Maitrayani Padapatha: A Study

The book Maitrayani Padapatha: A study deserves a word of appreciation. Recitation and study of the Vedic school of Maitrayani is almost at the verge of extinction. At present there are a very few followers and that too, only in Nasik. Pp renders great help to understand and to recite the mantras. At such juncture a need to study and publish this work is obvious.

Dr. Bhagyashri Bhagwat carried on the dissertation for Ph. D. degree in Centre of Advanced Studies in Sanskrit (C.A.S.S), in university of Pune. It is a study of the Padapatha of the Maitrayani Samhita (MS) based on the two manuscripts (=mss) which she found in the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute, Pune and the Vaidika Samshodhan Mandal, Pune. She has named them as ms A and ms B. The study is limited to the 1st kanda of the MS. Dr. Bhagyashri completed the study during the year 1989-89. Now in 2007 the Padapatha is available up to the 4th kanda.

The book is in two parts consisting of four chapters each. In the 1st part there is a general information about the ms material, peculiarities of the mss and a comparison between them.

In the 2nd part some readings which are not present in the Samhita text but are given by the Pp have been found out, shortcomings of the Padakaras to analyse the text have been mentioned and possible correct readings have been suggested. The accent variation in some forms in the MS has been stated and remarks on the observations of Schroeder are also made. The book also makes clear the system of marking the accents in the MS. In this illustration the udatta has been marked with vertical line. Ample foot notes have been added to the principal matter.

This study of the mss brings to light some new readings in the Samhita which are not known to the editors of the MS, namely, Schroeder and Pt. Satavlekar. It has been suggested that the two different mss of the Pp of the MS represent altogether different traditions of the Maitrayani School of the krsna Yajurveda. Having sifted the available material in the two mss, the another has presented detailed information of the material and the Pp of the MS for the first time. She has also given the comparison between the Pp of the MS and the Pps of the other recensions of the Yajurveda School.