6. Whitney's English Captions to his Hymn-translations
⌊These captions form an important element in his interpretation of this Veda.—Upon this subject I have already spoken in the proper place, above, p. xcv, which see. I would merely repeat the statement that these captions or hymn-titles have been formulated with much care and deliberation by the author, and give briefly his view of the general purport of each hymn. The absence of a positive view in them is often to be taken as indicating that he could not accept the view of his predecessors. Such titles of individual hymns as are not from Whitney's hand are enclosed in ell-brackets; but the headings to the Grand Divisions and to the books of division III. and to the paryāyas of books xv. and xvi., although not bracketed, are from the editor's hand.⌋
⌊In tabular form, they give a useful conspectus of the subject-matter of this Veda.—While this fact is obvious, it is perhaps not so obvious that the giving of this table as a part of the Table of Contents in volume VII., beginning on p. xv, would have detracted much from the perspicuity of that table as a guide to this work as a whole. Moreover, such a table as this is more naturally sought near the end of the work, and the balance of the two volumes is better maintained by putting these pages in volume VIII.⌋
| Hymn- number |
First Grand Division.—Books I.-VII. | Page |
| Seven books of short hymns (433) of miscellaneous subjects | ||
| I. Book the first | ||
| 1 | For the retention of sacred learning | 1 |
| 2 | Against injury and disease: with a reed | 2 |
| 3 | Against obstruction of urine: with a reed | 3 |
| 4 | To the waters: for blessings | 4 |
| 5 | To the waters: for blessings | 5 |
| 6 | To the waters: for blessings | 6 |
| 7 | To Agin: for the discovery of sorcerers | 7 |
| 8 | To Agni and other gods: for the discovery of sorcerers | 8 |
| 9 | For some one's advancement and success | 9 |
| 10 | For some one's release from Varuṇa's wrath | 10 |
| 11 | For successful childbirth | 11 |
| 12 | Against various ailments (as results of lightning?) | 12 |
| 13 | Deterrent homage to lightning | 14 |
| 14 | Imprecation of spinsterhood on a woman | 15 |
| 15 | With an oblation: for confluence of wealth | 16 |
| 16 | Against demons: with an amulet of lead | 17 |
| 17 | To stop the vessels of the body | 18 |
| 18 | Against unlucky marks | 19 |
| 19 | Against enemies | 20 |
| 20 | Against enemies and their weapons | 21 |
