The whole or the greater portion of the tenth book seems to have been the production of a later period, but was thrown in and preserved with the body of the older hymns. The hymns of the Rig-Veda were handed down from father to son or from teacher to pupil for centuries together, and it was in a later age, in the Epic Period, that they were arranged and compiled. By the close of this period, every verse, every word, and every syllable of the Rig-Veda had been counted. The number of verses, as computed, varies from 10,402 to 10,622; the number of words is 153,826; and there are altogether 432,000 syllables.
पर पर्वतानामुशती उपस्थादश्वे इव विषिते हासमाने |
गावेव शुभ्रे मातरा रिहाणे विपाट छुतुद्री पयसाजवेते |१|
इन्द्रेषिते परसवं भिक्षमाणे अछा समुद्रं रथ्येव याथः |
समाराणे ऊर्मिभिः पिन्वमाने अन्या वामन्यामप्येति शुभ्रे |२|
अछा सिन्धुं मात्र्तमामयासं विपाशमुर्वीं सुभगामगन्म |
वत्समिव मातरा संरिहाणे समानं योनिमनु संचरन्ती |३|
ORIGINAL TEXT OF A VEDIC HYMN.
Rig-Veda 3.33.
