Anukramani

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An Anukramaṇī is an index of Vedic hymns, recording poetic meter, content, and traditions of authorship.

The most important Anukramani is Katyayana's Sarvanukramani of the Rigveda (ca. 2nd century BC), recording the first word, the number of verses, name and family of poets (rshis), names of deities and metres for each of the 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda.

Mayrhofer (2003) discusses the personal names contained in the Rigveda Anukramani, counting 543 items. Academic opinion regarding the age and authenticity of the tradition of these names is not unanimous. Mayrhofer suggests that Hermann Oldenberg (1888) was essentially correct in assuming that

"the editors of the lists of authors [...] [possessed] a correct notion of the families associated with these Mandalas [the Rigvedic "family books" 2–7], possibly rooted in tradition. Beyond this, they do not betray as much as the slightest sign of any genuine tradition on the hymn authors." (p. 229)

[edit] References

Manfred Mayrhofer, Die Personennamen in der Ṛgveda-Samṁhitā. Sicheres und Zweifelhaftes, Munich (2003).
Hermann Oldenberg, Ueber die Liedverfasser des Rigveda. ZDMG 42 (1888) 199-247.