Recorded in Nirukta 1.15–16, the controversy between Kautsa and Yāska on whether the Vedic mantras are meaningful or not represents a turning point in the traditional interpretation of the Veda. While references to this controversy are often found in literature, a systematic discussion of the whole episode has not to our knowledge been undertaken. This paper offers a detailed analysis of this controversy. We first review previous scholarship and elucidate the structure and rationale of the controversy. Then, we provide an annotated translation in which we propose new solutions to several philological and interpretive issues.

中文翻译：

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从单词魔法到系统语言探究：尼鲁克塔的考察争议 1.15-16

记录在Nirukta 1.15-16 中，考察和亚斯卡之间关于吠陀咒语是否有意义的争论代表了吠陀传统解释的转折点。虽然在文献中经常提到这一争论，但据我们所知，还没有对整个事件进行系统的讨论。本文对这一争议进行了详细分析。我们首先回顾以前的学术研究并阐明争论的结构和基本原理。然后，我们提供了一个带注释的翻译，其中我们为几个语言学和解释问题提出了新的解决方案。