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We have great pleasure in presenting to the world of scholars the first part of the first volume of the Krsna-Yajurveda—Taittiriya—Samhita (Kanda I Prapathakas 1-4) with critically edited texts of the commentaries of Bhatta- Bhaskara Misra and Sayanacarya thereon.

The project of the present publication was contemplated long long ago in 1944, when the fourth volume of the critically edited text of S2Eyana’s commentary on the Rgveda was in press. The plan of the Rgveda was brought to a successful completion in 1951 with the publication of its Index Volume and thereafter, after a pretty long period, the scheme of the present publication began to take shape. The publication of this part is an outcome of the same.

Before the undertaking of this project, the commentary of Bhatta Bhaskara and that of Sayana on the Taittiriya Samhita (TS) had already appeared in printed form. Bhatta Bhaskara Misra’s Commentary on the TS was printed in Bibliotheca Sanskrita of the Government Oriental Library Series, Mysore, during 1894-98, and was based on the then available few manuscripts. But it had gone out of print.

Sayana’s commentary on the TS was first published in Bibliotheca Indica of Calcutta. The work was originally commenced by Dr. Roer in 1855; and was continued later on by Dr. Cowell, Shri. Ram Narayan Sastri and Shri. Mahesa- candra Nyayaratna and was brought to completion in 1899. Thereafter the Anandasrama Edition of Sayana’s commentary on the TS appeared between 1900—1908. Though Dr. A. B. Keith remarked that ‘neither edition can be said to present an ideal text of Sayana’s, the two editions have well served the purpose in their own way. The criticism of Keith directed against the two previous editions of Sayana’s commentary on the TS seems to have been due to the fact that the editors of those editions could not or did not consult the sources of the citations. In our edition, we have made utmost efforts to find out the sources of the citations appearing in both the commentaries and have tried to meet Keith’s criticism.

Further, the editors of the previous• editions of S2iyaQa`s commentary could procure and use a small number of Devanagari MSS only. For our edition, we have, besides a number of Devanagari MSS, used the valuable group of manuscripts written in southern scripts, which forms a school distinct from that of Devanagari MSS. This group of MSS. in southern scripts has helped us in correcting and reconstituting the passages of the commentary of Sayana.

Likewise the editors of the previous edition of Bhatta Bhaskara’s commentary on the TS also could procure only a c very small number of manuscripts. We are fortunate in procuring few more valuable manuscripts, which have been very useful in giving better and correct readings in the commentary of Bhatta Bhaskara. A section discussing some variants adopted by us in our edition is separately appended.

For the collation purpose we have- used even the printed editions of the commentaries of Bha1cta—Bhaskara and Sayana with a view to utilising the manuscript—traditions which are represented by them, but which may not have come down to us. The detailed description of the critical apparatus is given on pages VII—X.

The commentary of Bhatta Bhaskara on the TS known as Jnanayajna is brief in comparison with that of Sayana, to which it is anterior in date. But it is a creditable production owing to some of its peculiarities. Despite its noteworthy precision and brevity, it fully explains the passages with its usual ease and lucidity and hence serves as a short gloss on the TS. Besides giving in brief the viniyoga of the Mantras (in the Mantra Section), the commentary fully furnishes minute and scientihcally accurate grammatical and etymological exegesis of the Vedic words in the traditional way. The commentary also, to a great extent, elucidates the chandas and accents. Bhatta Bhaskara has claimed that his commentary on the TS is sarvapathina. This claim however cannot be easily accepted, because the commentary pays very little attention to the ritualistic explanations.