well-digested report of the variants which is easily and quickly usable for the purpose of critical study. I call especial attention to this valuable feature of Whitney's work, partly because of its practical importance, and partly because it shows the author's power of masterly condensation and of self-restraint.
11. Whitney's Commentary: Further Discussion of its Critical Elements
Comprehensiveness of its array of parallels.—I have already called attention (p. xxxvii) to the fact that the Commentary expressly disavows any claim to finality; and have spoken briefly of its importance as a tool, and of its comprehensiveness. In respect of the comprehensiveness of its array of parallels, it answers very perfectly one of the requirements set by Pischel and Geldner in the Introduction (p. xxx) to the Vedische Studien: "Das gesamte indische Altertum kann und muss der vedischen Exegese dienstbar gemacht werden. In vorderster Linie wollen auch wir den Veda aus sich selbst erklären durch umfassenderes Aufsuchen der Parallelstellen und Combinieren zusammengehöriger aber in verschiedenen Teilen des Veda zerstreuter Gedanken." That Whitney's work will prove to be an instrument of great effectiveness in the future criticism and exegesis of the Veda I think no one can doubt. It will easily be seen that often, in the cases where the older attempts have failed, the fault is to be laid not so much to the learning and ingenuity of the scholars concerned, as to the lack of powerful tools. Such a powerful tool is this; such is Bloomfield's Concordance; and other such helpful tools are sure to be invented and made in the next few decades. The pratīka-indexes of Pertsch, Whitney, Weber, Aufrecht, and von Schroeder are admirable; and without them Whitney's work could not have been made. Their main use is to make feasible the systematic comparison of the texts one with another. This is what Whitney has done here, with the Atharvan text as starting-point, and the results of his comparison lie before us in the conveniently digested reports of the variants.
Criticism of specific readings.—Examples abound showing how the reports may be used for this purpose. They enable us to recognize the corruptness of a reading, which, although corrupt, is nevertheless to be deemed the genuine Atharvan reading, as in the case of yáç cárati at
underscore in red ink the points of difference, and then state them with brevity and clearness. Then let him examine Whitney's reports, and I think he will freely admit that they are indeed well-digested and are models of masterly condensation. More difficult cases are ii. 1. 3; 13. 1; iii. 10. 4; 12. 7; 19. 8; vii. 83. 2; 97. 1; xiv. 2. 71. The amount and intricacy of possible variation is well exemplified by vi. 117. 1. Perhaps Whitney has erred in the direction of overcondensation in his note to vii. 29. 2.
