Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/44

The Religion of the Veda
fondly derive their descent from such a Rishi. The
hymns themselves state this repeatedly-such and
such a poct has seen such and such a hymn-: the
exact value of this claim is not easily estimated.
The names of these traditional Rishis have a good
ring in India at all times. They are in the order of
Books ii-vii, Grtsamada, Viçvamitra, Vämadeva, Atri,
Bharadvaja, and Vasishtha. The eighth book and
the first fifty hymns of the first book are ascribed
to the family of Kanva; they are marked off even
superficially from the rest, because they are arranged
strophically in groups of two or three stanzas. These
form the bulk of those stanzas which, set to music,
reappear in the Sama-Veda. The ninth book, a kind
of Bacchic collection or text-book, is addressed to
the deified plant soma, and the liquor pressed from
it.ª This soma drink furnishes by far the most pre-
cious libation to the gods. They are supposed to
intoxicate themselves with it unto great deeds of
valor. The remainder of the first book and the
entire tenth book are more miscellaneous in char-
acter and problematic as to intention and arrange-
ment. To some extent, though by no means en-
tirely, they are of later origin and from a different
sphere, in part of distinctly popular character, very
28
1 That is, has had revealed to him.
See below, p. 145.
1