TRACING VEDIC DIALECTS - People.fas.harvard.edu

The results of the last section can now be counter-checked with the evidence
provided by some of the formulaic sentences so frequently found in the
Saṃhitās and Brāhmaṇas, notably, the standard phrase: "The gods and the
Asuras were in contest...."
This means that materials are discussed now which could be understood as a
mere matter of style. It will be seen, however, that even in such traditional
formulas, the gradual development of the Vedic language asserts itself. These
sentences provide useful indications as to the tenacity of the hieratic language
of the Brahmins on one hand, and the general changes in Old Indo-Aryan and
the underlying Middle Indo-Aryan (Prākṛt) on the other.
The use of the perfect tense in narrative passages during the late Brāhmaṇa
period affected even the traditional sentence, "The gods and the Asuras were
in contest," which begins so many tales. It is found in the following versions:
devāś cāsurāś ca aspṛdhanta/saṃyattā āsan:: ... paspṛdhire, saṃyattā
āsuḥ 140
This phrase occurs in the oldest Saṃhitā texts (MS, KS, TS), and there it is
invariably told in the imperfect, which is normal for narrative passages in
these early texts. However, there is a slight difference in style; MS uses the
old Indo-European word spṛdh, 141 while KS and TS use sam.yat, lit. "to form
a line (as in battle)." 142
MS: devāś cāsurāś cāspṛdhanta
KS: devāś cāsurāś ca sayattā āsan
TS: " " " " "
Later texts change even this standard phrase to perfect tense:
ŚBMo 1-5 devāś cāsurāś ca paspṛdhire
n 11-14 " " "
KB devāś cāsurās ca saṃyattā āsur
ABn 6-8 " " " saṃyetire
140
Note that other school particularities of style are retained as far as word usage is
concerned, see below, §§ 7-8.
141
Engl. sport, German (sich) spurten, cf. in Iranian, GAv. spəәrəәd Y 53.4
142
Note the case in the Saṃh., where the gods search for the hidden Agni. They take each
others' hands, form a 'police line'; see P.Thieme, Mon. Nyberg, 431 sqq.: "to take a firm
position".
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