Devanagari
ऋगथर्वयजु:साम्नां राशीरुद्धृत्य वर्गश: ।
चतस्र: संहिताश्चक्रे मन्त्रैर्मणिगणा इव ॥ ५० ॥
Verse text
ṛg-atharva-yajuḥ-sāmnāṁ
rāśīr uddhṛtya vargaśaḥ
catasraḥ saṁhitāś cakre
mantrair maṇi-gaṇā iva
Synonyms
ṛk
—
atharva — yajuḥ — sāmnām — of the Ṛg, Atharva, Yajur and Sāma Vedas
;
rāśīḥ
—
the accumulation (of mantras )
;
uddhṛtya
—
separating out
;
vargaśaḥ
—
in specific categories
;
catasraḥ
—
four
;
saṁhitāḥ
—
collections
;
cakre
—
he made
;
mantraiḥ
—
with the mantras
;
maṇi
—
gaṇāḥ — gems
;
iva
—
just as .
Translation
Śrīla Vyāsadeva separated the mantras of the Ṛg, Atharva, Yajur and Sāma Vedas into four divisions, just as one sorts out a mixed collection of jewels into piles. Thus he composed four distinct Vedic literatures.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Vyāsadeva, separating the Ṛg, Atharva, Yajur and Sāma mantras into different groups according to categories, made four saṁhitās out of the mantras, just as one divides collection of gems into different types.
“The four Vedas were made by Brahmā from his four mouths. How can one say that Vyāsa made the four Vedas? ” He made the four Vedas into separate piles according to different subjects, just as from a mine one gathers rubies and diamonds, and then separates them into different piles by type. He made four Saṁhitās: Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma and Atharva.
Purport
When Lord Brahmā first spoke the four
Vedas
with his four mouths, the
mantras
were mixed together like an unsorted collection of various types of jewels. Śrīla Vyāsadeva sorted the Vedic
mantras
into four divisions (
saṁhitās
), which thus became the recognizable
Ṛg, Atharva, Yajur
and
Sāma Vedas.