The Sankhayana Aranyaka is an important early text on early Indian philosophy and ritual. Being a closely parallel text and a commentary on the Aitareya Aranyaka, it is of great value and interest for those working on the early Indian rituals, myths and philology. The present edition contains a literal rendering of the nine adhyayas or chapters of the Sankhayana Aranyaka apart from an Introduction and an Appendix on the Mahavrata. In the Introduction, Keith has discussed, at great length, the work and its importance besides giving a detailed exposition of the work in relation to the Aitareya Aranyaka. The copious notes to the text by Keith provide a mass work for those interested in the study of early Indian philosophy symbolism, rites and ritual, the Sankhayana Aranyaka is a must for scholars.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR A Berriedale Keith
Arthur Berriedale Keith (1879-1944), an eminent authority on Sanskrit language and literature, was born at Portobello, Edinburgh on 5 April 1879. After a brilliant academic career at Edinburgh and Balliol College, Oxford where he studied classics, Sanskrit and Pali, he entered the British Civil Service in 1901. In 1904, he was called to the bar at Inner Temple. Though better known for his deep study of Sanskrit language and literature, Keith also had a deep understanding of law. In 1914, he joined the University of Edinburgh as a Regius Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology and from 1922 he concurrently held the lectureship in the Constitution of the British Empire. Apart from being a member of the Committee on Home Administration of Indian Affairs (1919), he was also a member of a number of important Commissions. He died in Edinburgh on 6 October 1944. Arthur Berriedale Keith’s contributions on Sanskrit language and literature are diverse and are marked by a deep understanding of the obstruse subjects as is evident from his books and many articles in learned journals and translations of ancient Sanskrit Texts. His History of Sanskrit Literature, Sanskrit Drama, Classical Sanskrit Literature, Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads, Samkhya System: A History of the Samkhya Philosophy, Responsible Government in the Dominions apart from the translations of the Karma-Mimamsa, Aitareya Aranyaka, Sankhayana Aranyaka and Mythology of All Raees: Indian and Iranian (jointly with Albert J. Carony) and Vedic Index of Names and Subjects (jointly with A.A. Macdonell) bear testimony to his deep scholarship.
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