The book starts with a rundown on Rigvedic meter including a discussion of irregularities and the importance of word-boundary patterns, with a brief digression on clitics. This is followed by a discussion of formulas, formulaic diction and various definitions of the concept of formula in oral-poetic traditions, resulting in the relativistic but more realistic definition ”a formula is a slice of a formulaic continuum”, i.e. a razor-sharp definition is in conflict with the material it is supposed to define. The metrical facts show that irregular dimeters in the Rigveda are more closely related to regular trimeters than to regular dimeters. Still, Bloomfield’s extraction hypothesis does not provide a sufficient methodological basis for explaining the irregular dimeters, nor does the laryngealist approch. A selection of irregular dimeter lines are examined with reference to the formulaic continua and associative networks surrounding them, and an attempt is made to show how these continua helped trigger the use of certain words in certain metrical positions.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This volume is newest installment of the series, The Secret History of the Vedas. This is a book of astrology like no other. This book presents an entirely new view of astrology as originally conceived by the Vedic astrologer. The Spiritual Legacy of the Nakshatras focuses on the Vedic lunar mansions in the sky and attempts to reveal their wisdom. It attempts to explain the numerous references to all things astronomical and astrological according to the Vedas and explain the true purpose of reading the stars. It traces the creation of the universe from the very beginnings of time and space to the development of the Nakshatras. It shows how this evolution guides the worshiper in the spiritual journey. The Vedic astrologer also describes the wisdom contained in the Nakshatras and methods by which this wisdom may be incorporated into the worshiper’s life. Because this is what the Nakshatras have to give. The purpose of the lunar mansions was not to tell the future, but to guide the worshiper, to provide the religious edification of the worshiper in the now and present, and to provide the spiritual and religious structure to the Vedic dharma. Accordingly, this book is not concerned with forecasting into the future. It is as astrology was intended to be—a vehicle of spiritual advancement. It is all explained in and through The Vedic Astrologer.

From the contents: Old Frisian 'fendsen' and 'hwendsen' (Alfred Bammesberger).- Puzzling datives in Old Frisian (Dirk Boutkan).- Vowel raising in the anonymous Lithuanian catechism of 1605 (Rick Derksen).- Laryngeals and Vedic metre (Jost Gippert).- Indo-European initial yod in Greek (Eric P. Hamp).- Vedic denominatives to thematic a-stems (Stanley Insler).- Syncope and anaptyxis in Hittite (H. Craig Melchert).

Pali Metre: A Contribution to the History of Indian Literature. The present work is a study of the problems presented by the metres in the Pali Canon, seen in their historical setting as representing the Early Middle Indian phase in the development of Indian metrics. During this phase, which is regarded as corresponding to a turning point in the linguistic transition from Old Indian (Vedic) to Late Middle Indian (Apabhramsa), a number of new metres appeared and an entirely new technique of versification was developed, differing in principle from the old Vedic technique. The new technique was adopted alike for the Sanskrit and Prakrit literature of the following centuries and its understanding should lead to a better appreciation of that phase of Indian poetry too. The attempt is made to collect and assess all previous contributions to the study of the ancient Indian metres and closely related subjects. The interrelations between these connected fields have been sought, leading to mutual elucidation of problems. The language of the Pali Canon presents many difficulties which have to be investigated before we can tackle the problems of scansion, whilst the linguistic and metrical trends constantly interacted. The most significant feature of the new metres was their close connection with music, the study of which has proved to be indispensable in our research on the history of Indian literature. Pali Text Society, Ancillary Works