梨俱吠陀

《梨俱吠陀》（ऋग्वेद），梵文由ṛc（「歌頌」）和veda（「知識」）兩個詞根構成，全名《梨俱吠陀本集》，漢譯為《讚誦明論》，是吠陀經中最早出現的一卷，成文於公元前16世紀到前11世紀，是除了西臺語的文獻外，在印歐語系語言中最古老的書籍。與其他文明的古老文獻不同，它是以口傳方式保存下來的。

## 內容

《梨俱吠陀》分十卷，收詩1,028首﹐其中有11首被認為是附錄，最短的詩只有3節，最長的詩有58節，是雅利安人來到印度河兩岸，對神的讚歌。

雅利安人將宇宙分為三界：天界、空界和地界，每一界有11個神，三界共33個神，天界的神有帝奧斯、婆樓那、蘇利耶、烏莎、羅底利；空界的神有因陀羅、阿邦那波陀、魯陀羅；地界之神有潑利提韋、阿耆尼、蘇摩，這些深厚而豐富的精神思維體系，反映出雅利安人對於先智慧開導者們的崇拜與嚮往。因陀羅是古印度人部落的首領，驍勇善戰，在公元前2000年征服印度，古印度人的詩人為了歌頌他而創作出200餘首神曲。

《梨俱吠陀》中所記載的妖魔，後人推斷為古代印度的奴隸，西來的雅利安人又以「瓦爾那」來分別其階級，最後再轉義為「種姓」，《梨俱吠陀》末卷出現了婆羅門、剎帝利、吠舍、首陀羅四個種姓。

《梨俱吠陀》除頌神的詩歌外，還有世俗詩歌，有一些以婚禮、愛情、巫術甚至是賭博為內容的神曲，例如第六章俗諦神曲序《賭徒懺悔錄》，描寫擲骰子的迷人之處，一位教徒賭輸後跪在神像前懺悔，哀號淒切，以及家中母親和妻子的憂傷。這些作品都反映著吠陀時期人民的生活習俗。

## 傳播

《梨俱吠陀》的成書時間相傳是在公元前2000至前1500年之間，但最早的文字流傳僅能追溯至公元15世紀，《梨俱吠陀》實際上是靠婆羅門祭司們代代口耳相傳，爾後才有手稿。玄奘在迦濕彌羅的時候曾讀過「四吠陀」，但未必是此書，也不能證明唐朝時此書流傳於世。19世紀歐洲人第一次刊印《梨俱吠陀》，有德、英、法等譯本。

## 參考文獻

Editions

- editio princeps: Friedrich Max Müller, The Hymns of the Rigveda, with Sayana's commentary, London, 1849–75, 6 vols., 2nd ed. 4 vols., Oxford, 1890–92.
- Theodor Aufrecht, 2nd ed., Bonn, 1877.
- . The Editorial Board for the First Edition included N. S. Sontakke (Managing Editor), V. K. Rājvade, M. M. Vāsudevaśāstri, and T. S. Varadarājaśarmā.
- B. van Nooten und G. Holland, Rig Veda, a metrically restored text, Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England, 1994.
- Rgveda-Samhita, Text in Devanagari, English translation Notes and indices by H. H. Wilson, Ed. W.F. Webster, originally in 1888, Published Nag Publishers 1990, 11A/U.A. Jawaharnagar,Delhi-7.

Commentary

- Sayana (14th century)
- ed. Müller 1849–75 (German translation);
- ed. Müller (original commentary of Sāyana in Sanskrit based on 24 manuscripts).
- ed. Sontakke et al., published by Vaidika Samsodhana Mandala, Pune (2nd ed. 1972) in 5 volumes.
- Rgveda-Samhitā Srimat-sāyanāchārya virachita-bhāṣya-sametā, ed. by Sontakke et al., published by Vaidika Samśodhana Mandala,Pune-9,1972, in 5 volumes (It is original commentary of Sāyana in Sanskrit based on over 60 manuscripts).
- Sri Aurobindo, Hymns to the Mystic Fire (Commentary on the Rig Veda), Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-22-5
- Raimundo Pannikar (1972), The Vedic Experience, University of California Press

Philology

- Vashishtha Narayan Jha, A Linguistic Analysis of the Rgveda-Padapatha Sri Satguru Publications, Delhi (1992).
- Bjorn Merker, Rig Veda Riddles In Nomad Perspective, Mongolian Studies, Journal of the Mongolian Society XI, 1988.
- Thomas Oberlies, Die Religion des Rgveda, Wien 1998.
- —Die Religion des Veda. Berlin 1894; Stuttgart 1917; Stuttgart 1927; Darmstadt 1977
- —Vedic Hymns, The Sacred Books of the East vo, l. 46 ed. Friedrich Max Müller, Oxford 1897
- Adolf Kaegi, The Rigveda: The Oldest Literature of the Indians (trans. R. Arrowsmith), Boston, Ginn and Co. (1886), 2004 reprint: ISBN 978-1-4179-8205-9.

Historical

- Lal, B.B. 2005. The Homeland of the Aryans. Evidence of Rigvedic Flora and Fauna & Archaeology, New Delhi, Aryan Books International.
- Talageri, Shrikant: The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis, 2000. ISBN 81-7742-010-0

## 外部連結

Text

- Devanagari and transliteration experimental online text at: sacred-texts.com
- ITRANS, Devanagari, transliteration online text and PDF, several versions prepared by Detlef Eichler
- Transliteration, metrically restored online text, at: Linguistics Research Center, Univ. of Texas
- Transliteration with tone accents PDF prepared by Keith Briggs
- The Hymns of the Rigveda , Editio Princeps by Friedrich Max Müller (large PDF files of book scans). Two editions: London, 1877 (Samhita and Pada texts) and Oxford, 1890–92, with Sayana's commentary.

Audio

- Audio download (MP3) by Indian Institute of Scientific Heritage (IISH)
- Audio download (MP3) . Live recording by Varanasi-based scholars; chanted in North Indian style, i.e. without tones (yeha swara)
- Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op.26, Gustav Holtz, 14 pieces in 4 groups, Piano with Violins, Romantic Movements, Vocal Scores , University of Rochester

Translations

- English translation by Ralph T. H. Griffith on Wikisource
- For links to other translations, see Translations section above.

Other

- Nomination of Rigveda (.doc format) submitted by India in 2006–2007 for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register.
- A Still Undeciphered Text: How the scientific approach to the Rigveda would open up Indo-European Studies, Karen Thomson (2009), The Journal of Indo-European Studies, Volume 37, Number 1 & 2, pages 1–47 (a review of various attempts to translate Rigveda and the issues with current translations)
- 季羨林：〈《梨俱吠陀》幾首哲學讚歌新解〉。