Prolegomenon on Metre and Textual History of the Rigveda

Oldenberg made a distinction between the original text of the Rgveda the form in which the rsis composed and recited their hymns and the 'traditional text' which in a fixed form, has been handed down to us by the oral tradition. Oldenberg made a thorough critical study of all aspects of the traditional text in order to present to the world of scholars the original text in the form and arrangement discovered by him. The materials that are now being published in this volume were intended by Oldenberg to serve as a Preface to his proposed edition of the Rgveda.

Hermann Oldenberg (1854-1920) is considered as one of the greatest Indologists of Germany. He was University Professor at Kiel and Berlin. He translated the Dipavamsa, Rgveda and Grhyasutras into German. Prof. V.G. Paranjape (1887-1976) got his D. Litt. degree from Paris in 1920. He taught sanskrit at the Fergusson College, Pune, from 1915 to 1946, He translated into Marathi J. Books La formation de la Langue Marathe and into english (in four volumes).M.A. Mehendale got his Ph.d. degree from the university of Bobbay in 1943. He was professor of sanskrit at the Deccan College Research Institute Pune 1951-1978 and Joint gerneral editor of the Dictionary of sanskrit onHistorical Principles 1973-1983.