Gopatha Brahmana

The Gopatha Brahmana (Sanskrit: गोपथ ब्राह्मण, Gopatha Brāhmaṇa) is the only Brahmana, a genre of the prose texts describing the Vedic rituals, associated with the Atharvaveda. The text is associated with both the Shaunaka and the Paippalada recensions of the Atharvaveda.[1] This text and the short Brahmanas of the Samaveda are the latest amongst the Vedic texts belonging to this genre.[2] The text is divided into two parts, the purva-bhaga or purva-brahmana comrprising five prapathakas and the uttara-bhaga or uttara-brahmana comprising six prapathakas. Each prapathaka is further divided into kandikas.[1] The purva-bhaga comrprises 135 kandikas and the uttara-bhaga comprises 123 kandikas.

Editions

The first printed edition of the Gopatha Brahmana was edited by Rajendralal Mitra and Harachandra Vidyabhushan. It was published by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta as a part of their Bibliotheca Indica series (Nos. 215 and 252) in 1872. This edition was full of printing errors, denounced as a "marvel of editorial ineptitude" by Bloomfield.[1] The next printed edition was edited by Jivananda Vidyasagar. It was published from Calcutta in 1891. This edition was almost same as the earlier edition by the Asiatic Society. Dutch scholar Dieuke Gaastra brought a critical edition with an exhaustive introduction in German from Leiden in 1919. This edition was based on six manuscripts. Pandit Kshemkarandas Trivedi published an edition with Hindi translation and Sanskrit commentary from Allahabad in 1924. The second edition of it was published from Allahabad in 1977. This edition was also based on the Asiatic Society and Vidyasagar editions. In 1980, Vijayapal Vidyavaridhi brought out an edition of this text. His edition, published by Ramlal Kapur Trust from Bahalgarh, Haryana. This edition was based on Gaastra's edition.[1]

Khanda section

Khandas Prapathakalu kandikas Khandas Prapathakalu kandikas
I (purva-bhaga ) 1 39 II (uttara-bhaga ) 1 26
2 24 2 24
3 23 3 28
4 24 4 19
5 25 5 15
6 16
Total Khandas 135 + Total Khandas 123 = 258

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Patyal, Hukam Chand (1990). "Gopatha Brahmana". In T.N. Dharmadhikari & others. Vedic Texts, A Revision: Prof. C.G. Kashikar Felicitation Volume. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 10–5. ISBN 81-208-0806-1.
  2. Pargiter, F.E. (1972). Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.326.

References

External links

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