translation would have been much poorer but for the many
works of Professor Joachim Friedrich Sprockhoff listed in the
bibliography. Over innumerable cups of tea at his home I learned
a great deal from the late Dr. V. V. Bhide -- about the Vedic
ritual, about the intricacies of Mi+̄māṃsā exegesis, but most of
all about the way Brahmin pandits think and write. His un-
timely death is a great loss to Indological studies.

Mary Jane Gormley read all the translations and helped me
with more than commas and colons. Ross Vemeer assisted me
in compiling the index. Anne Feldhaus read an early draft of
the introduction; it is the better for it. Cynthia Read's patience
is matched only by that of my wife, Suman; to both a heartfelt
thank you. To Meera this book is dedicated; contrary to Vedic
theologians, she has proven that a daughter does indeed bring
unsurpassable delight to a father and is "a light in the highest
heaven."

P. O.

Bloomington, Ind.
April 1991

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