The Branches of the Rigveda and the Yajurveda

Verse 1 (vishnu.3.4.1)

आद्यो वेदश्चतुष्पादः शतसाहस्रसंमितः । ततो दशगुणः कृत्स्नो यज्ञोऽयं सर्वकामधुक्

ādyo vedaścatuṣpādaḥ śatasāhasrasaṁmitaḥ tato daśaguṇaḥ kṛtsno yajño'yaṁ sarvakāmadhuk

Parashara said: The original Veda, having four parts, was measured at a hundred thousand verses; and this entire sacrifice, fulfilling every desire, thereafter became tenfold that.

Verse 2 (vishnu.3.4.2)

ततोऽत्र मत्सुतो व्यासोऽष्टाविंशतितमेऽन्तरे । वेदमेकं चतुष्पादं चतुर्धा व्यभजत् प्रभुः

tato'tra matsuto vyāso'ṣṭāviṁśatitame'ntare vedamekaṁ catuṣpādaṁ caturdhā vyabhajat prabhuḥ

Then, in this twenty-eighth period, my son Vyasa, the Lord, divided that one four-part Veda into four.

Verse 3 (vishnu.3.4.3)

यथा तु तेन वै व्यस्ता वेदव्यासेन धीमता । वेदास्तथा समस्तैस्तैर्व्यस्ता व्यासैस्तथा मया

yathā tu tena vai vyastā vedavyāsena dhīmatā vedāstathā samastaistairvyastā vyāsaistathā mayā

Just as the Vedas were divided by that wise Vedavyasa, so too were they divided by all those other Vyasas, and so too by me.

Verse 4 (vishnu.3.4.4)

तदनेनैव वेदानां शाखाभेदान् द्विजोत्तम । चतुर्युगेषु रचितान् समस्तेष्ववधारय

tadanenaiva vedānāṁ śākhābhedān dvijottama caturyugeṣu racitān samasteṣvavadhāraya

Learn from this very account, O best of Brahmins, all the divisions of the branches of the Vedas composed throughout the four Yugas.

Verse 5 (vishnu.3.4.5)

कृष्णद्वैपायनं व्यासं विद्धि नारायणं प्रभुम् । कोऽन्यो हि भुवि मैत्रेय महाभारतकृद्भवेत्

kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaṁ vyāsaṁ viddhi nārāyaṇaṁ prabhum ko'nyo hi bhuvi maitreya mahābhāratakṛdbhavet

Know Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa to be the Lord Narayana himself; for who else on earth, O Maitreya, could be the composer of the Mahabharata?

Verse 6 (vishnu.3.4.6)

तेन व्यस्ता यथा वेदा मत्पुत्रेण महात्मना । द्वापरे ह्यत्र मैत्रेय तन्मे शृणु यथार्थतः

tena vyastā yathā vedā matputreṇa mahātmanā dvāpare hyatra maitreya tanme śṛṇu yathārthataḥ

How the Vedas were divided by my great-souled son in this Dvapara, O Maitreya -- hear that from me exactly as it happened.

Verse 7 (vishnu.3.4.7)

ब्रह्मणा चोदितो व्यासो वेदान् व्यस्तुं प्रचक्रमे । अथ शिष्यान् स जग्राह चतुरो वेदपारगान्

brahmaṇā codito vyāso vedān vyastuṁ pracakrame atha śiṣyān sa jagrāha caturo vedapāragān

Urged on by Brahma, Vyasa set about dividing the Vedas; he then took four disciples, each versed in the Veda.

Verse 8 (vishnu.3.4.8)

ऋग्वेदश्रावकं पैलं जग्राह स महामुनिः । वैशम्पायननामानं यजुर्वेदस्य चाग्रहीत्

ṛgvedaśrāvakaṁ pailaṁ jagrāha sa mahāmuniḥ vaiśampāyananāmānaṁ yajurvedasya cāgrahīt

That great sage took Paila to receive the Rigveda, and he took the one named Vaishampayana for the Yajurveda.

Verse 9 (vishnu.3.4.9)

जैमिनिं सामवेदस्य तथैवाथर्ववेदवित् । सुमन्तुस्तस्य शिष्योऽभूद्वेदव्यासस्य धीमतः

jaiminiṁ sāmavedasya tathaivātharvavedavit sumantustasya śiṣyo'bhūdvedavyāsasya dhīmataḥ

And Jaimini for the Samaveda; likewise, versed in the Atharvaveda, Sumantu became a disciple of that wise Vedavyasa.

Verse 10 (vishnu.3.4.10)

रोमहर्षणनामानं महाबुद्धिं महामुनिः । सूतं जग्राह शिष्यं स इतिहासपुराणयोः

romaharṣaṇanāmānaṁ mahābuddhiṁ mahāmuniḥ sūtaṁ jagrāha śiṣyaṁ sa itihāsapurāṇayoḥ

That great sage took as his disciple the highly intelligent Suta named Romaharshana, for the Itihasas and the Puranas.

Verse 11 (vishnu.3.4.11)

एक आसीद्यजुर्वेदस्तं चतुर्धा व्यकल्पयत् । चातुर्होत्रमभूद्यस्मिंस्तेन यज्ञमथाकरोत्

eka āsīdyajurvedastaṁ caturdhā vyakalpayat cāturhotramabhūdyasmiṁstena yajñamathākarot

The Yajurveda was originally one; he arranged it into four parts. Since the fourfold priesthood existed within it, by that he performed the sacrifice.

Verse 12 (vishnu.3.4.12)

आध्वर्यवं यजुर्भिस्तु ऋग्भिर्होत्रं तथा मुनिः । औद्गात्रं सामभिश्चक्रे ब्रह्मत्वं चाप्यथर्वभिः

ādhvaryavaṁ yajurbhistu ṛgbhirhotraṁ tathā muniḥ audgātraṁ sāmabhiścakre brahmatvaṁ cāpyatharvabhiḥ

That sage established the office of Adhvaryu with the Yajus verses, of Hotri with the Rich verses, of Udgatri with the Sama verses, and the office of Brahman with the Atharva verses.

Verse 13 (vishnu.3.4.13)

ततः स ऋच उद्धृत्य ऋग्वेदं कृतवान् मुनिः । यजूंषि च यजुर्वेदं सामवेदं च सामभिः

tataḥ sa ṛca uddhṛtya ṛgvedaṁ kṛtavān muniḥ yajūṁṣi ca yajurvedaṁ sāmavedaṁ ca sāmabhiḥ

Then that sage, extracting the Rich verses, made the Rigveda; and from the Yajus verses the Yajurveda, and from the Sama verses the Samaveda.

Verse 14 (vishnu.3.4.14)

राज्ञस्त्वथर्ववेदेन सर्वकर्माणि स प्रभुः । कारयामास मैत्रेय ब्रह्मत्वं च यथास्थितिः

rājñastvatharvavedena sarvakarmāṇi sa prabhuḥ kārayāmāsa maitreya brahmatvaṁ ca yathāsthitiḥ

And with the Atharvaveda, O Maitreya, that Lord caused all the rites of kings to be performed, and established the office of the Brahman priest in its proper order.

Verse 15 (vishnu.3.4.15)

सोऽयमेको महावेदतरुस्तेन पृथक्कृतः । चतुर्धा तु ततो जातं वेदपादपकाननम्

so'yameko mahāvedatarustena pṛthakkṛtaḥ caturdhā tu tato jātaṁ vedapādapakānanam

That one great tree of the Veda was thus made separate by him; from it there then arose a whole forest of Veda-trees, fourfold.

Verse 16 (vishnu.3.4.16)

बिभेद प्रथमं विप्र पैल ऋग्वेदपादपम् । इन्द्रप्रमतये प्रादाद् बाष्कलाय च संहिते

bibheda prathamaṁ vipra paila ṛgvedapādapam indrapramataye prādād bāṣkalāya ca saṁhite

First, O Brahmin, Paila split the tree of the Rigveda; he gave two Samhitas, to Indrapramati and to Bashkala.

Verse 17 (vishnu.3.4.17)

चतुर्धा स बिभेदाथ बाष्कलो निजसंहिताम् । बौध्यादिभ्यो ददौ तास्तु शिष्येभ्यः स महामतिः

caturdhā sa bibhedātha bāṣkalo nijasaṁhitām baudhyādibhyo dadau tāstu śiṣyebhyaḥ sa mahāmatiḥ

Then Bashkala, of great intellect, split his own Samhita into four, and gave those portions to his disciples, headed by Baudhya.

Verse 18 (vishnu.3.4.18)

बौध्याग्निमाठरौ तद्वद्याज्ञवल्क्यपराशरौ । प्रतिशाखास्तु शाखायास्तस्यास्ते जगृहुर्मुने

baudhyāgnimāṭharau tadvadyājñavalkyaparāśarau pratiśākhāstu śākhāyāstasyāste jagṛhurmune

Baudhya and Agnimathara, and likewise Yajnavalkya and Parashara -- these, O sage, received the sub-branches of that branch.

Verse 19 (vishnu.3.4.19)

इन्द्रप्रमतिरेकां तु संहितां स्वसुतं ततः । माण्डूकेयं महात्मानं मैत्रेयाध्यापयत्तदा

indrapramatirekāṁ tu saṁhitāṁ svasutaṁ tataḥ māṇḍūkeyaṁ mahātmānaṁ maitreyādhyāpayattadā

Indrapramati then taught his one Samhita to his own great-souled son, Mandukeya, O Maitreya.

Verse 20 (vishnu.3.4.20)

तस्य शिष्यप्रशिष्येभ्यः पुत्रशिष्यान् क्रमाद्ययौ । वेदमित्रस्तु शाकल्यः संहितां तामधीतवान्

tasya śiṣyapraśiṣyebhyaḥ putraśiṣyān kramādyayau vedamitrastu śākalyaḥ saṁhitāṁ tāmadhītavān

From his disciples and disciples' disciples, it passed in due succession to his sons and pupils; and Vedamitra Shakalya studied that Samhita.

Verse 21 (vishnu.3.4.21)

चकार संहिताः पञ्च शिष्येभ्यः प्रददौ च ताः । तस्य शिष्यास्तु ये पञ्च तेषां नामानि मे शृणु

cakāra saṁhitāḥ pañca śiṣyebhyaḥ pradadau ca tāḥ tasya śiṣyāstu ye pañca teṣāṁ nāmāni me śṛṇu

He made it into five Samhitas and gave them to his disciples. Now hear from me the names of those five disciples of his.

Verse 22 (vishnu.3.4.22)

मुद्गलो गोमुखश्चैव वात्स्यः शालीय एव च । शिशिरः पञ्चमश्चासीन्मैत्रेय सुमहामुनिः

mudgalo gomukhaścaiva vātsyaḥ śālīya eva ca śiśiraḥ pañcamaścāsīnmaitreya sumahāmuniḥ

Mudgala, Gomukha, Vatsya, Shaliya, and the fifth, O Maitreya, was the great sage Shishira.

Verse 23 (vishnu.3.4.23)

संहितात्रितयं चक्रे शाकपूणिरथेतरः । निरुक्तमकरोत्तद्वच्चतुर्थं मुनिसत्तम

saṁhitātritayaṁ cakre śākapūṇirathetaraḥ niruktamakarottadvaccaturthaṁ munisattama

Shakapurni made a triad of Samhitas; and another, the fourth, O best of sages, likewise composed a Nirukta.

Verse 24 (vishnu.3.4.24)

क्रौञ्चो वैतालकिस्तद्वद्बलाकश्च महामुनिः । निरुक्तश्च चतुर्थोऽभूद्वेदवेदाङ्गपारगः

krauñco vaitālakistadvadbalākaśca mahāmuniḥ niruktaśca caturtho'bhūdvedavedāṅgapāragaḥ

Kraunchi Vaitalaki, and likewise the great sage Balaka, and a fourth, versed in the Veda and the Vedangas, composed the Nirukta.

Verse 25 (vishnu.3.4.25)

इत्येताः प्रतिशाखाभ्योऽप्यनुशाखा द्विजोत्तम । बाष्कलश्चापरास्तिस्रः संहिताः कृतवान् द्विज । शिष्यः कालायनिर्गार्ग्यस्तृतीयश्च तथा जवः

ityetāḥ pratiśākhābhyo'pyanuśākhā dvijottama bāṣkalaścāparāstisraḥ saṁhitāḥ kṛtavān dvija śiṣyaḥ kālāyanirgārgyastṛtīyaśca tathā javaḥ

Thus, O best of Brahmins, these are the sub-branches arising even from the branches. And Bashkala, O Brahmin, made three further Samhitas -- his disciples were Kalayani, Gargya, and third, likewise, Java.

Verse 26 (vishnu.3.4.26)

इत्येते बह्वृचाः प्रोक्ताः संहिता यैः प्रवर्तिताः

ityete bahvṛcāḥ proktāḥ saṁhitā yaiḥ pravartitāḥ

Thus these are declared to be the Bahvrichas, the reciters of the Rig, by whom these Samhitas were propagated.