publication of the first volume of the Rig-veda, many new MSS. have come before me, partly copied for me, partly lent to me for a time by scholars in India, but every one of them belonged clearly to one of the three families which I have described in my introduction to the first volume of the Rig-veda. In the beginning of the first Ashtaka, and occasionally at the beginning of other Ashtakas, likewise in the commentary on hymns which were studied by native scholars with particular interest, various readings occur in some MSS., which seem at first to betoken an independent source, but which are in reality mere marginal notes, due to more or less learned students of these MSS. Thus after verse 3 of the introduction one MS. reads: sa prâha nripatim, râgan, sâyanâryo mamânugah, sarvam vetty esha vedânâm vyâkhyâtritvena, yugyatâm. The same MS., after verse 4, adds: ityukto mâdhavâryena vîrabukkamahîpatih, anvasât sâyânâkâryam vedârthasya prakâsane.