Sri Aurobindo's various writings on the Veda and his translations of
some of the hymns, originally published in the Arya between August
1914 and 1920, were brought together and published in book-form in 1956
under the general title ON THE VEDA. They were reissued in 1964. The
title of the volume, however, has now been changed to the more significant, THE
SECRET OF THE
VEDA.
For the purposes of the Centenary Edition the same arrangement
as in ON THE VEDA
has been maintained except for the following additions and alterations in Part III and Part IV.
In Part III a number of translations of Hymns to Indra, found in his
manuscripts and later published in The Advent, an Ashram journal, have
been included.
Three Hymns to the Fire have been shifted from
Part IV to Volume 11, HYMNS TO THE
MYSTIC FIRE.
A letter addressed to The Hindu of Madras and published in its issue
of August 27, 1914, in answer to a criticism of his interpretation of the
Veda, is also appended here.
"The Origins of Aryan Speech", mentioned by Sri Aurobindo on
page 548, is reproduced here as found in his manuscripts.