Rgveda with Four Commentaries (Skandasvamin, Udgitha, Venkata Madhava and Mudgala): Eight Volumes (Sanskrit Only)

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Prepared and published under the Patronage of the Government of India in the erstwhile Ministry of Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs, the Government of Punjab, the University Grants Commission, the University of Panjab, the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College Management, New Delhi and the Trusts and Charities of Shri Vishva Bandhu, Shri Moolchand Khairaitiram and other donors.

In 1957, as the work on the 16-Volume Vedic Word- Concordance and the 6-Volume Vedic Grammatical Indices which had been under active pursuance since 1931 in the Nityanand Vedic Lexicographical Department of our Institute towards supplying our next 25-Volume continuation-project in that line, namely, "A Comparative and Etymological Dictionary of Vedic Interpretation" with its sine qua non scriptorial rock-foundation was entering the ultimate stage of its completion which has fortunately been now achieved, our Mahatma Hans Raj Manuscript Collection, Preservation, Editing and Publication Department undertook to publish the Samhita and the Pada texts of the Rgveda alongwith the critical editions of the Commentaries on it by the famous three pre-Sayana scholiasts, Skandasvamin, Udgitha and Venkata- Madhava and, also, of the Summary by Mudgala of the Commentary by Sayana, which, practically, extracted the entire body of the latter except the details of ritualistic application (viniyoga) and grammar. The idea was to provide the much-needed facility through this medium of studying together on a comparative basis the lines on which all the said reputed Indian Vedists of old had tried to understand and interpret the hoary and holy Rgveda, being universally acknowledged as the oldest extant literary monument in man’s library.

Some work that had already been done elsewhere in this direction is being duly noticed, in its proper place, in the sequel alongwith the description of our other Basic Materials. A brief indication of the methodology we have followed in critically editing the texts named above forms the subject of the section which immediately follows.

The Volumes II and Ill of this work containing the Suktas 81-191 of Mandala I and the Mandalas II and III, respectively, were issued in 1963 being followed, in 1964, by the Volumes 1V-VI carrying the texts, as available, to the end of the Sukta 45 of the Mandala X. The present Volume I supplying the first 80 Suktas of the Mandala I is being very closely followed by the Volume VII containing the Suktas 46-l9lof the Mandala X and the Volume VIII incorporating the Mantra, the Paola, the Rsi, the Devata and the Chandas Indices, both being issued within the next few months.

Our said Mahatma Hans Raj Department has also been able, simultaneously, to undertake and complete during this period the Critical Editions of (l) Sayana’s Commentary on the Atharvaveda of the Saunakas, (2) the four Rajatarangini (Chronicle Of the Kings of Kashmir) texts composed by Kalhana, Jonaraja, Srivara and Suka and (3) the Versions I-VII of Canakya-Niti-Texb Tradition (Sakha-samp1•adaya). The said Atharvaveda edition has already been issued in five volumes and the other two works mentioned are also following, part-wise, in quick succession according to their publication schedule to be completed during the current year.

Of these three text-editing projects, the Atharvaveda has been published in 5 parts being the Volumes XIII-XVII in our Vishveshvaranand Indological Research Series the Rgveda has partly been and is partly being published in 8 parts being the Volumes XIX-XXVI in the same Series and the Rajatarangini has partly been and is partly being published in 4 parts being the Volumes V-VIII in our Woolner Indological Series.

It is now my most pleasant duty to record here my great appreciation of the devoted co—operation that I have always depended upon and fully received, in this work, from all my colleagues in the DA.-V. College and the Panjab University Sections of the Mahatma Hans Raj Manuscript Research Department, the General Indological Department, the Publication Department and the Printing Department of our Institute. The title-page of this volume duly mentions the names of those of them T who, with great ability and patience, rendered special assistance in the editing and publication of this volume. I would fain add here, from among my other younger assistants, the name of Shri S. Bhaskaran Nair.

Some misprints which, our earnest efforts to avoid them notwithstanding, persisted to our great chagrin, have duly been set right in the Corrigenda. It might be recognised, of course, with a measure of indulgence, that the setting, as required, of various accented and unaccented multi—graded types for this work was a pretty tough task.

It is also my most cherished privilege to express on this occasion, on my own behalf and on behalf of our Management, our deepest gratitude to all our patrons and friends, notably, those whose names are recorded in the Commemorative Script in page iv OIC the title of this Volume, in appreciation of their valuable financial assistance towards this project.

Our hearty thanks are, likewise, due to the Adyar Library, Madras, the University Oriental Library, Mysore, the Kerala University Manuscript Library, Trivandrum and the Government Oriental Library, Madras for their valuable co-operation in lending us their manuscripts and transcripts or preparing for us some transcripts for use in our present edition of the Rg-Bhasyas or permitting us to collate, at their own premises, our press-copy with their old, unlendable manuscripts.

And, in conclusion, I must not miss mentioning, with all respect, the names of Pandit Sambasiva Sastri, Dr. L. A. Ravi Varma, Dr. C. Kunhan Raja and Dr. Lakshman Sarup. All these great names are sacred to me as they are of those who were personal friends and are no more in our midst. These worthy predecessors in their love for the Vedic lore and enthusiasm for reclaiming, practically, from oblivion the great pre—Sayana commentators of Rgveda, paved the way, as best as they could, on which it has since been my privilege to tread in their foot-steps towards producing, according to my humble lights, the present edition which it now gives me great satisfaction to bid a hearty farewell, full of hope that those whose hands it will reach will adjudge it, sympathetically, and, wherever need be, will not hesitate from improving upon it, ably, ever redounding to the glory of Mother Sarasvati.

(Mandala I, Sukta’s 81-191)

(Mandala’s II, III and IV)

(Mandala’s V and VI)

(Mandala’s VII and VIII)

(Mandala’s IX-X, 1-45)

(Mandala X, 46-191)

Indices of Mantras, Words, Rsis, Devatas and Chandas